A simple method to map pollination ecosystem services potential in urban lawns

Abstract

Urban areas have detrimental impacts on the ecosystems. Nevertheless, they still supply many ecosystem services (ES), such as Pollination, in different urban green spaces (UGS). Lawns are among the most degraded UGS due to very high human impact. Still, flowers such as Dandelions (Taraxacum officinalis) live in these spaces. These flowers are considered a suitable habitat for pollinators. In this work, we develop a methodology to map Pollination ES potential in urban lawns using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. A detailed protocol was developed using high-resolution images, consisting of orthomosaic creation, flower vectorisation, field validation, and finally, Pollination ES potential mapping using Kernel and Point Density. This method can be applied to urban lawns and grasslands in Spring and Summer.•A novel method was developed to map pollination potential in lawns.•Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) were mapped using UAV high-resolution images.•The method is helpful to identify areas with pollination potential in urban lawns.