Urban Biodiversity Conservation Research Articles

It Is a Wild World in the City: Urban Wildlife Conservation and Communication in the Age of COVID-19

Most ecosystems are increasingly being degraded and reduced by human activities at the local and global scales. In contrast, urban environments are expanding as increasing portions of humanity move into cities. Despite the common perception among biologists that urban areas are biological deserts, cities offer habitat for many non-human species, but their ecology and conservation remain poorly studied. In this review, we first provide an update on the current state of knowledge on urban wildlife, then briefly examine the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban wildlife and add four components not previously included in comprehensive reviews. (1) We show that by reducing human activity, COVID-19 has temporarily enhanced urban habitat quality for some species and diminished it for others. (2) Thoughtful horticulture can contribute to urban wildlife by providing complex habitat structures that benefit biodiversity while enhancing human wellbeing. (3) Recent literature on urban invertebrate biodiversity has grown, though is still focused on pollinators. (4) Finally, employing insights from the discipline of communication can enhance the success of urban biodiversity conservation among both biologists and the public.

Attitudes and willingness of local communities towards natural urban forest conservation in a rapidly developing Southeast Asia city

Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to natural forests, causing unprecedented biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. To date, the social-economic factors affecting the conservation of fragmented urban forest remnants have been rarely investigated, particularly in the tropics. The objective of this study is to understand the attitudes and willingness to conserve natural urban forests in local communities living nearby. We interviewed 450 respondents living near three natural urban forests in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using a structured questionnaire. We found that the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards natural urban forest conservation. Local communities had high willingness to conserve these natural urban forest patches. The main contributing factors to attitudes and willingness were the presence of forest patches in their neighbourhood, education level, and length of stay. The relationships between urban forests and humans are complex, as this study demonstrates. Regardless of patch size, the local communities were concerned about the conservation of natural urban forest patches and their ecological integrity. Our findings can inform policy-makers to support better planning of urban green spaces and biodiversity conservation, which are especially important for cities in low and middle income countries in the Global South.

Interactions of Functional Traits With Native Status and Ecosystem Novelty Explain the Establishment of Plant Species Within Urban Ecosystems: Evidence From Berlin, Germany

A key challenge in urban biodiversity conservation is to understand the drivers that govern the population establishment of different groups of species in different urban ecosystems. Here, we ask whether and to what extent vascular plant species establishment (i.e., the ability to establish self-sustaining populations within a certain time span) is driven by interactions of species functional traits, native status, and the type of ecosystem species occur in, with types of ecosystems distinguished by their degree of ecosystem novelty. To answer this question, we use a dataset of 1,178 vascular plant species occurring in Berlin, Germany that originally had been compiled to substantiate the Berlin Red List of endangered plant species. This dataset classifies native and non-native species into casual and established species based on a minimum of 25 years of expert observation. Whether a species is established or casual is distinguished among four broad types of ecosystems: natural remnant, hybrid, novel immature, and novel mature ecosystems. Moreover, we classify species into those native to Berlin and non-native species (split into archaeophytes and neophytes), and link species to selected functional traits and indicator values. By applying ordinal regression within a Bayesian framework, we show that traits are key drivers of these establishment processes and that the traits that drive species establishment differ across types of ecosystems. While across traits, more established species are present in natural remnants, low canopy height, annual life span, and late end of flowering specifically promote establishment in novel immature ecosystems. In hybrid ecosystems, low canopy height and reproduction by seeds are beneficial traits, with the latter promoting establishment in novel mature ecosystems, too. Traits were less important in predicting species establishment in native as compared to non-native species. All types of ecosystems add to urban biodiversity, and trait analyses refine our knowledge on how they can be supported in doing so on the long term. This can help in sharpening conservation measures.

Are the Interactions between Oaks and Pre-Dispersal Seed Predators Retained in Urban Environments? An Analysis of Two Quercus Species in Southern Mexico City

As urbanization proceeds, natural ecosystems surrounding cities are transformed, but usually some elements persist, notably trees from forest ecosystems. However, it is still unknown the extent to which isolated trees, immersed in an urban matrix, maintain their interactions with insects that feed on their seeds. In this work we analyzed pre-dispersal seed predation by the two main groups of insects, weevils (Coleoptera; Curculionidae) and moths (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), whose larvae feed on the acorns of two oak species (Quercus rugosa and Q. castanea). We compared these interactions between trees located in a protected forested area and trees isolated in an urban matrix. Our hypothesis was that, since pre-dispersal seed predation depends on insect dispersal, acorns from isolated trees would have lower predation levels than acorns from trees in the forest. A second hypothesis, based on reports that moths exhibit larger dispersal distances than weevils, was that isolated trees would have higher predation levels from moths than from weevils compared to their respective proportions in forest trees. Finally, we expected that moth predation would increase with seed size, as it does in weevils. We collected 1200 acorns of the two oak species (ten trees per species) in a protected oak forest and a nearby highway in southern Mexico City. From the whole sample, 17.3% of the acorns were predated by weevils and 3.8% by moths. The probability of predation was larger in acorns from trees in the forest (0.30) than in those from isolated trees (0.07), which confirmed the first hypothesis; tree species identity did not have a significant effect on the proportion of predated acorns. When only predated acorns were analyzed, predation by weevil larvae was larger than predation by moths in both oak species, although the probability of predation by weevils was higher in the oak species having large acorns (Q. rugosa, 0.93), than in the species with small acorns (Q. castanea, 0.63). Inversely, predation by moths was higher in Q. castanea (0.37) than in Q. rugosa (0.07). Seed predation decreased similarly for weevils and moths in isolated trees, so we failed to find support for our second hypothesis. A positive relationship between seed predation by weevils and seed size was found in Q. rugosa but not in Q. castanea; seed size did not affect predation by moth larvae. Therefore, although isolated trees in the urban matrix harbor smaller populations of pre-dispersal seed predators than forest trees, their interactions with the two main groups of insects feeding on acorns are maintained, which points to their importance for the conservation of urban biodiversity.

Changing urban bird diversity: how to manage adaptively our closest relation with wildlife

We human beings are becoming urban citizens. More and more people spend their lives in urban environments, so that the conservation and improvement of urban biodiversity is an increasingly hot topic. On the one hand, as cities grow bigger and more populated they can become more hostile for some birds, but cities can also be safer than the surrounding rural environment for others. On the other hand, factors affecting negatively or positively wild birds may also influence human’s health, either directly (e.g. pollution) or indirectly (enjoying wildlife diversity could contribute to improve our wellbeing). We review current state of knowledge on factors determining the abundance, diversity and health of urban birds, and derive methods for diagnosing what factors are acting in each particular case. Diagnoses are essential to design effective and efficient ways to manage urban bird diversity and improve it adaptively. We also address whether factors affecting birds could affect citizenship directly, so that urban birds can be used as indicators for healthy urban environments. Investigating and improving urban bird life can also improve human wellbeing through people’s involvement on citizen science programs. Monitoring approaches taken by both authorities and NGOs are still too general and badly designed, but collaboration among scientist, volunteers and authorities will contribute to make them effective. Improving citizen involvement will in turn contribute to improve urban bird diversity, closing a win-win loop for both people and wildlife wellbeing.

Global impacts of future urban expansion on terrestrial vertebrate diversity

Rapid urban expansion has profound impacts on global biodiversity through habitat conversion, degradation, fragmentation, and species extinction. However, how future urban expansion will affect global biodiversity needs to be better understood. We contribute to filling this knowledge gap by combining spatially explicit projections of urban expansion under shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) with datasets on habitat and terrestrial biodiversity (amphibians, mammals, and birds). Overall, future urban expansion will lead to 11–33 million hectares of natural habitat loss by 2100 under the SSP scenarios and will disproportionately cause large natural habitat fragmentation. The urban expansion within the current key biodiversity priority areas is projected to be higher (e.g., 37–44% higher in the WWF’s Global 200) than the global average. Moreover, the urban land conversion will reduce local within-site species richness by 34% and species abundance by 52% per 1 km grid cell, and 7–9 species may be lost per 10 km cell. Our study suggests an urgent need to develop a sustainable urban development pathway to balance urban expansion and biodiversity conservation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX (CBI) INDICATORS FOR MALAYSIA FUTURE BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AT LOCAL LEVEL: A REVIEW

Urban biodiversity conservation is typically practiced in densely populated areas or areas which experiencing rapid growth. The biodiversity population in urban areas has been severe affected because of urbanization. It is risky because uncontrolled urbanization will cause the extinction of urban species. The urban species richness require protection, and thus conservation will be successful if the government focuses on managing conservation properly. City Biodiversity Index (CBI) indicators will benefits in halting the loss of urban biodiversity and proving that it is a critical component in urban areas that require attention. The researcher highlights the critical components or indicators of CBI that lead to a better conservation of urban biodiversity in Malaysia.

Land conversion induced by urbanization leads to taxonomic and functional homogenization of a river macroinvertebrate metacommunity

Conversion of forests to urban land-use in the processes of urbanization is one of the major causes of biotic homogenization (i.e., decline in beta diversity) in freshwater ecosystems, threating ecosystem functioning and services. However, empirical studies exploring urban land-use shaping patterns of taxonomic and functional beta diversities and their components in subtropical urban rivers are limited. Here, by leveraging data for 43 sampling sites from urban and forest rivers in Shenzhen, a megacity showing rapid urbanization, we determined the spatio-temporal dynamics and associated drivers of taxonomic and functional beta diversities of river macroinvertebrates. Our results showed that, from the forest to urban rivers, taxonomic beta diversity (wet: 32.9%; dry: 17.1%) declined more significantly than functional beta diversity (wet: 17.4%; dry: 9.5%) in different seasons. We further found that these compositional changes were largely driven by decreased roles of species/traits replacement. Although replacement was also dominant for taxonomic beta diversity (60.4%–68.4%) in two sets of rivers, richness difference contributed more to functional beta diversity in the urban river (52.6%–60.5%). Both deterministic and stochastic processes simultaneously affected beta diversity, with stochastic processes being more important in the urban (3.0–19.0%) than forest rivers (0.0%–3.0%). Besides, db-RDA and variation partitioning results showed that local-scale environmental variables explained considerably large fractions of variation in beta diversity. We hence recommended that biodiversity conservation should focus on improving and restoring local environmental conditions. Despite no significant seasonal differences in beta diversity were detected in this study, we found that the roles of deterministic (i.e., local-scale and land-use variables) and stochastic processes varied considerately across seasons. This result highlights the viewpoint that urban river biodiversity monitoring should go beyond one-season snapshot surveys. As the ongoing trend of urbanization in developing countries, the findings of this study are relevant in guiding urban river environmental monitoring, biodiversity conservation and land-use planning.

Diversity Monitoring of Coexisting Birds in Urban Forests by Integrating Spectrograms and Object-Based Image Analysis

In the context of rapid urbanization, urban foresters are actively seeking management monitoring programs that address the challenges of urban biodiversity loss. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has attracted attention because it allows for the collection of data passively, objectively, and continuously across large areas and for extended periods. However, it continues to be a difficult subject due to the massive amount of information that audio recordings contain. Most existing automated analysis methods have limitations in their application in urban areas, with unclear ecological relevance and efficacy. To better support urban forest biodiversity monitoring, we present a novel methodology for automatically extracting bird vocalizations from spectrograms of field audio recordings, integrating object-based classification. We applied this approach to acoustic data from an urban forest in Beijing and achieved an accuracy of 93.55% (±4.78%) in vocalization recognition while requiring less than ⅛ of the time needed for traditional inspection. The difference in efficiency would become more significant as the data size increases because object-based classification allows for batch processing of spectrograms. Using the extracted vocalizations, a series of acoustic and morphological features of bird-vocalization syllables (syllable feature metrics, SFMs) could be calculated to better quantify acoustic events and describe the soundscape. A significant correlation between the SFMs and biodiversity indices was found, with 57% of the variance in species richness, 41% in Shannon’s diversity index and 38% in Simpson’s diversity index being explained by SFMs. Therefore, our proposed method provides an effective complementary tool to existing automated methods for long-term urban forest biodiversity monitoring and conservation.

Is the small island effect observed in the courtyards of a historical city centre?

ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests that biodiversity on small islands and fragments could be independent of island area, a pattern called the Small Island Effect (SIE). We searched for SIE among the floras of 19 courtyards completely enclosed by buildings in central St Petersburg, Russia, in 1993, 2003 and 2008. Despite the extremely small size of the studied habitats (125–3500 m2; open ground area 0.1–700 m2), the number of native and naturalized vascular plant species generally increased with an increase in habitat area. Plant species richness was better explained by the open ground area than by the total courtyard area, and species–area relationships did not differ between ornamental and non-ornamental plants. The statistical support for SIE was obtained in 3 of 14 analyses. Both semi-log and log-log data demonstrated SIE in trees, but not in shrubs or herbs. We also found SIE in the 2008 data (all life forms combined), but only with a semi-log model. The threshold area for the detected SIE was 3‒7 m2. We conclude that SIE in urban green spaces may be an exception rather than the general rule. Its occurrence may be transient and may depend on the current balance of stochastic colonisation and extinction processes. Thus, even a minor increase in the area of open ground patches embedded in an urban matrix will increase the diversity of plants persisting in these patches. This finding justifies the importance of small local actions for maximizing the conservation of urban biodiversity and the retention of the ecosystem services it provides.

面向多重生态保护目标的广东省生态系统服务退化风险情景模拟

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 面向多重生态保护目标的广东省生态系统服务退化风险情景模拟 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202103150689 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 自然资源部国土整治中心外协课题（2021-06-06） Ecosystem service degradation risk scenario simulation for multiple ecological conservation objectives in Guangdong Province Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:稳定、协调、可持续的生态系统服务供给是维持区域自然生命系统、保障区域生态安全的基础。面临生态系统所受的人为与自然干扰，有必要准确评估生态系统服务退化风险，揭示区域生态安全和可持续性提升路径。现有研究多叠加所有生态系统服务以评估生态系统服务退化风险，未能面向区域生态问题或生态需求对不同类型生态系统服务进行整合。研究提出面向多重生态保护目标的生态系统服务退化风险情景模拟框架，考虑广东省生物多样性保育、水资源安全、自然灾害防范等生态保护目标，选取代表性生态系统服务类型（生境维持、水源涵养、水质净化、土壤保持、洪水缓解、热带气旋缓解），基于不同典型浓度路径情景评估2018-2035年生态系统服务退化风险。结果表明，2018-2035年广东省生态系统服务供给空间格局基本稳定，尽管有所退化、空间异质性强。生态系统服务退化风险的情景模拟表明，面向生物多样性保育目标的生态系统服务退化高风险区位于珠三角的深圳市、佛山市和江门市，以及粤西和粤东地区的湛江市、茂名市和揭阳市；面向水资源安全目标的生态系统服务退化高风险区位于珠三角的深圳市、中山市和江门市，以及粤西与粤东地区的茂名市、揭阳市和江门市；面向自然灾害防范目标的生态系统服务退化高风险区位于珠三角的深圳市与江门市、粤西与粤东地区的茂名市、湛江市和揭阳市，是广东省生态系统服务退化风险防范的关键区域。面向多重生态保护目标，广东省生态系统服务退化风险应对策略应重视城市生态系统生物多样性保育，应加强对生态用地尤其是红树林的保护及恢复，应对流域进行分级管控，因地制宜开展面向多重生态保护目标的生态保护与修复工程，应积极采取气候变化相关干预政策，优选低资源消耗低生态影响的绿色可持续发展路径。 Abstract:Stable, coordinated and sustainable supply of ecosystem services is the foundation for maintaining regional natural life systems and ensuring regional ecological security. Facing the human and natural disturbances to ecosystem, it is necessary to accurately assess the risk of ecosystem service degradation, and reveal the improvement path of regional ecological security and sustainability. However, existing studies mostly overlay all ecosystem services to assess the degradation risk of ecosystem services, and fail to integrate different types of ecosystem services in response to regional ecological problems or ecological needs. This research proposed a framework for ecosystem service degradation risk scenario simulation for multiple ecological conservation objectives. Considering three ecological conservation objectives of Guangdong Province with biodiversity conservation, water resources security and natural disaster prevention, representative ecosystem service types (habitat maintenance, water conservation, water quality purification, soil retention, flood mitigation, tropical cyclone mitigation) were selected. Degradation risk of ecosystem services for 2018-2035 was assessed based on Representative Concentration Pathways scenarios. The results showed that the spatial pattern of ecosystem services supply in Guangdong Province was basically stable from 2018 to 2035, although there was some degradation and strong spatial heterogeneity. Scenario simulation for ecosystem service degradation risks showed that high-risk areas of ecosystem service degradation for biodiversity conservation objective were located in Shenzhen, Foshan and Jiangmen in the Pearl River Delta, and Zhanjiang and Maoming in western and eastern Guangdong regions. The high-risk areas of ecosystem service degradation facing water resources security objective were located in Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Jiangmen in the Pearl River Delta, and Maoming, Jieyang and Jiangmen in the western and eastern Guangdong regions. The high-risk areas of ecosystem service degradation for natural disaster prevention objective were located in Shenzhen and Jiangmen in the Pearl River Delta, Maoming, Zhanjiang and Jieyang in the western and eastern Guangdong regions. These areas have high future ecological risks and is key area for ecosystem service degradation risk prevention in Guangdong Province. Facing multiple ecological conservation objectives, the Guangdong Province ecosystem service degradation risk response strategy should attach importance to the conservation of urban ecosystem biodiversity, strengthen the protection and restoration of ecological lands, especially mangroves, implement hierarchical management and control of watersheds, and carry out ecological protection and restoration projects oriented to multiple ecological conservation objectives according to local conditions. We should actively adopt climate change-related intervention policies and choose green and sustainable development paths with low resource consumption and low ecological impact. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Balancing urban agriculture with sustaining ecosystem services

Abstract Urban agricultural systems are a prominent social–ecological system in cities and towns across the world. The multifunctional nature of urban agriculture engenders many benefits to urban residents, from food provision to social cohesion. In addition, many environmental services such as climate regulation and habitat for urban wildlife are supported by these agroecosystems. Both local to landscape management factors including plant diversity and ground cover management influence the provision of ecosystem services. Yet, the management decisions may create trade-offs between and among ecosystem services with the increase in one service potentially reducing the ability of the system to provide another service at a desired level. While there are some services that practitioners may not care to lose as much, for other services, the maintenance of a service will be important, based on the goals of the system. Thus, balancing and sustaining ecosystem services must be carefully considered in ecosystem management decisions. Here, we review ecosystem services (ES) within urban agriculture (UA) with a focus on residential, community, and market garden systems, and how local to landscape management influence ES provision. In addition, we evaluate trade-offs between and across services, for example, between provisioning services (food production) versus other environmental services (regulating, supporting). Finally, we highlight future research directions on ecosystem services and the trade-offs for sustainable urban food production, biodiversity, and natural resource conservation.

URBAN PLANT DIVERSITY POTENTIAL OF THE CEMETERIES AND THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OFFERED: THE SAMPLE OF KAYSERİ CITY (ASRİ) CEMETERY

Cemeteries are one of the indispensable forms of land use in urban areas or in the city. Urban cemeteries are among the green infrastructure elements all over the world, and with the increasing urbanization, they play an important role for urban biodiversity conservation. Aim: In this study, the urban plant diversity potential of the cemeteries was investigated and the ecosystem services provided by the tree species used were discussed. In this context, Kayseri City Cemetery, which is the largest cemetery of the city, was chosen as the study area. Method: First of all, on-site observation and investigation were made and the current state of the cemetery area was revealed, and plants in the area were identified. Then, with the table created on the basis of the literature review the ecosystem services provided by the dominant tree species in the area have been determined. Findings: As a result of on-site observations and investigation carried out in the cemetery a total of 101 taxa, 53 of which were coniferous and broad-leaved trees / shrubs, were identified. The supplier, organizer, habitat and cultural ecosystem services provided by the 10 dominant tree species were examined under 5 main topic such as social, cultural, economic, aesthetic and ecological benefits. Results: The study area on the basis of tree species; it provides many important ecosystem services such as increasing cultural-historical and aesthetic value, biodiversity potential, regulating the urban climate, recreation, improving public health and psychology. As a result, it is necessary to make an inventory of the cemeteries, which are an important land use in urban areas both for the rotection of urban plant diversity and for the sustainability of biological diversity, on the basis of natural-cultural-endemic species and to demonstrate their ecological value.

Urban biodiversity conservation a basic concept of sustainable urbanism: a systematic review

Delhi is a highly urbanized city in India. The rapid increase in population and unplanned development of infrastructure within the built-up environment is continuously damaging the urban and peri-urban green spaces of Delhi. Our modern indoor bound lifestyle is distancing us from the natural world. Through this paper, we have tried to review the possible contributions of both blue and green infrastructure on the urban environment and also on the wellbeing of the urban dweller. In continuation, this review article provides an interdisciplinary overview of the scientifically grounded knowledge on urban biodiversity and conservation, how it benefits urban ecosystems through their services, and finally integration of urban biodiversity into urban planning. At the outcome, knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research under the theme “Green Urbanism” has been critically reviewed. Key words: Conservation, Ecosystem services, Human health, Urban Biodiversity, Urban green

生态保护区外斑块对景观连接度的影响评价

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 生态保护区外斑块对景观连接度的影响评价 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202109052505 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金面上项目（41971269） Evaluation of the importance of patches outside protected areas to landscape connectivity Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.41971269) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:快速的城市化过程带来的生境斑块破碎化及损失会影响物种迁移、捕食等生态活动，对生物多样性构成威胁。然而，现有生态保护区可能无法覆盖其内生物的必要活动范围。生态保护区外的生境斑块对于维持生态过程也具有重要作用，因此识别生态保护区外的关键斑块并加以保护非常重要。以北京市延庆区为研究区，划分两种生境斑块，即核心生境斑块和潜在生境斑块，并基于图论构建生境网络。考虑地表覆盖类型、坡度、人类活动等因素构建生境阻力面。结合未来土地利用类型变化的模拟，研究城市化过程对区域生境网络和景观连接度的影响，选用CLUE-S模型模拟土地利用类型变化的格局。结合生境斑块特征和未来城市土地利用变化情况设计了3种未来生境变化情景。利用连接概率指数(PC)和网络连接度变化率(dI)评价不同生境变化情景下生态保护区外潜在生境斑块的景观连接度重要性，判断保护优先顺序，并分析景观格局变化对不同迁移能力物种的影响。结果表明：生态保护区外的全部潜在生境斑块对维持生境整体景观连接度有最大2.15%的影响，单个潜在生境斑块对维持景观连接度有最大0.28%的影响。此外，景观格局及其变化对不同迁移能力物种的影响差异显著，因此需针对保护物种和城市生境特征设计保护方案，研究区需要优先保护大中型斑块和位于关键位置的小型斑块。为了满足对生物多样性保护的需求，建议在区分生境斑块保护优先顺序时考虑生境斑块对景观连接度的贡献和城市化扩展过程的压力。研究为城市生物多样性保护和生境管理提供了方法参考。 Abstract:The fragmentation and loss of habitat patches due to the rapid urbanization can affect ecological activities such as species migration and predation which posed a threat to biodiversity. However, the ecological reserves may not be able to cover the necessary activities of the organisms in them. Habitat patches outside of ecological reserves may also play a critical role in maintaining ecological processes. Therefore, it is vitally important to identify key patches outside the ecological reserves and protect them. In this study, we firstly identified two types of habitat patches, core habitat patches and potential habitat patches, and built a habitat network based on graph theory in Yanqing District of Beijing, China. Then we established the habit resistance surface by considering factors such as land cover type, slope, and human activities. The impact of urbanization processes on regional habitat network and landscape connectivity is studied in conjunction with simulations of future land use type changes. The CLUE-S model was selected to simulate the pattern of land use type changes. Finally, we designed three habitat change scenarios based on the characteristics of habitat patches and future urban land use type changes. The connection probability index (PC) and change rate of network connectivity (dI) were used to evaluate the importance of the landscape connection degree of the potential habitat patches outside the ecological reserves under different habitat change scenarios. Based on the results, we judged the priority order of patch protection, and analyzed the impact of landscape pattern changes on species with different migration capabilities. The results showed that the whole potential habitat patches outside the ecological reserves had the greatest impact on the overall landscape connectivity of the habitat by 2.15% and a single potential habitat patch had a maximum effect of 0.28% on maintaining the landscape connectivity. In addition, the impact of landscape pattern and its changes on species with different migratory abilities varied significantly, so it is necessary to design protection plans for species and habitat characteristics. We advise to prioritize the protection of large and medium-sized habitat patches and small habitat patches at key locations. In order to meet the demand for biodiversity conservation, it is recommended that both the contribution of habitat patches to landscape connectivity and the pressure of urbanization expansion process be considered while distinguishing the conservation priorities of habitat patches. The study provides methodological references for urban biodiversity conservation and habitat management. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Urban Community Power: Enhancing Urban Forest Diversity and Reversing Ecosystem Disservices in Zomba City, Malawi

Tree species diversity in urban green spaces supports the provision of a wide range of urban ecosystem services, well studied in developed countries and less so in developing countries, where little is discussed concerning the role of urban communities in addressing the eminent threat facing green spaces. A study was, therefore, conducted to assess the impact of community involvement in the management of urban green spaces, which is mostly left in the hands of the central government in most developing countries. Two hills, namely, Sadzi and Chiperoni hills, were selected within Zomba city, where the latter has no community involvement in managing it. Trees with diameters at breast height (DBH) of ≥5 cm were measured and identified to species level from 25 sampled plots (20 × 20 m each). The results found a total of 51 species, 40 genera and 17 families, with the Fabaceae family dominant in both hills. A Shannon index of above 3.0 was recorded from both hills, with a greater tree density for Sadzi hill at 695 trees/ha. Sadzi hill has gained more than a twofold increase in green cover, while Chiperoni has lost 10%. Despite being in the regenerating phase, the community management is contributing to urban green space provision, ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.

Public Perception of Biodiversity: A Literature Review of Its Role in Urban Green Spaces

Abstract The significance of biodiversity in the survival of human beings and enhancing the urban quality of life is evident from the empirical measurements and qualitative studies carried out across the globe. Despite its importance and value, burgeoning population and growing urbanization are posing a serious threat to biodiversity leading to biodiversity homogenization and ecosystem fragmentation. Moreover, studies reveal that management practices of biodiversity hardly take into account perception, needs, and knowledge of urban residents regarding biodiversity. Urban green spaces have a major role to play in the conservation of urban biodiversity. However, the triangular relationship between biodiversity, urban green spaces, and public perception is still unexplored. With this aim, the paper attempts to compile, analyze, and synthesize the empirical findings to understand the state-of-the-art knowledge regarding public perception of biodiversity in urban green spaces. The search strategy acquired for the selection of papers resulted in 43 papers from 22 different countries of the world. The paper focuses upon an inclusive definition of urban green spaces, thus encompasses a wide variety of urban and peri-urban green spaces, parks, gardens, and waterfront urban spaces. The analysis of literature pattern reveals a recent increase in studies related to biodiversity perception over the last 10 years. It indicates a strong geographic bias in publications as well. Studies of animals including birds, insects, and reptiles are found scarce compared to plant species. The study could identify potential variables affecting human biodiversity perception which include species literacy, visitation rate, preferences, recreational, health, and restorative benefits, vegetation characteristics, nature connectedness, and conservation support. The paper also proposes a framework for understanding biodiversity perception in urban green spaces that can assist in improving our understanding of the relationship between human interactions and natural environments and framing strategies for urban development, landscape planning, and community health promotions.

Enablers and challenges when engaging local communities for urban biodiversity conservation in Australian cities

Across all landscape types, environmental managers work with communities to conserve biodiversity. The effectiveness of conservation practice, however, relies on acknowledging differences in preferences and values of nature. Implementing urban conservation is challenging because cities have diverse social, cultural and ecological attributes, meaning there are no simple solutions for the management or co-management of biodiversity. There is little guidance for urban environmental managers on how to 1) engage local urban communities and 2), implement conservation actions specific to cities and their communities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 environmental managers from government and not-for-profit organizations across five Australian capital cities to 1) explore how environmental managers engaged local communities, and 2) understand the factors that enabled or constrained that engagement in conservation. Our aim was to understand the enablers and constraints of engagement with a view to share insights and patterns in the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) conceptual framework’s recognition of the diversity of values associated with nature’s contributions to people (NCP). We found that urban environmental managers facilitated NCP by working to improve people’s relationship with nature. Interviewees reported a range of enablers for community-based biodiversity conservation, including supportive organizational policies and strategies, community support, engaging Indigenous advisory groups, and deploying multi-use, integrative human-nature designs. Constraints and challenges included a lack of top-down commitment, reliance on individuals, and overly simplistic engagement strategies. Based on these findings, we identified opportunities for improved community engagement relevant to organizations responsible for urban environmental management.

University campuses as valuable resources for urban biodiversity research and conservation

University campuses (including college campuses) are home to many ecologists and conservationists, resulting in a large number of studies on campus plant and animal taxa. However, a systematic review on the biodiversity of university campuses is still lacking. We conducted a comprehensive review covering the history, diversity and distribution patterns of living biodiversity on university campuses globally. We found over 300 university campuses that conducted biodiversity surveys, mostly on plants and birds, with China and India as research hotspots. These university campuses harboured high biodiversity, with an average of 199 plant species and 66 bird species on each campus, including many endemic and endangered species. Hence, university campuses provide a unique opportunity for urban biodiversity research, conservation and education, as well as connecting the public with nature through citizen science.

Mapping essential urban land use categories (EULUC) using geospatial big data: Progress, challenges, and opportunities

ABSTRACT Urban land use information that reflects socio-economic functions and human activities is critically essential for urban planning, landscape design, environmental management, health promotion, and biodiversity conservation. Land-use maps outlining the distribution, pattern, and composition of essential urban land use categories (EULUC) have facilitated a wide spectrum of applications and further triggered new opportunities in urban studies. New and improved Earth observations, algorithms, and advanced products for extracting thematic urban information, in association with emerging social sensing big data and auxiliary crowdsourcing datasets, all together offer great potentials to mapping fine-resolution EULUC from regional to global scales. Here we review the advances of EULUC mapping research and practices in terms of their data, methods, and applications. Based on the historical retrospect, we summarize the challenges and limitations of current EULUC studies regarding sample collection, mixed land use problem, data and model generalization, and large-scale mapping efforts. Finally, we propose and discuss future opportunities, including cross-scale mapping, optimal integration of multi-source features, global sample libraries from crowdsourcing approaches, advanced machine learning and ensembled classification strategy, open portals for data visualization and sharing, multi-temporal mapping of EULUC change, and implications in urban environmental studies, to facilitate multi-scale fine-resolution EULUC mapping research.