Abstract
A large number of green infrastructure (GI) projects have recently been proposed, planned and implemented in European cities following the adoption of the GI strategy by the EU Commission in 2013. Although this policy tool is closely related to biodiversity conservation targets, some doubts have arisen as regards the ability of current urban GI to provide beneficial effects not only for human societies but also for the ecological systems that host them. The aim of this work is to review the features that should be considered critical when searching for solutions that simultaneously support biodiversity and guarantee the provision of ecosystem services (ES) in urban areas. Starting from a case study in the metropolitan area of Rome, we highlight the role of urban trees and forests as proxies for overall biodiversity and as main ecosystem service providers. We look beyond the individual functional features of plant species and vegetation communities to promote the biogeographic representativity, ecological coherence and landscape connectivity of new or restored GI elements.
Highlights
The European GI Strategy defines green infrastructure (GI) as a “strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services” [1]
Laurus nobilis and Pyracantha coccinea are representative of the natural forest types of the study area, while Nerium oleander is typical of the islands and southernmost regions of Italy and Pittosporum tobira is a non-native species
The approach adopted to select the estimates of the capacity of urban trees and forests to deliver key ecosystem services (ES) focuses on the geographic context of the research and on the components of biodiversity currently present in the study site
Summary
The European GI Strategy defines green infrastructure (GI) as a “strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services” [1]. Unlike landscape scale designs in rural settings, those conceived for local scale GI in urban contexts have been addressed mainly at enhancing the provision of ecosystem services (ES) and the cost-effectiveness of such interventions, while considering the health of ecosystems, i.e., biodiversity in its multiple aspects, just a secondary and/or approximate goal [5,8,9] This applies to several case studies that have focused on ways of greening grey infrastructures, e.g., by means of green roofs and green walls, or on increasing the provision of green spaces without considering the environmental setting within which the cities lie [10,11].
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