Urban Biodiversity Conservation Research Articles

Reframing governance possibilities for urban biodiversity conservation through systemic co‐inquiry

AbstractDespite decades of effort, biodiversity has not attracted effective political discourse, policies, or action to halt its decline. In cities in particular, biodiversity conservation is challenged by short‐term approaches, separately focusing on biodiversity or community well‐being rather than on their interconnection, and pervasive beliefs that urban citizenry lack the requisite ethic or skills for conservation action or biodiversity governance. We describe how a systemic co‐inquiry in Victoria Australia, conducted by citizen and agency practitioners alongside policy developers and academic researchers, modified understandings, practices, and institutional arrangements (governance) for urban biodiversity conservation. The most impactful outcomes of the early co‐inquiry period were (1) start‐up funding for a network to forge collaborations between community and local government actors that engage urban residents in supporting indigenous biodiversity in their gardens, and (2) empowered co‐inquiry members driving the network's development. These efforts have led to on‐going social learning and long‐term institutional arrangements for a burgeoning network of municipally based nature stewardship collaborations that are nurturing local human–nature relations. Key challenges include(d): maintaining the co‐inquiry, paradigms that undervalue urban biodiversity and the role of citizens, organizational inertia, and evaluation measures incommensurate with strengthening person‐nature relationships. Our research shows how systemic co‐inquiry involving citizen practitioners can surface misleading assumptions around biodiversity stewardship and governance, and help to empower citizen and agency actors to focus on nurturing sustainable human‐nature relations in cities.

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

Response of habitat quality to urban spatial morphological structure in multi-mountainous city

Revealing the relationship between urban spatial morphological structure (USMS) and habitat quality (HQ) is of great significance for high-quality urban development. In this study, the central urban area of a typical multi-mountainous city (Guiyang, China) was taken as research area. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) characteristic indicators system of USMS was constructed. The InVEST model was used to evaluate the HQ in the study area, and the spatial pattern characteristics of USMS and HQ in the multi-mountainous city were analyzed. Finally, the response relationship of HQ to USMS was revealed through Pearson correlation analysis and curve fitting. The results showed that: (1) The average level of HQ in the study area is low and the spatial aggregation effect is obvious; the spatial distribution difference between the high value area and the low value area is significant; the high value area is mainly distributed in the area where the large area of urban green space (UGS) and the urban remnant mountains (URMs) are located, while the low value area is mainly distributed in the high-intensity urban construction area. (2)The URMs have a significant impact on the USMS within the city, the intelligibility(I), spatial permeability, spatial aggregation degree, and spatial traffic attraction potential were poor; the buffer zone within 4 km of the urban center is the core area of urban development, and the buffer zone within 15 km is the rapid urban development area. (3)Among the USMS indicators, Choice(C) was significantly positively correlated with the HQ, while the Connectivity(Con), I, Average height(AVH), and Otherness(O) were significantly negatively correlated with the HQ. (4)Stepwise regression results showed that USMS could explain the difference of HQ in the study area well, and the values of fitting coefficient R2 were 0.975, 0.837 and 0.945 in 2008, 2013 and 2018, respectively. (5)There was a quadratic function relationship between HQ and USMS principal component factor f, and there was a threshold effect, and the thresholds were 0.798 in 2008, 0.905 in 2013 and 0.474 in 2018, respectively. This study confirmed the response relationship of HQ to USMS and demonstrates the existence of a threshold, which has important reference significance for urban biodiversity conservation and high-quality urban development.

Recommendations for the Management, Conservation, and Promotion of Urban Biodiversity

This rapid review explores the published scientific literature of the last 22 years in search of recommendations and consensus applicable to the management, conservation and promotion of urban biodiversity. Our search allowed us to compile 517 publications, 134 were considered for this study, from which 78 recommendations were extracted (Table 1) located in 27 of these publications. The size of green spaces is one of the most mentioned aspects, as well as the connectivity and heterogeneity of spaces in the city. In addition, the use of native plants or facilitating resources such as the installation of nest boxes or insect hotels is recommended to support biodiversity conservation in cities. However, important gaps were identified, such as the low representation of taxonomic groups on which the authors base their recommendations or the need for future research to provide concrete recommendations and how they are to be implemented.

Urban biodiversity conservation: Experience from the comparative perspective of China and Europe

Urban biodiversity conservation: Experience from the comparative perspective of China and Europe

Bird Biodiversity Increased with the Area of Urban Green Spaces Expanding after 40 Years of Tree Planting in Beijing

Beijing, the capital of China, with a population of more than 21 million, is a mega city that is located on the migration route between East Asia and Australia. Owing to the process of urbanization, more urban spaces have been occupied by artificial buildings and facilities in the past. Since the implementation of the Measures of the National Voluntary Tree Planting Movement by the State Council in Beijing in 1982, urban green spaces (especially urban parks) have been greatly increased, promoting the restoration of ecosystem in Beijing. Interestingly, bird biodiversity greatly increased with the expanding of urban green spaces, and more new records of birds were found by the booming development of bird watching activities in Beijing. A total of 503 bird species have been found in Beijing to date, including 27 Class I species ( Aythya baeri , Grus japonensis , Emberiza jankowskii , etc.) and 89 Class II species ( Grus grus , Paradoxornis heudei , etc.) in the List of Key Protected Wildlife in China, most of which are the flagship species of the wetland ecosystem and forest ecosystem. This suggests that Beijing has become one of the richest mega cities in the world in terms of bird biodiversity. Therefore, the long-term conservation of urban biodiversity should be considered during the process of urbanization construction.

Multi-temporal evaluation and optimization of ecological network in multi-mountainous city

In karst multi-mountainous areas, there are a large number of urban remnant mountains (URMs) in urban built-up areas, which are an important part of urban green space system and have important and unique ecosystem service functions. However, the densifying development inside the city has been leading to the reduction of the number and area of the URMs and the decrease of the connectivity of the urban green space system, resulting in the fragile urban ecological environment. The construction and optimization of ecological network (EN) is an effective way to protect important urban ecological patches and improve the stability of urban green space ecosystem. Taking the central area of Anshun, a typical multi-mountainous city, as the study area, based on the land use data of 2007, 2012 and 2017, the ecological sources were identified by morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the potential ecological corridors were extracted by the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR), and the ENs of the three periods were identified. 18 ecological sources were selected for each of the three periods, with a total area of 833.67 hm2, 713.25 hm2 and 806.85 hm2, respectively and the intersection area of ecological sources reached 650.58 hm2. The ecological corridors and ecological sources dwindled with time. The Gravity model was used to extract the important EN corridor, the InVEST model was used to quantify the comprehensive habitat quality. The EN was optimized by adding extra ecological sources, mending ecological breakpoints and extracting habitat quality map patches. It is suggested to add 6 ecological sources and 34 ecological corridors, protect ecological nodes and build stepping stone patches. The results of this study could not only provide a scientific and reasonable basis for the ecological protection and the development of ecological protection strategies in the urban central area of Anshun, but also enrich the theoretical research of urban biodiversity conservation planning and ecological restoration practice in multi-mountainous cities.

A Dynamic Evaluation Method of Urban Ecological Networks Combining Graphab and the FLUS Model

Rapid urbanization has led to landscape fragmentation and habitat loss. As an organic structure integrating green space, an urban ecological network can effectively reduce ecological risks and protect biodiversity if its landscape connectivity is maintained. Chaoyang District in Beijing is facing the challenge of transformational development due to excessive urbanization. Taking this district as the study area, this study assessed the environmental impact of different development scenarios on landscape connectivity indices and explored the most relevant strategies for important green space patches by combining ecological network modeling (Graphab) and scenario simulation techniques (FLUS model). The results show that under the urban expansion scenario, the probability of connectivity (PC) decreases by 59.7%, while under the master plan scenario, it increases by 102.1%. Even under the ideal ecological scenario, the ecological network structure of the region faces structural problems. Patches and corridors with high delta probabilities of connectivity (dPC) are concentrated in the north, with no effective connection between the north and south. Finally, planning strategies and priorities for important patches under different urban development goals are proposed through a strategy matrix. Overall, this study proposes a framework for decision-makers to solve planning conflicts between urban expansion and biodiversity conservation, especially for cities in transition.

Methodology, assessment and application of biotope mapping for urban parks in China: A case study on Riverside Park, Yichang

China, like many other countries in the world, has declining biodiversity caused by urbanization. Urban parks are a patchwork of distinct biotopes and have significant conservation value for biodiversity. Biotope mapping is an essential tool for urban biodiversity conservation, ecological spatial planning and ecosystem management, however there are few studies on it in China. This study explores a practical scheme of biotope classification, assessment and application for urban parks. The classification scheme which integrated vegetation structure was updated to make it clearer and more appropriate for urban parks in factor selection and grade. To identify problems in the biotope, the assessment tool assessed biotope fragmentation and spontaneous vegetation diversity. The number of patches (NP), mean patch size (MPS) and fragmentation index (FI) were used to measure biotope fragmentation, and for species level the richness index and the Jaccard index were selected. These methods were applied to Riverside Park, Yichang as a case study site to verify the applicability and explore methods for biodiversity conservation and restoration based on biotope mapping. The results show that this classification scheme has the potential to become a standard system for urban parks in China, according to the advantages of recognition of human activities and other species, and easy learning. It is also shows that the evaluation method integrating fragmentation and diversity is feasible and reliable to identify the problems of biotope types, and practical strategies are developed according to the assessment results. Our findings provide guidance and reference for professionals on a new method to take urban biodiversity conservation and restoration from research to practice.

The Gender Gap in Land Sciences: A Review of Women’s Presence on the Editorial Boards of Peer-Reviewed Journals

Women are disadvantaged across all stages of academic publishing. In science, contribution to editorial boards of journals is evidence of a high reputation within a specialty or field. Therefore, the low presence of women on editorial boards can be considered a disadvantage indicator for women in academia. This study aims to highlight the gap in women’s contributions in land science journals. We assessed the gender composition of editorial boards in 60 peer-reviewed journals using systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and we obtained data on current and past editorial boards of these journals. The result shows that the current number of editorial board members is 5197 of which only 25.47 percent are women. Gender inequality is very evident in this group of journals to the extent that journals with a high impact factor indicate inequality that is even more than 75 percent. The results of the time series analysis have also shown that the presence of women on editorial boards has increased over the last decade, although this increase has been more in the Nordic countries. The geographical distribution of editorial board members is also quite unequal in the North and South, 83 percent of female editorial board members are from northern countries, while only 12 percent are from the global South. According to the results, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality, especially in the field of land science. Our results also support previous findings of a considerable gender difference in urban land science, geoscience community, biodiversity conservation, and veterinary sciences. Thus, the academic community, editors, and journals must take proactive measures to achieve gender balance.

Biodiversity in Urban Green Space: A Bibliometric Review on the Current Research Field and Its Prospects.

Understanding the development process of urban green space and biodiversity conservation strategies in urban green space is vital for sustainable urban development. However, a systematic review of the urban green space biodiversity research is still lacking. We have retrieved 3806 articles in WOS core journals and carried out the bibliometrics analysis through the three related search terms: urban, green space, and biodiversity. We found that: (1) the year 2009 was a changing point, and the number of articles have increased exponentially since 2009. The United States, China, Europe, and Australia are closely linked, and four research centers have formed; (2) all studies can be classified into three research themes: “Pattern of Urban Green Biodiversity”, “Ecological Function of Urban Green Biodiversity”, and “Sustainability of Urban Green Biodiversity”; (3) based on the evolution of keywords, this field is divided into the budding stage (1998–2012) and the development stage (2012–2021). The keywords in the budding stage focus on the diversity of different species, and the keywords in the development stage focus on the ecosystem services, biodiversity protection, and residents’ satisfaction; (4) the future research focus may be in three aspects: studies on green space in the less urbanized area and urban-rural ecotone, the regulation mechanism and cultural services of urban green space, and the rational layout and management of urban green space. This study hopes to provide a reference for future research on urban green space biodiversity and promote the sustainable development of urban green space.

Understanding the drivers of woody plant diversity in urban parks in a snow climate city of China

Urban parks are an important part of urban ecosystems and play an important role in biodiversity conservation. However, it is still unclear how park characteristics affect plant diversity which could hinder the conservation of urban biodiversity due to the ineffective design of urban parks. The diversity of woody plants in 33 parks of Changchun, China, was measured with plot measurements and linked with urban park characteristics (e.g., size and age of the park) to uncover the relationship between them. The results show that urban woody plant species were abundant, with 98 species belonging to 51 genera and 26 families in the snow climate city of Changchun. The variation in woody plant diversity was largely explained by internal patch characteristics (e.g., size, age, shape), and external factors surrounding the park (e.g., land use type and socioeconomic level) accounted for only 16.0% in our study. For internal patch characteristics, older urban parks with larger areas demonstrated a richer level of plant diversity and increased nonlinearly with increasing park area. The threshold size significantly affecting plant diversity variation was approximately 30 ha. Plant diversity had positive linear relationships with the ages of urban parks, supporting the legacy effect. In addition, woody plant diversity nonlinearly decreased with increasing park shape index, which suggested that the plant diversity could also be increased by optimizing the park shape. Regarding the external factors surrounding parks, the spatial distribution of woody plant diversity varied greatly from the urban center to the suburbs. House prices around the park had positive linear relationships with woody plant diversity in parks, supporting the luxury effect. However, building and road proportions, and green space proportion had no relationship with plant diversity in parks. This study can provide a robust reference for enriching plant diversity in urban parks, thus improving the development of urban sustainable cities.

Bird Flight Resistance Analysis and Planning Strategies in Urban Regeneration Areas: A Case Study of a Certain Area in Shenzhen, China

At present, the sharp decline in urban biodiversity worldwide is severe. Conducting biological perspective analysis and proposing space construction solutions during urban regeneration can greatly alleviate the contradiction between urban construction and biodiversity conservation. In this study, birds were taken as biological representatives, and a certain area in Shenzhen with strong conservation needs was used as an example. Based on a thorough analysis of bird status, the minimum resistance model was applied to establish a resistance surface describing the real flight movement of the indicator species and to construct a bird conservation pattern from the flight process of birds. The results show that: (1) bird flight resistance is the lowest in the southern green space and northern woodland around the reservoir in the research region, and the resistance is higher in the central part, but the path of least resistance therein has the potential to become a corridor. (2) From the perspective of the community structure of green space vegetation, the sparse woodland and shrubland in the research region have low resistance and high richness, which are the most ideal green space forms for birds; from the perspective of architecture, bird flight resistance shows a negative correlation with building height and a positive correlation with building density. The final urban regeneration design plan is thus derived, and the validity of the method is verified based on the biodiversity index. This study reveals the possibility of applying bird flight resistance analysis based on the minimum resistance model to small and medium-scale urban regeneration areas, and also provides insight into the correlation between flight resistance and spatial design elements, which can assist decision-makers, planners and developers in spatial design and planning from a biological standpoint.

Land-use diversity can better predict urban spontaneous plant richness than impervious surface coverage at finer spatial scales

Urban spontaneous plants, that are not intentionally propagated by humans and do not belong to the remnants of the natural habitats, not only occur in green spaces but are also distributed in diverse microhabitats in impervious surface areas. Impervious surface coverage is commonly used in studies on spontaneous plant diversity patterns in human-dominated landscapes; however, the role of habitat diversity (i.e., land-use diversity) has been overlooked. Here, we surveyed spontaneous plant composition and land uses (12 types) in 321 0.25 ha sampling sites on the Chongming District islands, Shanghai, to determine the role of land-use diversity in explaining species richness. We examined the linear relationships between species richness and land-use diversity, and quantified the importance of impervious surface coverage and land-use diversity using the random forest (RF) method. All these analyses were conducted for spatial scales from 0.25 to 5 ha in 0.25 ha increments. We found an overall positive relationship between species richness and land-use diversity, and the RF model predicted approximately 50% of the species richness variation at the smallest spatial scale. However, the positive relationship weakened with spatial scale increase, and a rapid decline in explanatory power occurred for all predictor variables in the RF model. Besides impervious surface coverage, both the vegetated and non-vegetated land-use diversity contributed substantially to the prediction of species richness at finer spatial scales. The findings clarify how land-use diversity, both in green spaces and impervious surface areas, affect urban spontaneous plant richness and should be considered in urban biodiversity conservation strategies at the neighborhood scale.

Native pedunculate oaks support more biodiversity than non-native oaks, but non-native oaks are healthier than native oaks: A study on street and park trees of a city

Trees in cities provide multiple ecosystem services. However, simultaneously ensuring healthy trees with high habitat diversity can be challenging in a harsh urban environment. We compared health, microhabitats, and bat activities between native (Quercus robur L.) and non-native (Quercus rubra L.) oaks growing in different urban habitats (street vs. park) in Karlsruhe, southwestern Germany. We randomly selected 167 oak trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) >20 cm across the city from Urban Tree Registrar. We performed tree health assessment, dendrometric, and microhabitat inventory. We recorded the four-day bat activities on 45 native and non-native oaks with acoustic loggers installed on the trees. We found that non-native oaks were healthier than native oaks but provided less abundance and richness of microhabitats. Tree size (positive effect) and pruning (negative effect) strongly influence microhabitat richness and abundance. In addition, park trees hosted significantly more microhabitats than street trees. We recorded the activities of 9 bat species from 4 genera. Pipistrellus bats were more active in park trees than street trees. Long-eared bats (Plecotus) were more active near the native than non-native oaks. Bats are likely favored by microhabitats such as fork split, lightning scar, and woodpecker “flute” that are more common in less healthy trees. We conclude that non-native red oak can be planted alongside streets, where the conditions are harsher than in parks to better adapt to climatic changes and stay healthy with less maintenance. The preservation of native pedunculate oak trees, especially within parks, is paramount for urban biodiversity conservation because of their potential to provide microhabitats and supporting bats.

Pollinators and urban riparian vegetation: important contributors to urban diversity conservation

BackgroundUrbanization process around the world has not only changed the patterns of land use, but also fragmented the habitat, resulting in significantly biodiversity loss. Urban rivers, serve as one of the natural corridors in urban ecosystems, are of importance for urban ecosystem stability. However, few studies have been done to explore the relationship between vegetation and pollinators in urban river segments. In this study, two urban streams in the city of Chongqing were selected as the study area, riparian vegetation, butterflies and bees were investigated along all four seasons of a year to illustrate the spatial and temporal distribution patterns. Simultaneously, the ecological functions of the river corridor were analyzed.ResultIn this study, 109 plant species belonging to 95 genera of 39 families were recorded; the number of sampled species for butterflies and bees were 12 and 13, respectively. The temporal and spatial patterns of species diversity among vegetation, butterfly, and bee are different, but the trends of variation among them are similar between the two streams. Bees were found to be more closely correlated with native flowering plants in riparian zone, rather than with cultivated riparian vegetation.ConclusionsThe native riparian vegetation in urban rivers plays an important role in urban biodiversity conservation by serving as a corridor. This study provides data supporting the protection of the remaining natural patches and restoration of damaged habitats in the city. The survey has accumulated data on native riparian vegetation and pollinators in urban rivers.

Big changes in backyard birds: An analysis of long-term changes in bird communities in Australia's most populous urban regions

Urban environments are increasingly acknowledged as a priority for biodiversity conservation. Birds in particular are capable of persisting, and sometimes thriving, in cities and towns globally. However, the process of urbanization results in the loss of many bird species due to the resulting changes in habitat conditions. Urban expansion and densification present a threat to both urban bird biodiversity and bird conservation more broadly. Australian urban areas, including suburban and peri-urban areas, currently support moderate bird species richness, but the rapidly changing urban landscape threatens these communities. Unfortunately, many bird species' population trends are not actively studied, resulting in a poor understanding of species persistence in urban environments. Here, we used bird survey data from long-running citizen science databases in a Bayesian List Length Analysis to determine changes in bird species prevalence (the probability of observing a species in a given survey event) over time in Australia's four most populous urban regions. We found that introduced species, historically prominent in Australian urban bird communities, are decreasing in prevalence in all four regions, while a small group of native urban exploiters are becoming more prevalent. Our results also show that many species perceived to be “iconic” or “common” are experiencing declines in prevalence in urban areas, highlighting the importance of monitoring and conservation action in urban areas.

Could Purposefully Engineered Native Grassland Gardens Enhance Urban Insect Biodiversity?

Progress is required in response to how cities can support greater biodiversity. This calls for more research on how landscape designers can actively shape urban ecologies to deliver context-specific empirical bases for green space intervention decisions. Design experiments offer opportunities for implemented projects within real-world settings to serve as learning sites. This paper explores preliminary ecological outcomes from a multidisciplinary team on whether purposefully engineered native grassland gardens provide more habitat functions for insects than mainstream gardens in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Six different sites were sampled: two recently installed native grassland garden interventions (young native), two contemporary non-native control gardens (young non-native) on the same premises and of the same ages as the interventions, one remnant of a more pristine native grassland reference area (old native), and one long-established, non-native reference garden (old non-native). Plant and insect diversity were sampled over one year. The short-term findings suggest that higher plant beta diversity (species turnover indicating heterogeneity in a site) supports greater insect richness and evenness in richness. Garden size, age, and connectivity were not clear factors mediating urban habitat enhancement. Based on the preliminary results, the researchers recommend high native grassland species composition and diversity, avoiding individual species dominance, but increasing beta diversity and functional types when selecting garden plants for urban insect biodiversity conservation in grassland biomes.

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.