Urban National Parks Research Articles

First record of trichomycete fungi from Rouge National Urban Park and Greater Toronto Area

Insect gut-dwelling fungi, also known as trichomycete fungi, are obligate symbionts that reside in the digestive tracts of freshwater insect larvae or nymphs. Trichomycete fungi have been extensively documented worldwide and hold significant ecological and evolutionary importance. However, their distribution in Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP) and Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada, remains underexplored. To enhance our understanding of microbial fungal resources in Canada and to examine trichomycetes diversity in urban environments, a comprehensive study was conducted in RNUP and associated watersheds in GTA, including Highland Creek, Little Rouge Creek, and West Duffins Creek. A total of 28 collection sites were sampled, leading to the identification of various species new to the area, including <i>Caudomyces</i> sp., <i>Ejectosporus trisporus</i>, <i>Genistelloides</i> sp., <i>Stachylina paucispora</i>, <i>Stachylina penetralis</i>, <i>Trichozygospora chironomidarum</i>, <i>Smittium caudatum</i>, <i>Smittium culicis</i>, and <i>Smittium simulii</i>. Our findings significantly expand the known distribution of these symbiotic fungi in urban environments and underscore the importance of these habitats as reservoirs of microbial fungal diversity.

Automating field‐based floral surveys with machine learning

Abstract The abundance and diversity of flowering plant species are important indicators of pollinator habitat quality, but traditional field‐based surveying techniques are time‐intensive. Therefore, they are often biased due to under‐sampling and are difficult to scale. Aerial photography was collected across 10 sites located in and around Rouge National Urban Park, Toronto, Canada using a consumer‐grade drone. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to semantically segment, or identify and categorize, pixel clusters which represent flowers in the collected aerial imagery. Specifically, flowers of the dominant taxa found in the depauperate fall flowering plant community were surveyed. This included yellow flowering Solidago spp., white Symphyotrichum ericoides/lanceolatum and purple Symphyotrichum novae‐angliae. The CNN was trained using 930 m2 of manually annotated data, ~1% of the mapped landscape. The trained CNN was tested on 20% of the manually annotated data concealed during training. In addition, it was externally validated by comparing the predicted drone‐derived floral abundance metrics (i.e. floral area (m2) and the number of floral patches) to the field‐based count of floral units estimated for 34 4 m2 plots. The CNN returned accurate multiclassification when evaluated against the testing data. It obtained a precision score of 0.769, a recall of 0.849, and an F1 score of 0.807. The automated floral abundance counting yielded estimates that were strongly correlated with field‐based manual counting. In addition, flower segmentation using the trained CNN was time‐efficient. On average, it took roughly the same amount of time to segment the flowers occurring in an entire drone scene as it took to complete the abundance count of a single quadrat. However, the training process, particularly manual data annotation, was the most time‐consuming component of the study. Practical implication: Overall, the analysis provided valuable insights into automated flower classification and abundance estimation using drone imagery and machine learning. The results demonstrate that these tools can be used to provide accurate and scalable estimates of pollinator habitat quality. Further research should consider diverse wildflower systems to develop the generalizability of the methods.

Understanding Factors Affecting Tourist Distribution in Urban National Parks Based on Big Data and Machine Learning

Understanding Factors Affecting Tourist Distribution in Urban National Parks Based on Big Data and Machine Learning

Assessing the Environmental Impacts, Condition and Sustainability of Mountain Biking Trails in an Urban National Park.

Mountain biking is a popular recreational activity in natural areas, with thousands of formal trails designed, constructed and maintained by land managers. Increasingly, there are also rising numbers of informal trails created by riders. A challenge for land managers is identifying, assessing, and then mitigating environmental impacts created by trails, including in protected areas. Here we assessed mountain biking trails in a large, popular national park on the Gold Coast, Australia, addressing the currently limited research comparing the extent, environmental impacts, condition and sustainability of these trails. Impacts from the 31.4 km of formal and 33.7 km of informal trails through the forests in Nerang National Park (1659 ha) included soil erosion (16.48 m3) and loss of vegetation along and adjacent to the trails (90,955 m2). Formal trails were six times more popular and wider on average (1.1 m vs 0.7 m) than informal trails, but less incised than informal trails (4.6 cm deep vs 6.3 cm). Generalised Linear Models showed that Trail Grade, slope and alignment best-predicted trail condition, highlighting the importance of good trail design in minimising trail impacts. It is recommended most of the informal trails are closed and rehabilitated, as they were not well-designed, increase fragmentation and have environmental impacts, with some traversing ecologically sensitive areas. In addition, some formal trails need to be upgraded to deal with erosion and other impacts. More broadly, the increasing demand for mountain biking must be addressed, including exploring opportunities to promote areas outside of national parks while minimising environmental impacts and other challenges associated with the creation and use of informal mountain bike trails in protected areas.

Before, during, and irrespective of the pandemic: leisure constraints and urban national park visitation

ABSTRACT Urban and urban-proximate national park sites provide diverse leisure opportunities for residents, yet potential barriers and constraints for visitation exist. We examined constraints prior to, during, and regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Washington, D.C. Metro area at Rock Creek Park and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Visitors and non-visitors (n = 840) responses were assessed for differences in their (1) demographic characteristics and leisure activities, (2) perceived constraints, and (3) the (a)temporal dimensions of these constraints (i.e. considering or despite COVID-19). Findings illustrate constraints were largely similar for both populations, but non-visitors reported significantly more physical limitations during the pandemic; overall, this demographically diverse group reported significantly less knowledge related to national park site visitation. Findings help point park managers towards information, outreach, and social support as potential tools to improve the visitor experience in these and other national park unit settings.

The potential for Indigenous-led conservation in urbanized landscapes in Canada

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are an important pathway and governance system for area-based conservation led by Indigenous Peoples. While IPCAs have been established across rural and northern regions of Canada, they have received little attention in urbanized landscapes, even though all of Canada’s urban areas coincide with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis territory (and thereby underlying Indigenous jurisdiction) and the majority of Indigenous Peoples in the country live in urban centers. Canada’s federal government is in the process of establishing six new urban national parks and has committed to working with local Indigenous governments and organizations in parks planning. This study examined the potential for strengthening Indigenous participation in urban parks planning, governance, and management, including the establishment of new urban Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (UIPCAs). The results of spatial analyses of urban Indigenous territory, a review of relevant domestic and international policy and interviews with local Indigenous conservation leaders illuminate the potential for new forms of urban conservation governance that are grounded in Indigenous rights and responsibilities and reflective of Indigenous knowledge systems and biocultural priorities. However, it remains to be seen how urban Indigenous-led conservation, such as UIPCAs, can fit and operate within proposed government urban conservation initiatives, such as Canada’s Urban National Parks Program, which do not currently foreground Indigenous-led conservation in the governance of urban green space.

Uncovering antagonisms in recovery planning for species at risk: A diagnostic approach

AbstractAmid Earth's ongoing sixth mass extinction event, numerous measures have been proposed to recover the populations of species at risk of extinction. However, the methods and objectives of different species' recovery plans sometimes conflict with each other, causing a conundrum we refer to as recovery–action antagonism. Recovery–action antagonism reduces the cost‐effectiveness of conservation programs and can increase the extinction risk of nontarget species. We describe a method to identify interactions between recovery actions, including antagonisms proposed for different at‐risk species in a given location. The method includes a process to evaluate potential drivers of recovery‐action antagonism and other interaction types using principal coordinates analysis and distance‐based redundancy analysis. We illustrate various applications of the method through case studies performed in Pelee Island and Rouge National Urban Park, two biodiverse areas in Ontario, Canada. Potential antagonism was identified between 1.5% (Pelee) and 5% (Rouge) of the evaluated recovery actions. Although the rate of antagonism was low in our case studies, the method allows the identification of a variety of interactions, which can help to prioritize similar and complementary actions that will benefit a large number of species while minimizing actions that may have competing outcomes.

Effects of release method on the survival, somatic growth, and body condition of headstarted turtles

AbstractHeadstarting involves ex situ rearing of vulnerable life stages, then releasing individuals into the wild once they are larger and less vulnerable to predation. Sometimes, headstarted animals display underdeveloped behaviors that may lead to an acclimation period of reduced survival and growth after release. Using data from a 6‐year headstarting program, we tested whether the early release condition affected survival, body condition, and somatic growth rate in 2 groups of headstarted Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) released into Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The first group included turtles released directly into the wild (i.e., hard release). The second group included turtles released into an in situ enclosure in which individuals remained for a week without food supplementation before being fully released into the wild (i.e., delayed release). Release condition did not affect survival or growth rate. In the delayed‐release group, body condition initially declined rapidly and remained low for up to 1 year after release. Given the lack of wild juveniles in RNUP, we compared body condition of headstarted turtles at various time points since release to similar‐sized wild juveniles from 2 other Ontario populations, one from Algonquin Provincial Park (APP) and one near Lake Erie (LE). Body condition of headstarted turtles was similar to those of wild APP turtles regardless of release method, and higher than those of wild LE turtles. Our results indicate that delayed release did not improve post‐release outcomes for headstarted turtles in an urban landscape and headstarted turtles sustain similar health metrics as wild turtles.

Evaluation of headstarting as a conservation tool to recover Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in a highly fragmented urban landscape.

Freshwater turtle populations are declining globally as a result of anthropogenic activities. Threats to turtles in urban areas are exacerbated by road mortality and subsidized predators, which can lead to catastrophic shifts in population size and structure. Headstarting is used as a conservation tool to supplement turtle populations that may otherwise face extirpation. A headstarting program began in 2012 to recover a functionally extinct population of Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) 26in Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP), Ontario, Canada. The original population included five adults and one juvenile turtle. From 2014 to 2020, 270 headstarted turtles were released. The population has been monitored annually since 2014 using visual-encounter surveys, radio-telemetry, and live trapping (from 2018 onwards). We used mark-recapture and radio-telemetry data to quantify abundance, survival, and sex ratio of the headstarted turtle population. Using a Jolly-Seber model, we estimated abundance to be 183 turtles (20 turtles/ha) in 2020. Estimated survival of headstarted turtles approached 89%, except for turtles released in 2019 when survival was 43% as a result of a known mass mortality event at the study site. Pre- and post-release sex ratios were not significantly different (χ2 = 1.92; p = 0.16), but shifted from 1:1.5 to 1:1 male:female post-release. Given that the headstarted turtles have not yet reached sexual maturity, it is unclear whether headstarted turtles will reach adulthood and successfully reproduce to maintain a self-sustaining population. Thus, to evaluate the success of the headstarting program, long-term monitoring is required.

National Urban Park

This paper addresses the concept of the national urban park (NUP) (kansallinen kaupunkipuisto) as a planning tool for rapidly growing cities. The focus is on the establishment process of a NUP in Tampere and Helsinki, where it has generated strong views both in favour and against. The study reveals these conflicting arguments and examines the related objectives, values and stakeholders. The empirical basis of the study is a qualitative content analysis on the NUP planning and decision-making documents.
 The paper demonstrates that the NUP can be seen either as a model for sustainable urban planning or as a legislative cage for development. On the one hand the NUP is regarded as restricting development, emphasizing static preservation, bringing no real added value, transferring municipal decision-making to the Ministry and engaging primarily environmental and heritage stakeholders. On the other hand, it is considered to be a long-term tool of urban planning, safeguarding values, contributing to tourism and engaging a broad range of actors. The research shows that the NUP process reveals the current tensions between continuity and change, and nature and city, in rapidly growing cities. The paper also emphasizes the importance of understanding the divergent views of different actors in the search for a shared vision of the future of the city.

Research on Internal Structure and Mechanism of Landslide Based on Hydrogeophysical Investigation (Quan’an Landslide, Southwest China)

The survey area is located in the planning area of Longquan national urban park, with frequent human activities, numerous water conservancy, transportation projects, and frequent geological disasters such as landslides. The Red Mudstone has low strength and easy to soften in the case of water, and it is very prone to landslide in rainy season. At present, there are many studies on Red Mudstone Landslides, but most of them are analyzed by geological means, and the monitoring process is also dominated by surface deformation and settlement; there is less analysis with hydrogeological that is caused by rainfall and human activities. For Red Mudstone Landslides, to effectively reveal and analyze the process of the Slip Mechanism, we need to carry out the characteristics of hydrogeological structure and underground physical structure, and compare with surface monitoring and point geological structure. In this study, a one-year field survey and hydrogeophysical survey were carried out. Combined with the characteristics of environmental geology, the geophysical forward modeling problem based on finite element method was used to verify the influence of rainfall on the electrical characteristics of underground media. The smoothness constrained least square method and three-dimensional unstructured grid method are used to interpret the ERT data, analyze the abnormal patterns of electrical structure of landslide in different seasons, and correspond well with the GPR data. According to the characteristics of surface vegetation and weathering, as well as the displacement and settlement monitoring after landslide, the spatial characteristics of red bed landslide are revealed, and the relationship between landslide, rainfall, and human activities is clarified.

사례로 본 한국 국가도시공원 조성 연구

Although the ‘Act on Urban Parks and Green Spaces’ was revised in 2016 to provide a legal foundation for national urban parks, there was no further discussion or follow-up research for the implementation of national urban parks. This study investigates Korea’s park and green space regulations and national urban park cases from across the world. It aims to analyze worldwide cases and set a course for a viable national urban park system in Korea. The importance and characteristics of national urban parks were evident after reviewing the cases of Japan, Sweden, Finland, and Canada, which have national urban park systems, and the United States and Germany, which aid city parks with national budgets. Each country determined the plans and procedures by assessing the scope of government intervention and the government’s role. The importance of communication between the state and municipal governments and private sector participation and governance was recognized. A system was also formed in which local governments actively participate in the nomination, establishment, administration, and management of national urban parks. The results of this study are as follows. First, the concept of equitable national development should be implemented to activate the national urban park system. Second, the national urban park should be a land management tool that may be used to balance development and preservation. Third, a specific method of securing, constructing, administering, and operating national urban parks should be supplemented by the current legislative framework amendment. Furthermore, the establishment of a sustainable research institute is needed to comprehensively analyze parks and green space systems and make appropriate decisions.

Social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mobility, accessibility, and behaviors of visitors dramatically. Under the impact of COVID-19, the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in parks and recreation areas are expected to change due to the uncertainty of health risks associated with visitors’ behaviors. This study conducted an on-site visitor survey at Leiqiong Global Geological Park, a national park located in urban-proximate areas in Haikou, China. This study aims to examine factors impacting visitors’ perceived crowding and emotions under varying levels of visitor use in urban national parks in the context of COVID-19. Study results suggest that visitors have the highest level of motivation for scenery and culture viewing and are generally satisfied with the environmental quality and design and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation efforts within the park. Moreover, this study suggests that the level of crowding and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation can affect visitors’ emotions in urban natioanl parks significantly. These findings highlight the importance of enforcing the social carrying capacity limits and COVID-19 prevention strategies for urban parks and protected areas to mitigate physical and mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.Management implicationThis study is one of the pilot studies that examines the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study results identify the thresholds of social carrying capacity and visitors’ positive emotions based on the indicator of People Per View (PPV). Moreover, COVID-19 prevention strategies (e.g., mask-wearing and social distancing) can reduce visitors’ perceived crowding and enhance positive emotions. These findings suggest that urban national parks should monitor visitor use levels based on the social carrying capacity framework to reduce visitors’ perceived crowding and maintain positive emotions in the post-COVID-19 era.

What makes urban parks good for California quail? Evaluating park suitability, species persistence, and the potential for reintroduction into a large urban national park

Abstract Preserving and restoring wildlife in urban areas benefits both urban ecosystems and the well‐being of urban residents. While urban wildlife conservation is a rapidly developing field, the majority of conservation research has been performed in wildland areas. Understanding the applicability of wildland science to urban populations and the relative importance of factors limiting species persistence are of critical importance to identifying prescriptive management strategies for restoring wildlife to urban parks. We evaluated how habitat fragmentation, habitat quality and mortality threats influence species occupancy and persistence in urban parks. We chose California quail Callipepla californica as a representative species with potential to respond to urban conservation. We used publicly available eBird data to construct occupancy models of quail in urban parks across their native range, and present an application using focal parks interested in exploring quail reintroduction. Urban parks had a 0.23 ± 0.02 probability of quail occupancy, with greater occupancy in larger parks that were less isolated from potential source populations, had higher shrub cover and had lower impervious cover. Less isolated parks had higher colonization rates, while larger parks had lower extinction rates. These results align with findings across urban ecology showing greater biodiversity in larger and more highly connected habitat patches. A case study highlighted that interventions to increase effective park size and improve connectivity would be most influential for two highly urban focal parks, while changes to internal land cover would have a relatively small impact. Low joint extinction probability in the parks (0.010 ± 0.013) indicated reintroduced populations could persist for some time. Synthesis and applications. We show how eBird data can be harnessed to evaluate the responsiveness of wildlife to urban parks of variable size, connectivity and habitat quality, highlighting what management actions are most needed. Using California quail as an example, we found park size, park isolation and presence of coyotes are all important drivers of whether quail can colonize and persist in parks. Our results suggest reintroducing quail to parks could be successful provided parks are large enough to support quail, and management actions are taken to enhance regional connectivity or periodic assisted colonization is used to supplement local populations.

Multifaceted interactions between urban humans and biodiversity-related concepts: A developing-country dataset

Abstract Urban humans and biodiversity-related concepts are interacting with each other in many negative and positive ways. The biodiversity provides a wide array of provision and cultural-ecological services to urban residents, but it is being overexploited to the point of crisis. The crisis is largely driven by the expanding illegal wildlife trade in developing countries with a high urbanization rate and biodiversity level like Vietnam. While supply-side measures are ineffective in reducing biodiversity loss, researchers have suggested demand-side measures as supplements, such as social marketing campaigns and law enforcement in urban areas. Moreover, urban residents are also potential visitors to urban public parks and national parks, which helps generate finance for biodiversity preservation and conservation in those places. Understanding how urban residents' perceptions towards biodiversity and biodiversity-related behaviors can help improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts and sustainable urban development. Thus, this article presents a dataset of 535 urban residents' wildlife consumption behaviors, multifaceted perceptions and interactions with biodiversity-related concepts, and nature-based recreation demand. The dataset is constructed with six major categories: 1) wildlife product consumption, 2) general biodiversity perceptions, 3) biodiversity at home and neighborhood, 4) public park visitation and motivations, 5) national park visitation and motivations, and 6) socio-demographic profiles. These resources are expected to support researchers in enriching the lax literature regarding the role of urban residents in biodiversity conservation and preservation, and help policymakers to find insights for building up an “eco-surplus culture” among urban residents through effective public communication and policymaking.

The role of the state in preserving urban green infrastructure - National Urban Parks in Finland and Sweden

The National Urban Park (NUP) is a planning instrument used by the state to preserve cities' green infrastructure (GI). This article compares a top-down approach to the designation of NUP, as it has been applied in Sweden, with a bottom-up approach, as it has been applied in Finland. The application that has taken place in Sweden has contributed to the Royal National Urban Park in Stockholm being the only one in the country so far, partly due to a hesitation among municipalities to implement a tool which limits their future development opportunities. In Finland, on the other hand, where the initiative is driven by municipalities, the NUP has become so demanded that the municipalities compete over approval. In both cases, the study shows that NUP is a strong instrument for protecting green areas, but the implementation approach by the public authorities is crucial for its success.

Movement and Habitat Selection of Eastern Milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) at Intact and Fragmented Sites

Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the greatest threats to wildlife and biodiversity. Reptiles are particularly susceptible to these threats due to high site fidelity, large home ranges, and slow movement rates. To understand behavioral responses of Eastern Milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) to fragmentation, we compared home range size and movement rates between a fragmented habitat and an intact habitat. Additionally, we quantified road avoidance and habitat selection in the fragmented habitat. In 2015 and 2016, we collected 453 locations from 17 individuals from Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP), the fragmented study area, using radio-telemetry. We compared our results to a previous study with 1,001 locations from 30 individuals at Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS), our intact study area, collected from 2003 to 2004. We found that home ranges were smaller, but daily movement rate (DMD) and distance-per-move (DPM) were greater in the fragmented study area. We also observed that road crossings by snakes occurred less than expected, suggesting active avoidance of roads. Milksnakes in the fragmented habitat selected locations with a greater number of cover objects within open patches surrounded by high density vegetation, which is consistent with previous findings from the intact habitat. Our findings suggest that Eastern Milksnakes benefit from heterogeneous microhabitats and an abundance of available anthropogenic or natural cover.

A partnership model of education at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Author(s): Yandala, Deb; Wright, Katie; Sanchez, Jesus | Abstract: How an park conservancy leveraged partnerships to build a very successful environmental education program in an urban national park.

Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, an Urban National Park in the Twin Cities Area, Minnesota

The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network is a collaborative effort to establish a series of experimental silvicultural trials across different forest ecosystem types. A variety of partners have developed trial sites as part of this multi-regional study researching long-term ecosystem responses to a range of climate change adaptation actions. We are currently implementing an affiliate trial within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a national park along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota.

Declines in native forb richness of an imperiled plant community across an anthropogenic nitrogen deposition gradient

AbstractAnthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is known to reduce plant diversity in ecosystems worldwide; however, effects on the diversity of Mediterranean‐type ecosystems—global hotspots of biodiversity—are relatively unexplored. In California, elevated N deposition due to air pollution has a multitude of ecological effects including the facilitation of nonnative plant invasion and altered ecosystem functioning, but impacts on plant richness have been inadequately quantified. We addressed this research gap by evaluating patterns of plant richness in coastal sage scrub (CSS), a severely threatened, highly diverse Mediterranean‐type shrubland, across the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. This is the largest urban national park in the United States and experiences a strong gradient of N deposition due to its proximity to urban Los Angeles. We measured soil N, plant cover, and richness at 30 CSS sites across this gradient and used regression analyses to explore relationships between richness, N deposition, and other environmental variables. We observed significant declines in plant richness across a steep gradient of soil N availability that paralleled patterns of N deposition, primarily due to decreases in native forb species. Our analyses identified soil N as the best predictor of patterns of native forb richness, but other factors, including nonnative plant cover and aridity, may also drive reduced richness. In addition to the marked decline in the number of native forb species, increasing N deposition was also associated with lower native shrub richness per area and increased cover of nonnatives. These results highlight the threat posed by N deposition to the conservation of this already imperiled ecosystem under continued environmental change.