Restoration Of Urban Ecosystems Research Articles

Ten steps towards integrated decision making for ecological restoration in cities: Rewilding the European beaver (Castor fiber) in Berlin, Germany

Ensuring a livable city for all within the more-than-human discourse, restoration of urban ecosystems requires careful consideration of both human and non-human needs. However, traditional assessments and therefore most management plans usually fail to include the latter as a core planning requirement. This article presents and explains a 10-step method which simultaneously and actively considers both to identify potential restoration areas within urban ecosystems. To do so, a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis for the multispecies needs identification is combined with a Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support System (MCSDSS) for the spatial assessment. To validate this method, a case study of Berlin, Germany, an explicitly urban case, is presented. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ecosystem restoration (rewilding) potential of the city's riparian and riverine ecosystems through the enhancement of Eurasian beaver habitats.•Method combining SWOT analysis with MCSDSS for an integrated spatial assessment•Well-suited for multispecies (human and non-human) perspective on urban nature restoration

A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE DOWNTOWN STREETS OF THE UKRAINE CITIES

Annotation text. Setting the problem is a transition from the analysis of the street from the point of view of exclusively technical design or scenario, to the street as an element of the urban ecosystem. This will give impetus to the formulation of new indicators of sustainable development. Publications related to the transformation of the central streets of historical cities mainly cover individual components of sustainable development systems or are limited to purely theoretical issues regarding the design of the urban environment. At the same time, most consider the issue of the street as a transport artery, not a public space. The aim of this publication is to define and justify the principles of transformation of the downtown streets of cities with the further development of the appropriate methodology, which should combine all three directions of sustainable development - ecological, economic and social. The novelty of the publication consists in tracking the types of transformation of the downtown streets and formulating the principles of transformation of the streets in city centre. Methodical approaches and methods of transformation of downtown streets depending on various components of sustainable development - ecological, economic and social - have been revealed. It was found that the implementation of the above-mentioned principles can be achieved by changing the functional and planning organization of the street, as well as by transforming the subject environment with the help of landscaping elements - stationary, non-capital and landscaping elements. The transformations should ensure the sustainable and prospective development of the street, comfortable conditions for work, transit and recreation of people, optimal parameters of the street for transit and temporary preservation of transport. In further research, the authors intend to analyze the compliance of the tasks of sustainable development in the restoration of urban ecosystems with the identified principles of transformation of central streets and to formulate new indicators of sustainable development.

Overview of Urban Landscape Rewilding Research

Urban wildscape refers to landscape units within or surrounding urban areas that are primarily shaped by natural processes exhibiting high ecological value and diversity. Due to urbanization urban wildscapes are at risk of disappearing or degrading but they also present opportunities for the protection and restoration of urban ecosystems. The purpose of this article is to systematically review and analyze the concepts classifications values threats and conservation strategies of urban wildscapes in order to provide references for urban planning and wildscape design.

Spatial variations of plant species diversity in urban soil seed banks in Beijing, China: Implications for plant regeneration and succession

The near-to-nature urban forestry concept and practices are widely recognized for urban greening, urban ecosystem restoration, urban greenspace management for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision. However, the regeneration and succession of urban vegetation are rarely studied due to the complex settings of the urban environment. To this end, we conducted a large-scale field investigation in the metropolitan area of Beijing, China to explore the spatial variations in plant species composition and diversity in soil seed banks, and their similarity to the aboveground vegetation to assess the potential of urban plant regeneration. Overall, 657 vegetation and soil sampling plots from 219 grids, measuring 2 km × 2 km each, were investigated within two perpendicular 10 km wide transects running across the urban center in north-south and east-west directions within the 6th Ring Road of the city. We recorded a total of 102 plant species in soil seed banks, including 13 tree species, 10 shrub species, and 79 herb species. We found that the soil seed bank species diversity and its similarity to that of the aboveground vegetation communities decreased significantly with the urbanization intensity. Higher urbanization intensity is typically associated with increased human management and a reduction in Greenspace Area (GSA). Soil seed bank species richness increased significantly when GSA exceeded 45 % and the similarity of species composition and diversity between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation communities was the highest in forest parks. This suggests that habitats under forest park management are more conducive to plant regeneration. Soil seed bank species diversity first increased and then decreased significantly with increased distance to the city center, whereas the species similarity between the soil seed banks and the aboveground vegetation communities showed little change with the ring roads going out. The results of this study have important implications for further understanding the potential for urban vegetation regeneration and sustainability, which have significant implications for urban biodiversity conservation and restoration.

Developing and classifying urban biomes as a basis for nature-based solutions

Urbanization is a major driver of environmental change, which calls for multifunctional and comprehensive actions such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). They are “inspired and supported by nature… and must benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services”. But what nature should one aim for? We tested the hypothesis that local vegetation may not always be the best source of inspiration, as environmental changes impact both extant conditions and species suitability for restored ecosystems. We analyzed the megacity of São Paulo, where laws promote the use of species from the local Atlantic Forest biome. We trained a Linear Discriminant Analysis to classify the Brazilian biomes and predicted the biomes' correspondence considering city's vegetation cover and climate. With 80% accuracy, the model predicted correspondence with the Atlantic Forest in 57% of the city, while 43% is better represented by the Cerrado, a dense Tropical Savanna biome. Cerrado species are naturally adapted to higher insolation, temperature and more seasonal precipitation, and they can parallel the ecosystem services of the Atlantic Forest. To help guide NbS implementation, we consider four “urban biomes”: Atlantic Forest, Seasonally Flooded Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and the Seasonally Flooded Cerrado, whose dynamics seem to depend mainly on changes in the proportion of dense vegetation cover. We then discuss possible examples of NbS in the city. ResultsAccording to the PCA (Tables S3-S6), the main difference between the classification of the green spaces classified is the higher proportion of forest cover in those classified as Mata Atlantica, with almost any influence from other vegetation cover types (Fig. 5E). This pattern is still consistent when vegetation cover is evaluated outside the largest green spaces where the presence of even small forest patches across the urban fabric results in the Mata Atlântica category DiscussionThe urban ecosystem restoration could benefit from such natural and dynamic processes in which the Cerrado could act as a transient urban biome in the way of restoring the urban forests through soil horizon development and species succession followed by the densification of the vegetation whenever this planting scheme is possible. ConclusionsThese transitions among urban biomes may occur as local conditions change with the implementation of NbS, and the results point to the effectiveness of increasing the vegetation density wherever possible.

Inclusive participatory process for urban ecosystem restoration - Guidance on gender, cultural and ethics-related considerations

Inclusive participatory process for urban ecosystem restoration - Guidance on gender, cultural and ethics-related considerations

城市生态系统修复研究进展

城市生态系统是社会-经济-自然复合生态系统。城市生态系统修复的实质是协调好城市复合生态系统的自然过程、经济过程和社会过程之间的关系，促进复合生态系统的各方面协调高效可持续发展。以城市绿地、城市湿地、城市废弃地三类主要的城市生态空间为对象，论述了城市生态系统修复的研究进展，提出当前城市生态系统修复存在以人工修复技术为主、自然修复不足、机理和量化研究缺乏、理论和应用脱节、管理机制不健全、复合生态系统理论体现不足等问题。梳理了当前城市生态系统修复的研究热点，包括城市生态系统修复机理、城市生态资产与生态系统服务、城市生态系统质量和健康、问题导向的生态修复、面向人类福祉的生态修复、生态修复多学科融贯，以及新方法和新技术的应用等几个方面。提出了城市生态修复与管理的相关对策和建议，可为我国城市生态系统修复的研究和实践提供参考。;Urban ecosystem is a kind of complex social-economic-natural ecosystem. The essence of urban ecosystem restoration is to coordinate the relationship among the natural process, economic process and social process of the urban complex ecosystem, and promote the coordinated and efficient development of all aspects of the complex ecosystem. This paper takes urban green space, urban wetland, urban wasteland, three main types of urban ecological space, as the objects, and discusses the research progress of urban ecosystem restoration. Then we point out that the current urban ecosystem restoration has some questions such as too much artificial restoration and lacking of natural restoration, the lack of mechanism and quantitative research, the disconnection between theory and application, the imperfect management mechanism, and the weakness of complex ecosystem theory application, and so on. This article reviews the current research hotspots of urban ecosystem restoration, including restoration mechanism of urban ecosystem, urban ecological asset and ecosystem services, urban ecosystem quality and health, ecological restoration resulted from urban problems, ecological restoration oriented to human welfare, multidisciplinary integration of ecological restoration, and application of new methods and technologies. Finally, the paper puts forward the relevant countermeasures and suggestions of urban ecological restoration and management, which can provide references for the research and practice of urban ecosystem restoration in China.

Promoting social and environmental justice to support Indigenous partnerships in urban ecosystem restoration

Urban ecological restoration typically employs western science approaches to restore degraded ecosystems. As yet, few restoration groups acknowledge the history of these degraded urban sites, despite connections, past and present, that root Indigenous Peoples (and others) in these lands. Here, we promote partnership with Indigenous communities from project inception and present two successful case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand. We specifically note that partnering and building relationships with Indigenous communities in restoration efforts require recognition of power inequalities and injustices. We consider success to include both restoration of ecological function and biodiversity and reconnection of all communities to urban ecosystems.

Recreating African biophilic urbanism: the roles of millennials, native trees, and innovation labs in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Going by the current trends of urbanisation in Africa, it becomes necessary to seek for innovative ideas to improve ecology, human health, and well-being. This study explores the potentials of innovation labs as vehicles for collective ideation, team learning, and incubation of sustainable solutions. MR CITY Lab is a design-thinking initiative that experimented on restoring over 15 severely depleted native tree species into the neighbourhoods of Kano City, Nigeria. As a participatory and fun-like lab, the millennials, academics, and communities co-designed and hacked the protocols for the reintroduction of the native trees that some of the neighbourhoods of this crowded city are named after. Based on the breakthroughs recorded in the project, it is imperative that urban planners, policymakers, and other stakeholders embrace living labs as entry points for designing urban ecosystem restoration and back to nature campaigns in cities and towns. The operations of MR CITY Lab reveal that hope is not lost in recreating urban greenery and biophilic functions they provide. Importantly, innovative labs can guide urban areas to achieve some of the targets and indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda, and international climate targets such as the Paris Agreement.

Sorption and transport behavior of zinc in the soil; Implications for stormwater management

Long-term leaching of accumulated heavy metals from the filter media of stormwater infiltration systems into groundwater, and its subsequent movement into receiving waters, is a concern for stormwater management in urban landscapes. This study provides a critical understanding of the fate of heavy metals, in particular zinc, in the subsurface to improve stormwater management. We studied the sorption behavior of zinc during its transport in soil using batch and column experiments. The use of sorption parameters from batch studies failed to suitably describe the zinc breakthrough curves simulated with the HYDRUS-1D model. While a sharp breakthrough curve front was expected due to the nonlinear nature of the batch sorption isotherms, we observed a more dispersed asymmetrical front in the columns. This demonstrates the existence of chemical non-equilibrium sorption during zinc transport. Conversely, no asymmetry was observed in the conservative tracer (chloride) breakthrough curve, suggesting that there is no physical non-equilibrium component. We conclude that (1) batch tests overpredict the transport behavior of zinc in the soil, (2) column tests better approximate non-equilibrium sorption behavior of zinc during its transport through the soil, and therefore should be conducted to better predict the contaminant transport behavior in the surrounding soils, and that (3) the sorption behavior of zinc transport is predominantly influenced by chemical sorption-related than physical transport-related mechanism. The outcomes of this research suggest that stormwater managers should consider the heterogeneity of surrounding soil between the infiltration systems and receiving waters and its impact on the transport of heavy metals when designing stormwater infiltration systems. Otherwise, they run the risk of not delivering the desired restoration of urban ecosystems.

Using citizen science data to define and track restoration targets in urban areas

Abstract Habitat fragmentation and land degradation, directly and indirectly caused by urbanization, are drastically altering the world's ecosystems and are therefore driving an imperative for ecological restoration within the world's cities. Current methods for the implementation and monitoring of restoration are limited. Restoration ecology needs cost‐effective and repeatable tools for tracking changes at global scales, but with local relevance. We propose the Urban Greenspace Integrity Index—a locally relevant measure of an urban greenspace's response to urbanization, derived from widely accessible citizen science data. Unlike classical measurements of biodiversity (e.g. species richness, species diversity), this index measures species‐specific responses to continuous measures of urbanization. Increases in this index are evidence of a successful urban restoration project; that is, restoration results in a community shift that favours urban‐sensitive species. Importantly, data for this index are easily and efficiently collected by citizen scientists, providing long‐term repeatable data. This urban index, calculated from greenspace surveys, correlates with and complements traditional biodiversity metrics. Synthesis and applications. Policymakers and practitioners can use the index—a measure of the urbanness of the local bird community—to define and track restoration of urban ecosystems, effectively measuring changes in biodiversity in response to urbanization: measuring whether the urbanness of the bird community changes through time. Importantly, this index can be calculated using citizen science data, providing a potentially long‐term monitoring effort of restoration projects.

Evaluation indicators for the restoration of degraded urban ecosystems and the analysis of restoration performance

Evaluation indicators for the restoration of degraded urban ecosystems and the analysis of restoration performance

模块式垂直绿化关键技术在屋顶钢架上的应用

在城市垂直绿化中，模块式垂直绿化已成为立体绿化的创新点，并逐步成为城市生态修复体系中不可分割的一部分。以上海松江临港科技园屋顶垂直钢架绿化为例，从场地分析、关键技术探究及筛选评价方面进行了系统总结，结果表明，该项目的垂直绿墙具有一定的示范效果，可以为模块式垂直绿化关键技术在建筑中的推广应用提供参考方法和理论依据。 Modular vertical greening has become an innovative point in urban vertical space nowadays. Gradually, it turns to be an inseparable element of the urban ecosystem restoration. In this study, the Lingang Science and Technology Park in Shanghai was taken as an application example to sys-tematically summarize the using of site analysis, the application of key technologies and the ex-ploitation of the screening and evaluating system. According to the study, this project is now at a great level with a demonstration effect. From the present study, we would aim to collect and present the key technologies in process and theory of the modular vertical greening for its popularization and application.

Quantitative analysis of spatial–temporal variation and relation of LST and relevant ecological elements

ABSTRACTLand surface temperature (LST), regional evapotranspiration (ET), build-up land information, vegetation information, and other land surface parameters are of great significance for urban scientific planning and urban ecosystem restoration. Taking Fuzhou City as an example and gaining the LST, regional ET, build-up land and vegetation information by Landsat satellite images, this paper finds out the spatial-temporal variation of the LST and ET in study area and conducts quantitative analysis for the relationship of the above land surface parameters. The results show that the distribution of ET in Fuzhou City has obvious zonation and the LST, urban build-up land and vegetation are significant factors affecting the urban heat island and regional ET. There is a clear linear positive correlation between ET and land surface vegetation cover and a significant linear negative correlation between ET and LST as well as between ET and build-up land information.

Adaptive Management of Urban Ecosystem Restoration: Learning From Restoration Managers in Rhode Island, USA

ABSTRACTUrban aquatic restoration can be difficult to accomplish because of complications like industrial pollutants, population density, infrastructure, and expense; however, unique opportunities in urban settings, including the potential to provide benefits to many diverse people, can make urban restoration especially rewarding. The success of urban restoration projects—even those focused primarily on ecological targets—depends on community involvement and managers considering community needs. However, research on the social barriers to urban restoration and strategies managers use to overcome them is relatively rare. This work attempts to fill that gap by presenting barriers for aquatic restoration projects in urban settings and strategies to overcome them. Building from interviews with restoration managers involved in urban aquatic restoration projects in Rhode Island, we contribute through an adaptive management approach: identifying and synthesizing the lessons learned from managers’ work in urban settings. Ultimately, we suggest potential for double- and triple-loop learning by disentangling and critiquing the frames and policy/power structures that influence decision making in urban aquatic restoration.

Insurance Value of Green Infrastructure in and Around Cities

The combination of climate change and urbanization projected to occur until 2050 poses new challenges for land-use planning, not least in terms of reducing urban vulnerability to hazards from projected increases in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Interest in investments in green infrastructure (interconnected systems of parks, wetlands, gardens and other green spaces), as well as in restoration of urban ecosystems as part of such adaptation strategies, is growing worldwide. Previous research has highlighted the insurance value of ecosystems in securing the supply of ecosystem services in the face of disturbance and change, yet this literature neglects urban areas even though urban populations are often highly vulnerable. We revisit the insurance value literature to examine the applicability of the concept in urban contexts, illustrating it with two case studies: watersheds providing drinking water for residents of Vancouver, Canada; and private gardens ensuring connectedness between other parts of urban green infrastructure in London, UK. Our research supports the notion that investments in green infrastructure can enhance insurance value, reducing vulnerability and the costs of adaptation to climate change and other environmental change. Although we recommend that urban authorities consider the insurance value of ecosystems in their decision-making matrix, we advise caution in relying upon monetary evaluations of insurance value. We conclude by identifying actions and management strategies oriented to maintain or enhance the insurance value of urban ecosystems. Ecosystems that are themselves resilient to external disturbances are better able to provide insurance for broader social–ecological systems.

A creative collaboration between the science of ecosystem restoration and art for sustainable stormwater management on an urban college campus

This article presents an interdisciplinary, on‐campus, student project, titled “The Rain Project” that I designed as an urban ecosystem restoration model as well as a collaborative pedagogical approach between ecological science and art at George Mason University (GMU), Virginia, U.S.A. A group of students from several disciplines (e.g. environmental science, art, civil engineering, biology, communication, and film/media) participated in designing and constructing a floating wetland for a campus stormwater pond as part of sustainable stormwater management. The Rain Project has numerous implications for college education, scholarship, and service while presenting a novel way of building a sense of community among undergraduate students for ecological awareness and literacy. The work of Jackie Brookner, a renowned eco‐artist who worked extensively on stormwater, and its relevance to the project is discussed. I strongly suggest the need for linking art and the science of ecosystem restoration to best obtain improvements in much‐needed communication for the success of community participatory restoration projects. I also believe that this kind of interdisciplinary, campus project can facilitate the changes we need to train higher education students to be able to both think differently and communicate effectively. The Rain Project introduced students to new learning strategies that connected “systems thinking” with art, ecological science, and restoration practices.

Biodiversity of roadside plants and their response to air pollution in an Indo-Burma hotspot region: implications for urban ecosystem restoration

In recent Anthropocene, biodiversity of urban roadside plants is now increasingly being realized as an eco-sustainable tool for monitoring and mitigation of air pollution. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of particulate matter (PM) pollutants on leaf morphology (stomata), biochemical (heavy metals, protein, and sugars) parameters and enzyme activity (peroxidase and catalase) of 12 common roadside plant species, growing at two different sites of Aizawl City, i.e. the Ramrikawn (RKN-Med; polluted peri-urban) site and the Mizoram University (MZU-Low; less polluted rural) site. The highest dust deposition was noted for the RKN-Med site on Ficus benghalensis and the lowest in Bauhinia variegate. The plant species growing at the RKN-Med site showed significant decreases in stomatal size and stomatal index (p ˂ 0.05). Further, increased concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, and Zn) was recorded at the RKN-Med site. Moreover, tolerant roadside plants find their suitability for plantation in ecologically sensitive regions, having implications for urban ecosystem restoration.

Simulating the effect of flow path roughness to examine how green infrastructure restores urban runoff timing and magnitude

Impervious land cover was the choice for many urban development projects in order to accelerate runoff and reduce the depth and duration of local flooding, however this led to increases in downstream runoff characterized by large, flashy peak flows. Urban ecosystem restoration now involves slowing down urban runoff to restore local hydrology with green infrastructure, which can be installed as single parcels along runoff flow paths; green infrastructure essentially increases the surface roughness, delaying the speed of runoff compared with relatively smooth impervious surfaces. In this study, we present a runoff routing model that inter-compares runoff from different land parcel surfaces with different roughness to help communities quantify how land parcel restoration impacts runoff timing and peak magnitude. Our modeling experiments contrast the timing and magnitude of floods for discrete runoff pathways composed of parcels with different cover types, converting rough rural land cover to smooth impervious cover as well as the restorative impact of relocating impervious area further from the water body or installing green infrastructure along the flow path. We demonstrate how the model is calibrated to match observed runoff for an entire watershed, and how the model can then be used to estimate how land cover changes will affect runoff timing and magnitude. This study introduces how a simple model to represent land parcel surface roughness and stormwater runoff timing and magnitude, allowing for informed watershed restoration planning, urban planning and placement of green infrastructure.

Dust capturing potential and air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of some road side tree vegetation in Aizawl, Mizoram, India: an Indo-Burma hot spot region

Bio monitoring studies are extremely relevant in the field of air pollution science in relation to urban ecosystem restoration. The present study was designed in order to assess the dust capturing efficiency and air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of 12 selected tree species growing along the road side at control and polluted site of Aizawl, Mizoram, northeast India. Highest dust deposition was found in Ficus benghalensis (1.02 mg cm−2) and lowest in Bauhinia variegate (0.54 mg cm−2) at polluted site. APTI of 12 plant species were evaluated by analyzing four important biochemical parameters such as ascorbic acid content, relative water content, leaf extract pH and total leaf chlorophyll. High values of APTI were recorded in F. benghalensis (19.48) and least for Artocarpus heterophyllus (8.11) at control site. The anticipated performance index (API) was calculated for different species by combining the resultant APTI values with some relevant biological and socioeconomic characters. According to API, F. bengalensis, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Ficus religiosa, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Lagerstroemia speciosa were evaluated as the best suited variety for plantation along the roadside of the polluted area.