Urban Reserve Research Articles

Optimization of land-use pattern based on suitability and trade-offs between land development and protection: A case study of the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos (HBO) area in Inner Mongolia, China

Determining comprehensive land-use suitability is crucial for effective zoning management. However, limited research on land-use multi-suitability and the trade-offs between land development and protection hinder optimal environmental management. This study focuses on the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos (HBO) area in Inner Mongolia, China, known for its unique geographical attributes, including abundant energy resources, potential arable land, and vulnerable ecological environment. The objective is to determine comprehensive land-use suitability for ecological protection, agricultural production, and urban construction, while addressing the trade-offs involved in land-use multi-suitability. Multi-scenarios were conducted based on multi-suitability using quantitative indicators, such as per capita space occupancy, patch density, and conductance index. The most suitable scenario, identified through these comparisons, was subsequently optimized for the HBO area by addressing land conflict zones using the InVEST model. The results revealed that: (1) Extremely suitable areas for ecological protection, agricultural production, and urban construction accounted for 47.75%, 18.19%, and 8.61% of the HBO area, respectively, indicating significant potential for ecological conservation. (2) Trade-offs were categorized into six scenarios based on land-use multi-suitability. The ecological-agricultural priority scenario demonstrated reasonable space allocation, the highest landscape agglomeration and connectivity, making it the most suitable option for optimizing the land-use pattern. (3) The optimized zoning delineated the ecological protection red line (EPR), which accounted for the highest percentage at 40.71%, while the urban reserve area (URA) was minimal, constituting only 1.28%. The primary goal of zoning management is to curb urban expansion and alleviate ecological degradation through effective strategies. Consequently, regulatory strategies focusing on management zoning were proposed. Overall, this study developed a comprehensive index system for land-use suitability, providing a method for balancing land development and protection. The findings offer a scientific reference for sustainable development in the HBO area and other regions with similar natural environmental backgrounds.

Emergent Spaces and Structural Limitations of First Nation Urban Reserves

Emergent Spaces and Structural Limitations of First Nation Urban Reserves

Comparative evaluation of two lures to attract female mosquitoes in an urban natural reserve during daytime.

The most widely used attractant to capture adult female mosquitoes is CO2. However, there are also baits available on the market that emit a scent resembling human skin. These baits were specifically designed to attract highly anthropophilic species such as Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of CDC traps baited either with CO2 or with a commercial blend simulating skin odor, BG-Sweetscent, for trapping female mosquitoes during daylight hours in an urban reserve in the City of Buenos Aires. We employed a hurdle generalized linear mixed model to analyze trap capture probability and the number of mosquitoes captured per hour, considering the effects of attractant, mosquito species, and their interaction. Traps baited with CO2 captured ten mosquito species, while those baited with BG-Sweetscent captured six in overall significantly lower abundance. The odds of capturing mosquitoes were 292% higher for the CO2-baited traps than for those baited with BG-Sweetscent. No evidence of a combined effect of attractant type and species on female mosquito captures per hour was found. Results indicated that CDC traps baited with CO2 were more effective than those baited with BG-Sweetscent in capturing more mosquito species and a higher number of mosquitoes within each species, even if the species captured with CO2 exhibited a certain level of anthropophilia. This result has practical implications for mosquito surveillance and control in urban natural reserves.

Species Richness and Composition of Forest Birds in Urban Parks and Reserves of Buenos Aires City, Argentina.

Urbanization is among the main factors of ecosystem transformation and threats to global biodiversity. Urban green spaces provide multiple services, being important for biodiversity and human well-being. However, the relationship between green spaces and forest birds has been scarcely studied in the Global South. In this work, we used citizen science data (eBird) to assess the variation in the species richness and composition of forest birds in two types of public urban green spaces characterized by different vegetation composition and management: parks and reserves. In general, reserves had more native and unmanaged vegetation than parks. We selected parks and reserves located in the coastal area of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sampling effort was considered as the number of checklists for each site. The database allowed information to be extracted from 12 sites and 33 species. The most common species were the Green-barred Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros), the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris), and the White-crested Tyrannulet (Serpophaga subcristata). Bird species richness was higher in reserves than in parks and was positively related to sampling effort. The forest bird species composition varied according to the type of green area and sampling effort. Species composition showed a significant nestedness, with the least rich sites being a subset of species from the richest sites. Reserves and sites with the highest sampling effort concentrated all species. The results obtained show the importance of urban reserves in the conservation of forest birds.

Opossums cleaning our cities: consumption of rodent carcasses in an urban reserve

Abstract Rodent carcasses are a source of food and a biological hazard that can commonly be found in natural and anthropic ecosystems. Therefore, this article aims to determine which organisms consume those carcasses in an urban reserve. For this, 53 rodent carcasses were placed in front of camera traps to record their consumers. The final destiny of 41 carcasses is known: 76 % were consumed by opossums (Didelphis virginiana) and 24 % by ringtails (Bassariscus astutus). Flies and ants attempted to take advantage of the carcasses but in all cases ended up losing the competition to mammals. Opossums are the most efficient carrion consumers, as they exhibit learning as to where the carcasses are located and are able to consume old carcasses (up to 10 days old). This suggests that mid-size mammals, especially opossums, are providing an important ecological and health service for both natural ecosystems and human populations by removing rodent carcasses that otherwise could become sources of infection.

Mound‐building behaviour of a keystone bioturbator alters rates of leaf litter decomposition and movement in urban reserves

AbstractBioturbation, the disturbance of soil and litter by digging animals plays an important role for a variety of species and ecological processes in many ecosystems. The majority of studies globally on the ecosystem engineering effects of digging vertebrates have focussed on mammals, with birds, reptiles and amphibians remaining comparatively understudied. The loss of ecosystem engineers is a key conservation challenge, and the return of these species is increasingly seen as a priority for habitat restoration; yet this concept is highly novel when we consider urban ecosystems. The Australian brush‐turkey (Alectura lathami), historically a rainforest bird and now common in urban ecosystems, displaces significant quantities of soil and leaf litter through its foraging and nest‐building behaviour and has previously been described as an ecosystem engineer. Here, we tested the effect of brush‐turkey nest building on the decomposition rate of leaf litter, an important ecosystem process. We placed mesh bags of dried Angophora costata and Lantana camara leaves at increasing distances from brush‐turkey incubation mounds. We predicted that leaf litter closer to the nest would break down faster during the brush‐turkey breeding season due to increased turnover associated with nest mound maintenance. We found slower leaf litter decomposition in the breeding than the non‐breeding season, but a relatively greater rate of decomposition closer to the mound in the breeding season. Our results show a seasonal difference in the spatial pattern of leaf litter decomposition and movement; we interpret that brush‐turkey mound‐building behaviour was the key driver. The ecosystem services provided by brush‐turkeys are of particular interest for future research as this species is naturally recolonizing areas where it has been absent for decades, including urban areas. The effect of this species on ecosystem processes including nutrient cycling, seedbank stimulation and reduced fuel loads warrants further investigation.

Chemical Composition of Wet Atmospheric Deposition in a Natural Urban Reserve, Conservation of Green Urban Areas: a Mexico City Case Study

Green areas are essential for life in cities and for the conservation of ecosystem services in the case of megacities such as Mexico City. Green areas mitigate air pollution, reduce the temperature, and promote infiltration to feed the aquifers that, in the case of Mexico City, supply 68% of the water. Additionally, food production and recreational usage are important for the population. In the years 2017 and 2018, the chemical composition of wet deposition in the southern part of Mexico City was analyzed, daily and weekly. The study area is located in the greenest part of Mexico City, an important site for water recharge and carbon sequestration. Mexico City, like other megacities of high- and low-income countries, faces serious problems of air pollution. The purpose of this study was to measure the amount of total nitrogen and sulfur that is available in a natural reserve located inside the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and conductivity, pH, rain volume, and anions and cations were analyzed as well. Eighteen months of data were analyzed in order to understand the atmospheric deposition in and anthropogenic influence on an urban green natural area from the southern part of the city. Although both stations are less than 2 km apart, there are significant differences in their chemical composition; however, no differences were found for precipitation and pH, indicating that each station provides a local contribution, depending on local events and sources. Samples included rain events match for both sampling sites, with 67% of the samples in the same rain event match. Nonetheless, when only volume is compared for each year, both tests showed no significant difference (pv = 0.520). Throughout the year, various rainfall rates occur at the CU-CCA and REPSA stations, and the rainy season presents during the May–October period; the median value registered for both monitoring stations was 780 mL, and maximal rainfall was 4780 mL presenting at the CU-CCA station.

Characterization of the mosquito community in diurnal activity in an urban ecological reserve

Knowing the composition of mosquito community, their temporal dynamics and relationship with abiotic factors in urban areas is of interest in public health because many species are vectors of pathogens. This is the first survey of diurnal adult mosquitoes in an urban reserve in Buenos Aires City (Argentina). Fortnightly daytime samples were carried out during a year affected by a drought due to La Niña effect, to describe the adult mosquito community and analyze its association with environmental variables. Ten species belonging to the genera Culex L., Aedes Meigen, Psorophora Robineau-Desvoidy and Mansonia Blanchard were captured, some of which are vectors of pathogens (e.g. Aedes albifasciatus (Macquart) and the complex Culex pipiens L.). Diversity did not vary significantly among seasons, and the composition was moderately similar (ANOVA: p = 0.11; Dice-Sorensen: 0.50-0.77). However, classification of species as core, common or rare in the community varied. A canonical correspondence analysis allowed us to identify a group of five species associated with summer and high temperatures. The other species were not grouped, and were associated with rainfall, relative humidity or another season. These associations help to understand the presence and abundance of those species during a prolonged drought.

Assessing the impact of free-ranging cats (Felis silvestris catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) on wildlife in a natural urban reserve in Mexico City

Conservation of natural ecosystems embedded in urban contexts is a big challenge because diverse anthropogenic factors continuously impact native biodiversity and ecological processes. One such factor is the pervasive presence of free-ranging predators, especially cats (Felis silvestris catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), which may severely affect local wildlife. The “Reserva Ecológica del Pedregal de San Ángel” (REPSA), located within the main campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), in southern Mexico City, is an important natural area that protects a peculiar volcanic spill ecosystem holding native and endemic biodiversity. In 2012, UNAM launched a control program of cats and dogs in REPSA that is still active. To assess the potential impact of cats and dogs on wildlife species, we used live and camera traps coupled with capture-recapture analyses to evaluate changes in the vertebrate community, particularly in the presence and abundance of two medium-size native mammals (Didelphis virginiana and Bassariscus astutus), before (2008–2009) and during (2017–2019) the control program. Results showed that the abundance of dogs decreased between the two periods, but not so the abundance of cats, whereas the native vertebrate diversity increased from the pre-control stage to the control period. Furthermore, we found a negative, non-significant relationship between the abundance of D. virginiana and that of dogs, and a positive, also non-significant relationship between the presence and abundance of B. astutus with the abundance of dogs. We conclude that the control program of free-ranging predators has been beneficial for the conservation of native vertebrates and recommend its continuation and enhancement.

"More a Matter for Medical Men": The King's Road Reserve Relocation and Public Health in Early 20th-Century Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The forced removal and relocation of the King's Road Reserve in Sydney, Nova Scotia, between 1915 and 1926 is a key example of how settlers used public health discourses to dispossess Indigenous lands in Canada. At the turn of the twentieth century, non-Indigenous Sydney residents lobbied the government to remove the Mi'kmaw reserve, which was located in an expanding downtown core. They justified this removal by arguing that Mi'kmaq were public health threats to themselves and their white neighbours. Ottawa responded to this case, and other cases across Canada, by implementing section 49A of the Indian Act in 1911. This amendment allowed settlers to request an Exchequer Court trial to rule on urban reserve relocations if land surrenders could not be obtained. The King's Road Reserve relocation has yet to be examined with a medical lens. Doing so illuminates the centrality of medical expert testimony during this particular episode of twentieth-century colonialism.

Marked systemic necrotizing disease in a Leptodactylus vastus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from an urban reserve in northeastern Brazil

The decline of amphibian populations concerns scientists worldwide and has been related to the spreading infectious diseases, among other environmental factors. Acute mass mortality with hemorrhagic and necrotic lesions has been described and associated with wild amphibian viruses. These diseases were first recorded in Central America and Australia in the early 1990s and later in Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments. Epizootiological data on these infections must be included in other Brazilian phytogeographic regions and domains. This work aimed to report a systemic necrotic morbid state in a native Leptodactylus vastus from an urban reserve in northeastern Brazil, describing clinical and pathological findings and discussing its importance and likely etiologies. An adult L. vastus presented an erythematous oral cavity with multifocal point-like erosions, sublingual congested vessels, oropharyngeal edema, and mild esophageal mucosal prolapse. After therapeutic protocol, the patient showed no improvement; then, he was humanely euthanized. Necropsy demonstrated moderate to marked multicentric chronic necrotizing lesions. Histopathology revealed diffuse necrotic tissues with a few intracytoplasmic amphophilic inclusions in cellular remnants, with minor hemoparasites, helminths, and bacterial granulomatous coinfections. Clinical and pathological findings suggested a major chronic viral infection with minor coinfections. In the current case, confirmation of etiology struggled with financial and logistic limitations. Future partnerships will enable definitive diagnostics. This is the first record of systemic necrotizing disease in a wild frog in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil, and it is a red flag to emerging infectious diseases surveillance in this geographic area.

Bird community responses to urbanization in a medium-sized Argentine city: Santo Tomé (Santa Fe Province) as a case study


 
 
 Urbanization transforms the landscape and consequently affects biodiversity. Cities are heterogeneous landscapes due to a differential distribution of human activities, infrastructure, and vegetation composition. Bird assemblages vary according to such variations. In Argentina, assessments of the effect of urbanization on bird assemblages come from large capital cities, whereas in intermediate-size cities studies are scarce. Intermediate-size cities present higher growth rates than capital cities. Studies on the effect of Urban Land Uses (ULU) can contribute to the planning of urban growth. We evaluated the variation in taxonomic diversity of bird assemblages at different ULUs in Santo Tomé, an Argentine city of 66 133 inhabitants. We performed bird counts in seven ULUs (the centre, the suburban sector, the peri-urban sector, small urban parks, the military base, the riverside walkway, and the urban reserve). In each ULU, we located 10 transects of 100 m long x 50 m wide. In each transect we recorded bird species and their abundance and the number of pedestrians and vehicles. Taxonomic diversity varied among the different ULUs. The centre presented the lowest richness and diversity, in contrast to the highest values for these variables found in the riverside walkway and the urban reserve. The rest of the ULU presented intermediate levels of richness and diversity. The structure and composition of bird assemblages varied among ULUs. Our study reinforces the importance of ULU characterized by high vegetation cover, low levels of human activity, and with vegetation management for conservation purposes.
 
 

Urban restoration of common species: population genetics of reintroduced native bush rats Rattus fuscipes in Sydney, Australia

AbstractCommon species play a disproportionate role in shaping ecosystem structure and function, but are currently under‐represented in conservation translocation initiatives. This represents a missed opportunity because common species are typically easier to source for restoration projects, and larger numbers of common species can feasibly be translocated without substantially impacting source populations. Reintroduction of common species is an important first step in the faunal restoration of severely impacted habitats, such as urban spaces. Common species typically retain higher genetic diversity than threatened species, but this also means that they may have more to lose via population bottlenecks that can occur from translocation. To inform efforts to translocate common species, we assessed genetic impacts of a reintroduction of the common native bush rat Rattus fuscipes to an urban reserve at North Head, Sydney (Australia). Using single‐nucleotide polymorphism diversity, we found that differentiation between source populations was low. Nevertheless, admixture during reintroduction and follow‐up translocations initially increased standardized observed heterozygosity of North Head‐born bush rats and population NE, with a subtle corresponding decrease in within‐population kinship. For 3 years following the last translocation, we detected a small decline in genetic diversity in the North Head population, although final statistics remained similar to the source populations. Our results indicate that no short‐term interventions are necessary to further promote bush rat genetic diversity at North Head, but that continued genetic monitoring will be important to determine whether a trend in declining diversity continues as the population stabilizes. We conclude that translocation of a large number of individuals from multiple sources presents a suitable option for restoring an extirpated small mammal population whilst minimizing genetic effects typically associated with such management actions. Common species present viable candidates for translocations aiming to return biodiversity to disturbed or fragmented urban ecosystems.

Genetic diversity and differentiation in the leaf litter weevil Geochus politus across an urban-rural gradient

Urban reserves have the potential to retain relatively high biodiversity. However, populations of the taxa within them can have reduced genetic diversity and, if gene flow between populations is inhibited by urbanised surroundings, can become genetically differentiated. Here we determine whether differences in population genetic differentiation and diversity can be observed in the leaf litter inhabiting weevil Geochus politus along the urban-rural gradient spanning Waitākere Ranges Regional Parkland and suburbs of west Auckland, New Zealand.

Monitoring of honey bee floral resources with pollen DNA metabarcoding as a complementary tool to vegetation surveys

Abstract Monitoring biodiversity is a growing and pressing challenge, particularly as climate change threatens species with extinction and leads to widespread shifts in plant distribution and phenology. Tracking changes via ground vegetation surveys is costly and time‐consuming, hence monitoring of complex and heterogenous communities remains an ongoing challenge. Molecular DNA methods are rapidly being developed to provide fast and reproducible results for environmental monitoring, including diet and ecosystem assessments. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding of pollen foraged by European honey bees (Apis mellifera) to investigate their floral resource use in an urban reserve. We collected three different pollen samples from hives: individual bees, raw honey and pollen traps, and identified plants using two metabarcoding markers (ITS2 and trnL). We then compared the results to a ground vegetation survey of surrounding flowering taxa. Pollen DNA metabarcoding detected 74 taxa (48.6% identified to species) across all pollen sources, compared to 44 taxa recorded by the survey (93% identified to species). Within the metabarcoding results, we identified 25% of the genera and 9% of the species found during the survey, with three of the top 10 flowering genera represented. While honey was the most taxon‐rich pollen source (mean = 8.5, SD = 3.5), followed by honey bees (mean = 5.8, SD = 6.1) and pollen traps (mean = 4.2, SD = 1.7), combining the results of six individual bees could detect similar taxa numbers to honey, while 20 bees were required to detect as many taxa as the survey. We demonstrate how DNA metabarcoding of the pollen foraged by honey bees can detect more flowering taxa than traditional survey methods, and how different pollen sources and genetic markers affect the level of detection of plant taxa. The foraging choices of honey bees matched few species detected by the vegetation survey, therefore pollen metabarcoding is recommended as a complementary approach to ground surveys. Rigorous validation and stringent filtering of metabarcoding results were also required to exclude potential false positives. Altogether, this molecular approach can be used to augment vegetation surveys, while tracking the floral resources used by bees.

An urban fern refugium: Municipal Ecological Reserve of Avellaneda (Eco Área) (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

The riparian forest is one of the most diverse environments of the La Plata River plains. It is represented by patches of humid forests, which are a valuable source of ecosystem services and have recreational and educational potential. However, the riparian forest has undergone constant modification, worsened by private real-estate developments and a lack of government regulation. Among the reserves that protect the riparian forest, The Municipal Ecological Reserve of Avellaneda is the closest to the southern limit of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Although there are around 300 species of wild fauna and flora informally registered in the area, there are only a few studies published about its biodiversity. In this work, the diversity of thirteen native and exotic ferns in the core area (Eco Área) of the reserve is characterized, the origin of the species is also evaluated and comparisons are made with other nearby protected areas. The Eco Área of the Reserve plays an important role as part of the urban reserve corridor of the La Plata River plains and constitutes a refuge for both native and exotic ruderal species. The present work represents the basis for future studies about the population dynamics and the colonization strategies of the ferns.

Policy Forum: Establishing an Urban Reserve—Property Tax Challenges and Opportunities

Urban reserves offer a unique economic development tool for First Nation governments by providing access to markets and infrastructure unavailable on most reserve lands in Canada. Asimakiniseekan Askiy is Canada's first urban reserve established on land previously owned by a city. The urban reserve was established in Saskatoon by the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in 1988. Asimakiniseekan Askiy provides an example of the economic potential of urban reserves for First Nations and their members, as well as municipal governments and their citizens. The urban reserve is currently home to 60 First Nation and non-First Nation businesses and their 700 employees. In 2020, the urban reserve contributed $465,662 to the city of Saskatoon in service fee payments. However, before this economic potential could be realized, property taxation presented a sizable barrier in the path of taking Asimakiniseekan Askiy from an innovative idea to a successful reality. Establishing an urban reserve has significant property tax implications, since the process requires the transfer of property from the taxing authority of a municipal jurisdiction to the tax jurisdiction of a First Nation government. Agreements providing for the transfer of tax authority also include negotiations relating to the continued provision of services to the urban reserve by the municipality. This article first provides a summary of the statutory environment surrounding the formation and taxation of an urban reserve. A case study of the establishment and 33 years of operation of Asimakiniseekan Askiy is then provided, to illustrate the property tax implications and municipal service agreement process necessary for Canadian communities to achieve the economic benefits of urban reserves. The authors identify property tax challenges inherent in the establishment of an urban reserve and offer recommendations to improve access to urban reserves as an innovative economic development tool.

Plankton Community Responses to Anthropogenic Pollution in an Argentinian Urban Reserve

Plankton Community Responses to Anthropogenic Pollution in an Argentinian Urban Reserve

Assessing vegetation response to irrigation strategies and soil properties in an urban reserve in southeast Australia

Increasing urban green spaces and canopy cover requires careful planning of irrigation strategies, especially in arid and semiarid areas. This study investigates how vegetation cover and irrigation affect the water balance and vegetation productivity of a small urban reserve in the Melbourne metropolitan area, Australia. Using a mechanistic ecohydrological model, a series of numerical experiments were carried out for the period 1999–2018, which included a prolonged drought. Results indicated that irrigation played an essential role in helping both trees and grass productivity by increasing soil moisture and vegetation water access during the drought. With 10% tree cover, grass benefitted more than trees by increasing irrigation, and trees coped well with drought even without additional water. However, trees strongly relied on irrigation to maintain productivity when tree cover increased, highlighting the need for a sustainable balance between increasing urban greening and water conservation. Differences in soil properties and rooting strategies were also found to strongly modify the need for irrigation and the competition for water. These results provide quantitative insights on how increasing tree cover and vegetation diversity may impact irrigation requirements, highlighting the key role of mechanistic numerical models to support urban planners in the evaluation and design of urban green spaces.

More-than-human territoriality: the contested spaces and beastly places of Canada geese in Europe’s largest urban wetland

ABSTRACT Late modern societies have seen a surge of interest in “urban nature”, with increased efforts to protect existing nature spaces as well as invite new natures into cities through restoration, renaturing and/or greening. However, to date, there has been little discussion on the kind of nature that gets promoted through these agendas and what the implications are for unwanted or “illegitimate” creatures. Through empirical work at Europe’s largest urban wetland, Walthamstow Wetlands, and focussing on a local population of Canada geese, this paper examines how species lay claim to space and assert their agency in the practice of city renaturing. Drawing attention to the “beastly places” of unsanctioned urban wildlife, this paper challenges the scope of an urban nature reserve. In doing so, it seeks to bring a more-than-human lens to questions of urban nature, thus extending efforts to “animate the urban” in more relational and ethical ways.