Contribution of Connectivity Assessments to Green Infrastructure (GI)

Janine Bolliger,Janet Silbernagel

doi:10.3390/ijgi9040212

Abstract

A major goal of green infrastructure (GI) is to provide functional networks of habitats and ecosystems to maintain biodiversity long-term, while at the same time optimizing landscape and ecosystem functions and services to meet human needs. Traditionally, connectivity studies are informed by movement ecology with species-specific attributes of the type and timing of movement (e.g., dispersal, foraging, mating) and movement distances, while spatial environmental data help delineate movement pathways across landscapes. To date, a range of methods and approaches are available that (a) are relevant across any organism and movement type independent of time and space scales, (b) are ready-to-use as standalone freeware or custom GIS implementation, and (c) produce appealing visual outputs that facilitate communication with land managers. However, to enhance the robustness of connectivity assessments and ensure that current trends in connectivity modeling contribute to GI with their full potential, common denominators on which to ground planning and design strategies are required. Likewise, comparable, repeatable connectivity assessments will be needed to put results of these scientific tools into practice for multi-functional GI plans and implementation. In this paper, we discuss use and limitations of state-of-the-art connectivity methods in contributing to GI implementation.

Highlights

Environments have been reshaped by humans globally and at unprecedented rates during the Anthropocene [1,2,3]
We identify opportunities and challenges of state-of-the-art connectivity assessments for green infrastructure (GI) from the point of view of data, concepts and methodological developments
In recent decades several planning concepts centered on maintaining connected green spaces and corridors have emerged, including ecological networks, conservation subdivisions, and green infrastructure, among others [117] (Figure 3)

Summary

Introduction

Environments have been reshaped by humans globally and at unprecedented rates during the Anthropocene [1,2,3]. Reduced habitat area is known to limit species biodiversity [4,5,6] and ecosystem services [7,8], while habitat fragmentation limits movement success [9,10], and reduces gene flow ([11], but see Luqman et al [12]). Protected areas alone offer only limited solutions for such risks because, on the one hand, they are not exempt from global change and, on the other hand, protected areas alone may not retain sufficient habitat area or form connected networks sufficient to maintain biodiversity goals in the long term [13,14]. GI is defined 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” in both rural and urban settings [17]. That lastly leads to projecting avenues for sustainable GI to ensure persistence of long-term connectivity at the landscape scale to maintain and enhance biodiversity

Movement

Trends in Quantifying Connectivity

Planning and Design Strategies for Green Infrastructure

Conclusions