This study focuses on the relationship between river biodiversity and residents’ satisfaction for recreational water, taking urban rivers in Hanshin region as cases. The biodiversity level in each river is measured by collecting eDNA, and residents’ satisfaction for the recreational services of their neighborhood river is obtained by conducting an original questionnaire. The result of regression analysis, in which we assume river biodiversity affects residents’ satisfaction, shows that rich biodiversity of urban river doesn’t contribute satisfaction for recreational water. This is partly because artificially paved environment seems to enhance residents’ satisfaction for river owing to its recreational availability while pristine wilderness environment of river encourages its rich biodiversity. A trade-off appears to exist between pristine wilderness environment and artificially paved environment of river. In addition, making subsamples in terms of frequency of respondents’ childhood nature experience, this study certifies that those who with less nature experience in their childhood show salient link between rich biodiversity of river and low satisfaction for recreational water. It can be interpreted that facilitating childhood nature experience is important for the positive recognition of rich biodiversity.