The Concept of an Ideal Urban Forest and Its Role as a Sustainable Educational Tourism Destination: A Case Study of Pekanbaru Urban Forest

Green open space functions as a supporter and enhancer of the value of quality in the environment and culture of the city so that it can be allocated and shaped in its use in accordance with its needs and interests, Jambi City Regional Regulation No. 9 of 2013 concerning the Spatial Planning for the Jambi City Region in 2013-2033. Jambi City with an area of 205.38 km² requires minimum public green open space of 4,107.60 ha and private green open space of at least 2.05.38 ha. Based on DLH data from Jambi City. In 2017, the City of Jambi still lacked 2,220.13 ha of public green space and 774.36 ha of private green space, the research objective identifying the extent and availability of urban parks and forests based on population and water demand approach. The research method uses data analysis criteria identifying the needs of parks and urban forests, population and water consumption. Identify the number and extent of urban parks and urban forests as many as 45 city parks and 2 urban forests in Jambi City and the largest urban parks are in the youth arena park located in Kota Baru District with an area of 2,008 ha, public open space city parks and urban forests jambi has a total area of 72,922 ha. The required green space in Jambi City is 4,107.6 ha, it is obtained that the area of public green space identified is only about 1.77% of the total area of the city. The needs of urban forest area based on the water approach that requires land until 2028 covering an area of 5,614.47 ha are less fulfilled, because the total available land is 58 ha with potential land of 79.85 ha, only 94.32 ha has been developed, but it can only meet the needs of the area of urban forests based on the water approach only in 2018 of 2,495.32 ha

Mountain forests are managed for various purposes. Of these, recreation, leisure, and eco-tourism are increasingly gaining prominence. Yet, with the development of new techniques for creating and managing urban forests, the perception of the public with regard to mountain forests and such urban forests is narrowing. For the purpose of this study, eight mountain forests and urban forests located in Zurich (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Freiburg (Germany) were shortlisted. These places are renowned for their well-functioning management of mountain forests and creation of urban forests. As the study was to focus on the comparison of the perceptions of visitors in terms of their satisfaction in urban and mountain forests, the interview covered the following questions: (i) how satisfactory was the nature experience; (ii) how satisfactory were the outdoor recreational activities; (iii) whether the nature experiences influenced the mental and physical health of visitors. Responses thus received for each of the mountain forests and urban forests were assessed, with the total number of respondents being 247. Tourists visiting the selected areas were randomly chosen for a one-on-one interview survey. Results of the survey show that there is a clear perceptions of visitors differed between urban and mountain forests. However, the gap is insignificant or almost nonexistent with respect to satisfaction level of outdoor recreational activities and health benefits. These results are contrary to the findings of previous studies, which argued that the natural landscape of mountain areas is superior to other artificially built green spaces. Visitors did not perceive significant differences in outdoor recreational activities and health effects between the two spaces.

Identifying the factors affecting citizens' willingness to participate in urban forest governance: Evidence from the municipality of Palermo, Italy

The term ‘green infrastructure’ (GI) refers to a network of natural and semi-natural areas designed to provide ecosystem services. Urban green infrastructure focuses on green spaces within cities, including parks, gardens, forests, and water elements (blue infrastructure). It offers numerous benefits such as enhancing biodiversity, mitigating the urban heat island effect, acting as a carbon sink, improving air quality, aiding in stormwater management, and promoting physical and mental well-being. Urban green infrastructure also plays a crucial role in supporting regional habitat connectivity and biodiversity conservation. Urban forests play a crucial role in urban green spaces, acting as vital connectors between rural and urban areas. They serve as stepping stones and corridors for species movement, offering shelter, nesting sites, and foraging opportunities for a diverse range of organisms. However, ensuring successful ecological connectivity requires robust community engagement. Public awareness, education, and active participation in conservation efforts are essential for implementing and maintaining connectivity measures. Spatial urban planning encounters challenges in balancing social needs, financial expectations, and environmental sustainability. Key issues include identifying and designating ecological corridors and networks, integrating ecological principles into spatial planning frameworks, and leveraging technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing for green space mapping and assessment. Restoring urban forest habitat patches is crucial for supporting species’ survival and migration. Conservation efforts should consider elements like trees outside of forests and spontaneous vegetation to enhance connectivity. Despite the benefits, managing urban green infrastructure comes with risks. These include biotic homogenisation, the introduction of non-native species, edge effects, human disturbances, lack of diversity, and pressure from increased housing density, all of which can negatively impact biodiversity. Various planning tools and strategies are available to mitigate these risks and ensure the successful implementation of ecological connectivity in urban green infrastructure. These strategies include incorporating green infrastructure into urban master plans, establishing protected areas and wildlife corridors, promoting sustainable land-use practices, and involving local communities and stakeholders in decision-making processes. By considering different scales and site characteristics, cities can achieve effective management of ecological connectivity and create sustainable and resilient environments.

Carbon (C) sequestration and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) accumulation in urban forest green spaces are significant for global climate regulation and alleviating nutrient pollution. However, the effects of management and conservation practices across different urban forest vegetation types on soil C, N, and P contents and stoichiometric ratios remain largely unexplored. We selected forest soils from Guangzhou, a major Metropolis in China, as our study area. Soil samples were collected from two urban secondary forests that naturally regenerated after disturbance (108 samples) and six urban forest parks primarily composed of artificially planted woody plant communities (72 samples). We employed mixed linear models and variance partitioning to analyze and compare soil C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometry and its main driving factors beneath suburban forests and urban park vegetation. These results exhibited that soil pH and bulk density in urban parks were higher than those in suburban forests, whereas soil water content, maximum storage capacity, and capillary porosity were higher in urban forests than in urban parks. Soil C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometry (except for N:P ratio) were significantly higher in suburban forests than in urban parks. Multiple analyzes showed that soil pH had the most pronounced negative influence on soil C, N, C:N, C:P, and N:P, but the strongest positive influence on soil P in urban parks. Soil water content had the strongest positive effect on soil C, N, P, C:N, and C:P, while soil N:P was primarily influenced by the positive effect of soil non-capillary porosity in suburban forests. Overall, our study emphasizes that suburban forests outperform urban parks in terms of carbon and nutrient accumulation, and urban green space management should focus particularly on the impact of soil pH and moisture content on soil C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometry.

Background and Objectives: Urban forests and green space contribute to human wellbeing. Green infrastructure is recognized by the European Union as a planning tool that contributes to the implementation of many public policies, with urban forests and green space as its main building blocks. Croatia and Slovenia are young democracies and recent members of the European Union. Hence, they also need to contribute to the implementation of those policies. Previous review studies on urban forests and green space rarely addressed scientific or professional publications in those countries. Furthermore, the body of knowledge about urban forest and green space research and practice in post-socialist countries is still rather weak. The goal of the paper is (a) to show that urban forest and green space research and practice is much stronger in these countries than it is possible to assume based only on previous review papers or only by searching Scopus and Web of Science, and (b) to describe publications written by scientists and professionals in the past 30 years. Materials and Methods: We used a trilingual systematic literature review to identify scientific and grey literature in various databases, as well as a snowballing technique, and yielded 211 publications in Croatia and 84 in Slovenia. Results: We identified many more publications on urban forests and green space science and practice in Croatia and Slovenia than it was possible to assume based only on previous review papers and when searching solely publications in English. Croatian authors showed continuity over time in terms of number of publications, while Slovenian publications have been on the rise in the past decade. In both countries, scientific papers were most frequent, and the vast majority of studies addressed capital cities. Croatian publications mainly focused on parks and park-forests, while Slovenian publications focused on urban forests. Interestingly, Croatian authors were affiliated with over 60 organizations, and in comparison to Slovenian authors, have stronger preference towards publishing in their local language. Green space planning and design followed by resource inventory were the most frequent themes. The least addressed themes in both countries were resource management, economic aspects, policy, legislation or governance. Conclusions: Important discussion in the future, especially in Croatia, would be regulation of urban forestry as a profession. Cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary studies, as well as focusing on cities other than capitals in future, can help in addressing issues such as climate change or application of participatory approaches.

It is well known that the cooling effect of an urban green space extends into its surroundings, cooling the immediate environment and mitigating urban heat problems. However, the effects of size, shape, and type of an urban green space on cooling remain uncertain. The objectives of our study were to quantify and compare the strength of the cooling effects of urban parks and forests, to determine how far the cooling effects extend into the surrounding residential environment, and to better understand how temperature gradients are driven by physical characteristics of the green space and the surroundings. Mobile air temperature measurements were performed in 62 urban parks and forests in the city of Leipzig, Germany, in the summer of 2013. Three indicators of cooling were calculated: the change in temperature (ΔT) at the park-width distance, the maximum ΔT, and the cooling distance. The relationships of these variables to the physical characteristics of the green spaces and their surroundings were examined in multiple regression models. Analyzing all three indicators revealed that cooling effects were greater in urban forests than in parks. Cooling increased with increasing size but in a different manner for forests and parks, whereas the influence of shape was the same for forests and parks. Generally, the characteristics of the green spaces were more important than the characteristics of the residential surroundings. These findings have the potential to assist in better planning and designing of urban green spaces to increase their cooling effects.

Soil represents a fundamental yet delicate ecosystem susceptible to threats and alterations that can significantly impact its biota, especially in urban areas. Soil microarthropods may serve as bioindicators of soil quality. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive investigation of the response of soil microarthropod communities to anthropogenic pressures and to assess the biological quality of the soil in urban Rome (Italy). Microarthropods were extracted from soil samples collected at 16 sites, representing four distinct land-use types (disturbed unmanaged green spaces, disturbed managed green spaces, urban forests, and natural forests as reference) along a disturbance gradient. The basic soil properties and landscape characteristics were measured at each sampling site. Values of community diversity (calculated as Hill’s numbers based on biological forms reflecting specialization to the edaphic life), total microarthropod density, and soil biological quality indices based on microarthropod biological forms (QBS-ar and its variation QBS-ab, which also considers group abundances), were calculated for each sampling site and compared among land-use types. Land-use types varied in soil chemo-physical characteristics, with soils of managed and unmanaged green spaces being more alkaline, sodic, and compacted, and with lower organic matter, carbon, and nitrogen levels compared to urban and natural forests. Microarthropod diversity decreased from semi-natural or natural forests to highly disturbed urban sites. QBS-ar and QBS-ab values significantly differed among almost all land-use types, with managed urban green spaces exhibiting lower values than the unmanaged ones. No significant differences were observed between urban and natural forests. Soil pH, soil compaction, cation exchange capacity, C/N ratio, and vegetation cover appeared to be the most significant factors influencing the diversity and composition of microarthropod biological forms, as well as the QBS-ar and QBS-ab indices. Although with the limit of using biological forms instead of species, our investigation reaffirmed the valuable role of large, forested patches within cities for soil conservation and the preservation of their microarthropod communities. The potential of green spaces as suitable habitats for soil microarthropods should be carefully considered in urban management plans.

The urban forest and ecosystem services

(1) Research Highlights: Existing studies primarily focus on the supply-side evaluation of urban forest accessibility, emphasizing physical proximity while often overlooking real-time usage patterns and demographic-specific exposure. This study shifts the focus to social exposure, analyzing how diverse population groups interact with urban forests across different times of the day, integrating dynamic accessibility metrics. (2) Background and Objectives: Unlike previous research that predominantly assessed urban forest accessibility through conventional models based on static spatial proximity, this study incorporates spatiotemporal population distribution data to capture actual utilization patterns. By introducing a dynamic, exposure-based framework, this research aims to facilitate equitable and temporally sensitive access to green spaces across diverse demographic groups. (3) Materials and Methods: This study focuses on Seoul, South Korea, and applies the Gaussian-based Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (G2SFCA) methodology to assess urban forest accessibility. Living population data (2021–2024) from mobile telecommunications sources were used as demand indicators, while OpenStreetMap (OSM) green space data were utilized as supply indicators. Realistic travel distances were calculated using OSM pedestrian networks and Dijkstra’s algorithm, incorporating slope effects and distance decay functions. A K-means clustering algorithm was applied to classify four distinct exposure types based on demographic and temporal variations. (4) Results: The findings reveal significant disparities in urban forest exposure based on age group and time of day. Four major urban forest exposure patterns were identified: Type A—school-age children, with peak usage around midday; Type B—working-age adults, frequenting mid-sized urban forests during commuting and leisure hours; Type C—elderly individuals, utilizing large-scale urban forests and neighborhood parks mainly in the morning; Type D—young adults, engaging with small urban parks and rest areas at various times. (5) Conclusions: Urban forest management must move beyond the quantitative expansion of green spaces and instead implement customized policies that optimize accessibility and equitable distribution based on distinct temporal and demographic patterns of social exposure. By integrating real-time urban mobility data into urban forest planning, policies can better align green space supply with actual usage, fostering a more equitable, data-driven, and sustainable urban green infrastructure.

Global warming is one of the major environmental issues of this century. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the main cause of global warming. Green open space (RTH) such as urban parks, urban forests and green lines play an important role in mitigating global warming and climate change in urban areas because it is able to reduce CO2 from the atmosphere. This study aims to determine the potential of biomass and carbon stored in the Green Open Green Space of Polewali, West Sulawesi. Data collection for stored biomass and carbon is carried out at three green space locations including; Urban forest and city park and green lane each made three plots measuring 20 m x 20 m, and three plots on the Green Line measuring 1200 m. Retrieval of data by measuring tree height and diameter, analysis to obtain the dry volume, biomass and carbon stored for each tree species contained in the Polewali green space. Biomass is obtained by the formula M = BJ x Vk x BEF, the stored carbon value is obtained from the product of biomass by 0.47. The magnitude of the relationship of volume with biomass and carbon uses a regression equation (Ŷ=a+bX). The results show there are types of Glodokan (Polyalthia longifolia), Johar (Senna siamea), Mahogany (Swetenia sp) and Trambesi (Samanea saman) which are spread in the Polewali open green space. Trambesi is a type that has dominant biomass and stored carbon of 381.95 (tons / ha) and 179.52 (ton/ha). Green lane is the type of green space that has the most stored carbon and is currently 440.94 (ton/ha) and 207.24 (ton/ha). The overall green space biomass is 571.83 (ton/ha) and stored carbon is 268.76 (ton/ha) found in urban forests, urban gardens and green belt. The relationship of volume with biomass and stored carbon shows a very strong relationship with the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.96.

Publicly accessible green open spaces such as parks, playgrounds and urban forests are key environments within urban tissue for promotion of health-enhancing physical activities (HEPA). The association between green open space and physical activity has been a subject of numerous studies, most of them focusing on factors affecting the use of green space for HEPA. However, there are inconsistencies among studies about associations between spatial characteristics of a public open space (e.g. size, distance, safety, quality) and HEPA. This presents a struggle for urban designers and policy makers to develop and implement evidence-based guidelines for designing green open spaces to promote HEPA. Slovenian planning and management plans are no exception to this. In order to effectively overcome this shortfall, we developed an approach and methodology combining current knowledge, planning evaluation and an empirical study.Accordingly, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of current national legislation and documents related to public health, physical activity promotion and spatial planning. We also carried out workshops, focus groups, and discussions with relevant public health experts, decision makers and planners. To assess the practical relevance of the factors identified by experts and research literature, we tested the proposed approach and guidelines on a pilot study in the municipality of Kocevje, which is the largest Slovenian municipality, characterized by one town (Kocevje) and a number of small villages. Pilot study encompassed analysis of the municipality documents and spatial plans, spatial analyses, a survey among 176 residents of the municipality, and interviews with relevant representatives of local authority.The analysis of the planning plans showed that there is not one single official document which would stress the importance of green open space for HEPA, either on strategic or implemental level. Furthermore, the pilot study proved great differences between the town and surrounding villages, the town being insufficient in supply of green spaces suitable for walking or cycling, whilst villages were lacking open spaces as a setting where people could engage in physical activity.Based on the results, we underline the importance of the topic integration into planning documents and propose guidelines to achieve this.

PurposeSacred forests are biocultural landscapes deeply rooted in centuries-old traditions of spiritual veneration. These sacred sites, including shrines, temple forests churches and graveyards, have historically been significant reservoirs of traditional resource management practices underpinned by spiritual reverence. However, despite their cultural and ecological importance, the cultural ecosystem services inherent to these sacred forests remain unexplored, particularly in urban settings.Design/methodology/approachThis study focused on six sacred sites within Kanazawa City, Japan, using a meticulous face-to-face survey with 342 participants. We collected data on the extent of forest utilisation, the breadth of activities engaged in by visitors and their holistic appraisal of the rendered cultural ecosystem services. The findings illustrate the multifaceted benefits of urban sacred forests, encompassing participation in religious ceremonies, cultural events and festivals, complemented by educational programming that elucidates the historical and traditional underpinnings of the shrines and their surrounding communities.FindingsIt has been observed that urban forests have a crucial role in providing spiritual and communal connectivity, preserving traditional heritage, offering vital aesthetic values as green spaces and making visitors connected with nature while they are in the urban landscape. However, a concerning trend has emerged, as the younger demographic appears to lack interest in participating in the stewardship and cultural activities associated with these biocultural landscapes. Community engagement strategies must be strengthened, conservation measures should be implemented and cultural awareness programs need to be established to ensure the perpetuation and appreciation of these valuable urban sacred forests.Originality/valueThis study provides original perspectives on the measurable cultural ecosystem services and intangible values associated with urban sacred forests using the sacred forests in Kanazawa City, Japan. Our research illuminates the various advantages that visitors derive by examining the intersection of spiritual traditions, resource management practices and cultural significance, which has been relatively unexplored. The present study provides a significant basis for establishing initiatives that seek to promote the cultivation of respect and responsibility towards urban sacred forests.

Amidst rapid urbanization and land conversion in the Jabodetabek region, green open spaces such as city parks and urban forests play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and preserving biodiversity. This study aims to examine the potential, challenges, and conservation efforts for biodiversity in two urban green spaces: Srengseng Urban Forest and Suropati Park. Through a qualitative descriptive approach with case studies, it was found that both locations still function as habitats for various flora and fauna species and possess significant socio-educational value. However, threats such as habitat fragmentation, development pressure, pollution, and weak governance are major obstacles to biodiversity conservation. The lack of conservation integration in spatial planning, insufficient community participation, and low ecological literacy further exacerbate these conditions. Therefore, a holistic prevention strategy is needed through ecology-based green space planning, strengthening inter-agency coordination, environmental education, and collaboration with academics and local communities. This study emphasizes the importance of making parks and urban forests natural laboratories and centers for sustainable conservation amid the pressures of metropolitan urbanisation.

Trees stocks in domestic gardens and willingness to participate in tree planting initiatives in low-cost housing areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa