Abstract
The expansion of urban agglomerates is causing significant environmental changes, while the demand and need for sustainability keep on growing. In this context, urban and peri-urban agriculture can play a crucial role, mainly if associated with an agroecological approach. Indeed, the extensive use of living fences and tree rows can improve the environmental quality, assuring ecosystem services (ES), developing a sustainable urban food system and increasing local productions and the related socio-economic improvements. This study aims to assess the benefits of an agroecological requalification of a dismissed peri-urban area in the South Milan Agricultural Regional Park (Italy), by evaluating two possible scenarios, both involving planting trees and shrubs in that area. The software I-Tree Eco simulates the ecosystem services provision of planting new hedgerows, evaluating the benefits over 30 years. The study underlines the difference between the two scenarios and how the planted area becomes an essential supplier of regulating ecosystem services for the neighbourhoods, increasing carbon storage and air pollution removal. Results were then analysed with a treemap, to better investigate and understand the relationship between the different ecosystem services, showing a notable increase in carbon sequestration at the end of the simulation (at year 30). The study shows a replicable example of a methodology and techniques that can be used to assess the ES in urban and peri-urban environments.
Highlights
Due to the continuous urbanisation process, natural environments face severe consequences, such as biodiversity loss and general degradation of natural resources [1]
I-Tree Eco’s results regard the tree population’s structure and composition for each studied scenario. They show the quantification of the tree cover, leaf area and leaf biomass provided by the trees and shrubs in the area
The population percentage does not correspond to an equal percentage of leaf area (Table 2), as it emerged from the results due to each species’
Summary
Due to the continuous urbanisation process, natural environments face severe consequences, such as biodiversity loss and general degradation of natural resources [1]. Urban growth, especially in poor and developing countries, can cause overwhelming problems, such as the continuous increase of slum populations, inequalities, underemployment, pollution, traffic congestion, loss of urban green spaces, sprawl and high demand for services and infrastructures [7], which rarely can be satisfied. To avoid these consequences and that urban development results in total degradation of natural resources and a complete loss of ecosystems, it appears that finding new ways for sustainable urban development is crucial to reach the goals defined in Agenda 2030 [2]
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