Viheralueiden elonkirjo

Abstract

We present results from an expert panel about the role of urban habitat types (biotopes) for urban biodiversity. Building upon the Biodiversity Quality framework (Feest 2006), we suggest nine community attributes that jointly act as a composite measure for urban biodiversity: species richness, habitat specialist species, biomass, abundance, evenness, uniqueness, regional representativeness, sensitivity, and connectivity. 24 taxonomic experts (representing vascular plants, polypores, fungi, birds, bats, mammals, herpetofauna, butterflies, hymenoptera, and beetles) scored 68 pre-defined urban biotopes in terms of their support for Biodiversity Quality in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. Herb-rich forests and certain anthropogenic biotopes like fortifications generally received highest scores, whereas constructed areas like paved yards gained lowest scores. Results are mostly applicable in other Southern Finnish cities. Our openly available results provide a good tentative understanding of the biodiversity value of different urban environments. Biodiversity Quality is a more holistic measure than mere presence of protected or endangered species and it therefore supports biodiversity-aware and sustainable urban planning.