No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
How can wastelands promote biodiversity in cities? A review
Abstract
Urbanisation leads to natural habitats being fragmented with various effects according to the species and their ecological characteristics. Paradoxically, the urbanisation process creates relatively unused environments, wastelands, habitats which could contribute to biodiversity conservation in urban regions. In this review we examined the role of wastelands in maintaining biodiversity in the city and assessed the different factors responsible for wasteland biodiversity. 37 articles were suitable for our aim. Most of the studies have been conducted in large cities in Western and Central Europe. A wasteland is defined as an abandoned site with spontaneous vegetation (i.e. wild grown vegetation). In most cases, wastelands harbour more species than other urban green spaces. The processes which affect the biodiversity of wastelands operate on two different levels. Locally, the area size, age, soil, microclimate and the vegetation structure are the dominant factors. As in other environments, the species richness increases with the size of the wasteland. Wastelands of different ages include different stages of vegetation, ranging from pioneer to pre-forest stages, and consequently harbour different communities of plants and animals. The diversity of anthropogenic soil substrates leads to different plant communities. At the landscape scale, matrix composition and geographic connectivity between wastelands influence the biodiversity of wastelands, although to a lesser extent than the local features. We show that wastelands have a real potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation in urban regions. At the city scale, they represent habitats which urban planners need to take into account and include in dynamic urban planning.
... They have a history of anthropogenic disturbance, are covered in spontaneous vegetation, and are typically home to 'novel ecosystems' (Kowarik, 2018;Rupprecht & Byrne, 2014). Depending on the length of time spontaneous vegetation has developed and the type of soil, urban wild areas can be found in different stages of vegetation succession, including sparse vegetation, meadows, shrub thickets and forests (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Chollet et al., 2018;Sitzia, Campagnaro & Weir, 2016). In our view, given the diversity of urban spaces and their permanent hybridity between human and natural processes, urban wildness should not be thought of as categorical but as continuous along a gradient. ...
... (1) Ecological processes underlying urban wilding Urban ecology literature reveals that the number of species able to survive and flourish in urban wild spaces is very high, and often higher than in classically studied urban tended spaces such as public parks and private gardens (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Anderson & Minor, 2017;Müller et al., 2018;Kowarik et al., 2019;Vereecken et al., 2021). Wilding cities by reducing maintenance intensity in urban landscapes appears to be a promising option to promote ecological processes and increase biodiversity, but the underlying processes remain understudied (Groffman et al., 2017). ...
... The absence or reduction of seed sowing and tree planting in greenspace design can lead to a dramatic increase in local spontaneous plant diversity, as is visible on wastelands (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Kowarik, 2018), in urban woodlands (Conway, Almas & Coore, 2019; Ord oñez & Duinker, 2012), on green roofs (Dunnett, Nagase & Hallam, 2008;Lundholm, 2016) and in 'gardens in motion' (Riboulot-Chetrit, Simon & Raymond, 2018). In habitats with high assembly spontaneity, the soil seed bank and propagule colonisation will reflect the regional species pool, increasing the amount of species potentially growing. ...
Accelerating urbanisation and associated lifestyle changes result in loss of biodiversity and diminished wellbeing of people through fewer direct interactions and experiences with nature. In this review, we propose the notion of urban wilding (the promotion of autonomous ecological processes that are independent of historical land‐use conditions, with minimal direct human maintenance and planting interventions) and investigate its propensity to improve biodiversity and people–nature connections in cities. Through a large interdisciplinary synthesis, we explore the ecological mechanisms through which urban wilding can promote biodiversity in cities, investigate the attitudes and relations of city dwellers towards urban wild spaces, and discuss the integration of urban wilding into the fabric of cities and its governance. We show that favouring assembly spontaneity by reducing planting interventions, and functional spontaneity by limiting maintenance practices, can promote plant diversity and provide ecological resources for numerous organisms at habitat and city scales. These processes could reverse biotic homogenisation, but further studies are needed to understand the effects of wilding on invasive species and their consequences. From a socio‐ecological perspective, the attitudes of city dwellers towards spontaneous vegetation are modulated by successional stages, with grassland and woodland stages preferred, but dense shrubby vegetation stages disliked. Wild spaces can diversify physical interactions with nature, and enrich multi‐sensory, affective and cognitive experiences of nature in cities. However, some aspects of wild spaces can cause anxiety, feeling unsafe, and the perception of abandonment. These negative attitudes could be mitigated by subtle design and maintenance interventions. While nature has long been thought of as ornamental and instrumental in cities, urban wilding could help to develop relational and intrinsic values of nature in the fabric of cities. Wildness and its singular aesthetics should be combined with cultural norms, resident uses and urban functions to plan and design urban spatial configurations promoting human–non‐human cohabitation. For urban wilding to be socially just and adapted to the needs of residents, its implementation should be backed by inclusive governance opening up discussion forums to residents and urban workers. Scientists can support these changes by collaborating with urban actors to design and experiment with new wild spaces promoting biodiversity and wellbeing of people in cities.
... Existing literature on the ecological benefits of vacant land has largely focused on two topics: evaluating existing ecological values and simulating and assessing potential ecological and social benefits upon conversion to greenspaces (Burkholder, 2012;Bonthoux et al., 2014;Frazier & Bagchi-Sen, 2015;Kim, 2016). For example, studies have been conducted in cities such as New York City (McPhearson et al., 2013) and Roanoke, Virginia (Kim et al., 2015) to quantitatively examine the ecological services (i.e., runoff mitigation, carbon storage, provision of habitat, and air pollution removal) that existing vacant land supported. ...
... This pattern highlights the necessity of recognizing and protecting tree canopy on vacant land not only for the protection of tree coverage at the parcel level, but also for landscape network connectivity at a broader scale. These findings add to the existing understanding of how vacant land could support habitats and movements of diverse species (Muratet et al., 2007;Bonthoux et al., 2014;Zuñiga-Palacios et al., 2020) by uniquely identifying the contributions of vacant lots to structural landscape connectivity. Such findings illustrate the need to shift the focus of vacant lot management from purely site-level ecological considerations, such as tree canopy and carbon storage, to consideration of landscape-level connectivity. ...
... Our approach provides a tool for assessing and prioritizing vacant lots by their landscape connectivity values for potential urban reforestation and ecological network enhancement that could apply to other municipal and metropolitan areas, especially shrinking cities that suffer from high urban vacancy (Haase et al., 2014;Zhang et al., 2019). In exploring how landscape connectivity values could be related to the physical and social characteristics of vacant lots, our results align with existing studies that focused on biodiversity on vacant land and its determinants (Muratet et al., 2007;Penone et al., 2012;Bonthoux et al., 2014). In particular, the result of lot size and distance to railroads as top important predictors for structural (Muratet et al., 2007;Bonthoux et al., 2014). ...
Recent studies have paid increasing attention to the ecological benefits of vacant land. However, there have not been holistic assessments of the importance of tree canopy on vacant land as a component of greenspace networks within cities, and the potential impact of developing vacant land on connectivity within these networks at the city scale. In this study, we use Hartford, CT, USA as a case study to evaluate the contribution of existing tree canopy on vacant lots to landscape connectivity and to assess how future vacant land development scenarios alter landscape connectivity at the city scale. This study leveraged morphological spatial pattern analysis and network analysis and found that vacant lots supported approximately 8% of core canopy area, 13% of corridors, and 12% of landscape connectivity value in the entire city landscape. In addition, we found that the factors including lot size, average distance to all cores, perimeter-area ratio, zoning, and percentage of tree canopy were the best predictors of the landscape connectivity values of individual vacant parcels through Random Forest. Furthermore, potential vacant land management scenarios with varying degrees of development, preservation, and greening were compared. An “Extreme Greening” scenario increased existing landscape connectivity by 16%, and an “Optimized Conservation and Development” scenario increased landscape connectivity by 3%, which could enhance the landscape network while still fulfilling the needs of redevelopment. This study illustrates the importance of considering landscape connectivity values of vacant land during the reuse process, and similar analysis could be applied in other cities to help incorporate existing ecological values during vacant land transformation decision-making.
... Among them, vacant lots, which are defined as abandoned spaces with extensive and irregular management practices, offer high opportunities for hosting urban biodiversity. Vacant lots offer multiple refuges and feeding resources for a large variety of taxa according to the diversity of their environmental characteristics and urban surroundings and arouse growing interest in biodiversity conservation in cities (Bonthoux et al. 2014). Vacant lots represent significant areas (up to 20% of urban areas according to Kremer et al. 2013) in multiple locations in the city, downtown as well as in periurban areas, based on the particular historical and social conditions of a given city. ...
... In spatial terms, many studies have focused on the influences of the urban context on plant diversity, specifically the influence of the urban landscape mosaic around sites (mainly % of builtup areas) on plant communities of vacant lots (Bonthoux et al. 2014;Johnson et al. 2018). However, few studies have detailed the specific influences of urban fabric functions (industrial spaces, residential habitats) and even fewer studies have detailed the diversity of land covers and uses, which can be important in understanding the assembly of plant communities. ...
... As shown by Bonthoux et al. (2014), urban vacant lots have a major role in conserving biodiversity in cities. We found that vacant lots of two urban areas Fig. 7 Relative influence of time and space scales (past vs. current and landscape vs. local variables are grouped) on plant community characteristics using two methods, a. Akaike weights in model averaging and b. hierarchical partitioning. ...
Introduction
Vacant lots are urban refuges for a large variety of taxa. These habitats present miscellaneous trajectories with diversified previous land covers. Our study aimed to characterize the urban contexts of vacant lot appearance and to assess the influences of land use legacies and current landscape contexts on vacant lot plant communities.
Material and methods
We characterized the plant communities of 179 vacant lots within two French cities. We described their urban environment through temporal and spatial urban descriptors to identify the factors of taxonomic diversity and community functional features.
Results
Urban vacant lots have a variety of prior land covers, and their plant communities are highly diverse. The relative contribution of the studied spatiotemporal scale indicates that both past and current urban descriptors influence this diversity. Plant community taxonomic diversity results from diverse land use legacies: it is lower in formerly agricultural spaces and in vacant lots that appeared in neighborhoods transformed over time for the creation of housing, suggesting the influence of land cover heterogeneity. Urban descriptors, especially the vacant lots’ age, urban context and trajectories, also influence plant communities’ functional diversity in various ways.
Conclusion
This study highlights the need to consider both spatial and temporal scales to understand urban determinants of plant communities and to provide recommendations for the integration of vacant lot dynamics into urban planning.
... Les friches urbaines abritent de nombreux habitats confinés en des espaces réduits, présentant souvent divers stades de successions végétales (comme les photographies en Figure 1 le montrent). Les friches urbaines peuvent être des supports de biodiversité dans la trame verte urbaine fragmentée : ces espaces informels, peu ou non gérés, sont en effet colonisés par une flore spontanée (Bonthoux et al., 2014 ;McKinney, 2021 ;Muratet et al., 2007). Intégrer les friches urbaines aux politiques environnementales favoriserait la biodiversité végétale spontanée en ville. ...
... Intégrer les friches urbaines aux politiques environnementales favoriserait la biodiversité végétale spontanée en ville. La valeur des friches urbaines pour la biodiversité est reconnue par les sciences environnementales, bien que les études sur cette question traitent principalement de grandes aires urbaines (Bonthoux et al., 2014). En Europe par exemple, des études ont été réalisées à Paris (Muratet et al., 2007), Bruxelles (Godefroid et al., 2007) ou encore Berlin (Meffert et al., 2012 ;Kowarik, 2013). ...
... Bien que certains travaux aient exploré la dimension foncière et stratégique des friches, principalement en urbanisme (Ambrosino et Andrès, 2008 ;Andrès, 2011 ;Serre, 2017), la question de la prise en compte de l'intérêt des friches urbaines pour la biodiversité dans les politiques publiques reste peu connue. une végétation spontanée (CAUE 41, 2009 ;Bonthoux et al., 2014). Malgré une multiplicité d'usages et la polysémie du terme « friche » dans la littérature francophone 1 (Demailly, 2014) comme anglophone 2 (Di Pietro et Robert, 2021 ;Rupprecht et Byrne, 2014), des caractéristiques invariantes à la friche émergent : issues de mutations urbaines, comme la désindustrialisation et l'extension urbaine, les friches sont des espaces délaissés et enclavés dans le tissu urbain, sans usage officiel apparent, vides de fonctions ou en attente de devenir. ...
Les friches urbaines, espaces transitoires colonisés par une végétation spontanée, peuvent être supports de biodiversité et d'usages informels parfois intenses et diversifiés. L’objectif de notre étude est de comprendre si la valeur écologique des friches est reconnue, à travers l’analyse de différents documents cadrant les politiques d’aménagement du territoire et de conservation de la nature (documents juridiques, cadres et de planification stratégique). Les résultats de notre étude, réalisée dans les agglomérations de Tours et de Blois (région Centre Val-de-Loire), montrent que, dans ces documents, les friches sont présentées comme des opportunités pour densifier les villes, mais rarement pour favoriser la biodiversité ou pour le rapprochement des habitants à la nature. Cette étude ouvre des perspectives sur la place et la temporalité des espaces informels et éphémères comme les friches dans l’aménagement durable des territoires.
Urban wastelands, transient spaces colonized by spontaneous vegetation, can host biodiversity in urban areas and informal uses that can be intense and diversified. Our study aims to understand if urban wastelands’ ecological value is recognized through the study of different documents framing urban planning and environmental policies (legal, framing and strategic planning documents). The results of our study, carried out in the cities of Tours and Blois (Centre Val-de-Loire region), show that in public policies documents, wastelands represent opportunities to densify the cities, but rarely to promote biodiversity or to enhance citizens’ contact with nature. This study opens perspectives on the place and the temporality of informal and ephemeral spaces like wastelands in cities’ sustainable development.
... Ces espaces présentent donc des profils semi-ouverts et une abondante végétation arbustive. En fonction des activités historiques associées à ces sites, des substrats plus ou moins grossiers peuvent recouvrir leurs sols et favoriser la nidification des espèces terricoles (Bonthoux et al., 2014 ;Twerd et al., 2019). En outre, la diversité des plantes rudérales colonisant spontanément les friches est plus que favorable aux pollinisateurs (Lemoine, 2016). ...
... Ces milieux sont toutefois sujets à l'envahissement par des essences invasives pouvant diminuer leur attrait (Twerd et al., 2019). De plus, leur conservation est compromise par une forte pression immobilière (Bonthoux et al., 2014). La fragmentation qui en découlerait pourrait dès lors diminuer la diversité des pollinisateurs dans les friches les plus isolées (Twerd et al., 2019). ...
... La présence récurrente de l'espèce au sein des friches pourrait laisser penser que celle-ci affectionne les espaces urbains semi-ouverts et richement fleuris (Benton, 2008). Malheureusement, ces friches subissent une importante pression immobilière et tendent donc à disparaître du paysage (Bonthoux et al., 2014). Dèslors, la capacité à survivre dans un réseau de plus en plus fragmenté pourrait faire la différence entre B. pascuorum et B. ruderarius (Benton, 2008). ...
The industrial backbone of the Belgian province of Hainaut is well known for its high level of anthropization. The objectives of this study were to conduct an inventory of wild bee species living in these artificial landscapes and to locate biodiversity hotspots among different types of environments such as parks, quarries, brownfields, meadows, and spoil heaps. Ultimately, these results should facilitate the development of conservation policies.
Three years of sampling at 112 sites are summarised in this article. A total of 9410 specimens were captured and 180 bee species were found, about 45% of the national diversity. Among them, 24 species are threatened at the Belgian level and one species, Lasioglossum politum, was considered extinct in Belgium. Its resurgence could be linked to rising temperatures.
Furthermore, our results emphasize the fact that thermophilic anthropogenic habitats such as spoil heaps and quarries are important for many endangered species that are confined to specific nesting substrates. On the other hand, while parks had a diverse assemblage of wild bees, few were nationally threatened. As a result, we call on public policies to refocus their strategy away from urban parks and to allocate more resources to spoil heaps and quarries conservation.
... At the same time, brownfields may record high levels of biodiversity (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Vincent et al., 2018). Following a certain time of abandonment (since the last anthropogenic actions), several vacant lands have shown a high degree of biodiversity with the early colonization of spontaneous flora and fauna communities on a short time scale. ...
... microbial, mesofauna, macrofauna and plant components) that harbor a great biological diversity. According to Bonthoux et al. (2014), species-rich habitats can spontaneously establish themselves within a year to several decades in urban wastelands. In fact, some abandoned lands could play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation for a wide range of biotic components. ...
... However, these sites were 10-20 times larger (1-2 ha). Bonthoux et al. (2014) observed that species richness index increases with the size of a delimited area whereas Melliger et al. (2017) found that plant species richness does not increase with the size of grasslands located in the urban region of Basel (Switzerland). Thus, plant diversity is considered rather low compared to natural ecosystems such as calcareous meadows. ...
Glass manufacturing operations lead to an increasing number of abandoned slag heaps contaminated with metallic trace elements (MTE). However, the relative influence of edaphic factors on the biodiversity of glasswork wastelands is still poorly understood although closely related to sustainable land management practices. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to provide new insights into glasswork wastelands through the investigation of (i) Orthoptera, diurnal Lepidoptera, plant communities, and (ii) abiotic parameters in the topsoils.
To that end, biodiversity indices were computed from ecological inventories performed on the herbaceous layer. In addition, soil samples were taken from the topsoil layer (0–10 cm) to assess agronomic properties, actually (CEC-exchangeable) and potentially bioavailable MTE fractions (DTPA-extractable) and pseudo-total MTE contents. On the one hand, the studied site was able to support a substantially higher than excepted biodiversity with orthopteran assemblages similar to grasslands and a diurnal Lepidoptera diversity comparable to urban parks. We also noted a positive influence of plant richness on the diurnal Lepidoptera community structure. On the other hand, topsoil analysis revealed a severe Pb contamination (1800–3100 mg kg⁻¹) and a high potentially bioavailable Pb fraction (800–1300 mg kg⁻¹). However, CEC-exchangeable MTE concentrations were all below the analytical quantification limits. Moreover, the site was characterized by a medium soil fertility.
From these results, Pb contamination does not appear to be a primary limiting factor for the establishment of these communities. We assume that glasswork wasteland ecosytems are more affected by soil fertility or land management practices. To conclude, these sites are able to provide biodiversity ecosystem services, acting as wildlife sanctuaries for Orthoptera and diurnal Lepidoptera, and strategic metals by phytoextraction in a circular economy model. Thus, wasteland management practices should consider the local-scale drivers of biodiversity in order to reach at least the zero net loss of biodiversity.
... At the same time, brownfields may record high levels of biodiversity (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Vincent et al., 2018). Following a certain time of abandonment (since the last anthropogenic actions), several vacant lands have shown a high degree of biodiversity with the early colonization of spontaneous flora and fauna communities on a short time scale. ...
... microbial, mesofauna, macrofauna and plant components) that harbor a great biological diversity. According to Bonthoux et al. (2014), species-rich habitats can spontaneously establish themselves within a year to several decades in urban wastelands. In fact, some abandoned lands could play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation for a wide range of biotic components. ...
... However, these sites were 10-20 times larger (1-2 ha). Bonthoux et al. (2014) observed that species richness index increases with the size of a delimited area whereas Melliger et al. (2017) found that plant species richness does not increase with the size of grasslands located in the urban region of Basel (Switzerland). Thus, plant diversity is considered rather low compared to natural ecosystems such as calcareous meadows. ...
... In formal UGS that require high maintenance levels (e.g., public parks and gardens), spontaneous plants are usually removed (Chen et al., 2021). It is mostly in informal UGS that are not regularly managed or neglected (e.g., vacant lands, abandoned industrial areas, edges of parking lots, street verges, and brownfields), where spontaneous vegetation tends to dominate (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Brun et al., 2018;Del Tredici, 2014). Despite often being undervalued and forgotten, areas with spontaneous vegetation can provide several functions in urban environments, which have stimulated the interest of researchers in recent years (Li et al., 2019;Mathey et al., 2018;Phillips and Lindquist, 2021;Vega et al., 2021). ...
... Overall, respondents tended to disagree that spontaneous vegetation "look less resilient to climate change" and "look less rich in biodiversity (flora and fauna)" and expressed preference for a combination of cultivated and spontaneous to promote biodiversity, pollination, resilience, and ornamental value. This suggests that respondents are aware of the benefits of spontaneous plants (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Ignatieva and Hedblom, 2018;Kühn, 2006;Li et al., 2019;Robinson and Lundholm, 2012) but, at the same time, there will always be a desire for some level of control and maintenance of UGS (Muratet et al., 2015). Previous investigations observed that the relationship between biodiversity and preference for areas with spontaneous vegetation is quite complex. ...
... Interestingly, our respondents mainly preferred combinations with more spontaneous plants when the goal is to "reduce overall management efforts and costs of urban green spaces", suggesting that the fact that spontaneous vegetation requires less maintenance, artificial inputs, and costs may be the determining reason for professionals use them in UGS (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Brun et al., 2018;Kühn, 2006;Ö zgüner et al., 2007). ...
... This can affect plant growth, compromise soil fertility and lead to long-lasting problems for agriculture [18]; • Risk for the food chain if toxic substances penetrate the soil and are absorbed by plants. This creates a risk for the food chain, since animals that feed on these plants can accumulate these substances, transmitting them in turn to higher predators, including humans [19,20]; • Impact on biodiversity, as the abandonment of hazardous waste can lead to the loss of biodiversity, causing the death of many plant and animal species that would not be able to survive or thrive in a contaminated environment [21,22]. ...
... Urban Sci. 2024, 8,21 ...
This study focuses on the analysis, implementation and integration of techniques and methods, also based on mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), to acquire knowledge of some phenomena that produce pollution with an impact on environmental health, and which start from illicit practices that occur in urban areas. In many urban areas (or agroecosystems), the practice of illegal waste disposing by commercial activities, by abandoning it in the countryside rather than spending economic resources to ensure correct disposal, is widespread. This causes an accumulation of waste in these areas (which can also be protected natural areas), which are then also set on fire to reduce their volume. Obviously, the repercussions of such actions are many. The burning of waste releases contaminants into the environment such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and furans, and deposits other elements on the soil, such as heavy metals, which, by leaching and percolating, contaminate water resources such as rivers and aquifers. The main objective is the design and implementation of monitoring programs against specific illicit activities that take into account territorial peculiarities. This advanced approach leverages AI and GIS environments to interpret environmental states, providing an understanding of ongoing phenomena. The methodology used is based on the implementation of mathematical and AI algorithms, integrated into a GIS environment to address even large-scale environmental issues, improving the spatial and temporal precision of the analyses and allowing the customization of monitoring programs in urban and peri-urban environments based on territorial characteristics. The results of the application of the methodology show the percentages of the different types of waste found in the agroecosystems of the study area and the degree of concentration, allowing the identification of similar areas with greater criticality. Subsequently, through network and nearest neighbour analysis, it is possible to start targeted checks.
... This study would not be possible without their willingness to provide the use of their equipment to test and print the objects explored in the project. Urban spaces have the potential to provide bee habitat (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Frankie et al., 2003Frankie et al., , 2009, Lowenstein, 2015, however, the quality of design work can have varied effects. The plant palette and spatial characteristics of a site have a large impact on the ecological quality of bee habitat (Chacon and Greco 2022a;. ...
... Thus, designers need to look at ways to reduce the footprint of impervious surfaces, such as roads, roofs, building sides, among many others. There is a need to convert wasted landscape space into habitat for bee habitat resiliency (Xerces 2011; Bonthoux et al., 2014;Sirois-Delisle and Kerr, 2018) in the face of climate change in humandominated landscapes. The Earth is undergoing a new epoch, influenced mainly by human activity, coined the Anthropocene (Lewis and Maslin 2015). ...
Design and planning are integral for sustainable development goals, including but not limited to: environmental protection, economic opportunities, and social justice (Khan et al., 2013; Wheeler, 2004). The application of key educational tools for achieving sustainable development and integrating theory with practices has produced a new paradigm in education called Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This study focuses on the undergraduate course Foundations of Sustainable Systems, where students created postcards with images and text expressing their understanding and position on sustainability in a distilled and compact format. This study identifies what themes of sustainability students believe are essential and considers how the results have changed in different years.
The analysis uses a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach to identify themes and changes in student views. The research findings show that this open-ended teaching strategy can instill motivation and a positive attitude towards understanding sustainability in students. Understanding and identifying students’ thinking is critical in moving forward with a comprehensive vision to achieve a successful sustainability focus. In addition, identifying students’ learning will
allow design and planning programs to improve their curricula and help educators advance the awareness to fully and explicitly integrate sustainability into their education offerings.
... 20 Such vegetation is ecologically diverse, ranging from human-dominated managed parks and gardens, to remnant patches of natural and semi-natural ecosystems, such as forests, scrubland, and wetlands. 25,26 In forests and other habitats, global mapping and quantification exercises have helped to highlight the importance of ecosystem services, set conservation and funding priorities, and identify regions that may benefit from shared management. 25,26 Global studies of this kind have thus far been lacking for urban ecosystem services. ...
... 25,26 In forests and other habitats, global mapping and quantification exercises have helped to highlight the importance of ecosystem services, set conservation and funding priorities, and identify regions that may benefit from shared management. 25,26 Global studies of this kind have thus far been lacking for urban ecosystem services. 9 Research into urban ecosystem services has typically focused on cities in North America, Europe, and coastal China. ...
Urbanization has caused multiple environmental grand challenges that impair urban sustainability. Urban vegetation (UV), a mainstream nature-based solution (NBS), can mitigate urban challenges through providing important ecosystem services (ESs). However, successful implementation of UV to provide ESs, is impaired due to insufficient knowledge of its effectiveness under different climatic and socio-economic conditions. Here, we quantify seven ESs provided by UV across 2,148 cities with ≥250,000 residents. We show that UV makes substantial contributions to outdoor recreation and stormwater regulation but is less effective in reducing air pollution, in most cities, regardless of the climatic and socio-economic context. The contributions of UV to carbon sequestration, coastal protection, shade provision, and land surface temperature reduction were generally smaller and varied substantially dependent on city climatic and human development index characteristics. Comprehensive assessments for urban NBS planning are essential to maximize ES efficacy for urban sustainability improvements and support human well-being.
... These successional stages attract and support diverse, stress-tolerant, and even rare native species, especially protected invertebrate species such as bumblebees (e.g., Shrill carder bee) and butterflies (e.g., Small blue butterflies), making urban brownfield sites unique for the ecological diversity and connectivity of inner-city nature (Mathey et al. 2015;Threlfall and Kendal 2018). Brownfield sites are often categorised as open mosaic habitats (Eyre, Luff, and Woodward 2003;Riding et al. 2010;Rupprecht et al. 2014) and are specifically classified within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BRIG 2011) due to greater biodiversity than managed/planted greenfield spaces, i.e., land not previously developed, but characterised by controlled vegetation such as agricultural fields and recreational parks (Kowarik 2011;Bonthoux et al. 2014;Goulson et al. 2015). The diversity and rarity of some brownfield sites, which may only have existed for a few decades, are comparable to the value of some ancient woodland sites where trees have taken hundreds of years to mature (Barker 2015). ...
... Despite this, the extraordinary existence and character of such habitats is not widely recognised or understood outside of the scientific community. Brownfields are at significant risk of removal by development due to perceptions of being "wastelands" (Bonthoux et al. 2014;Mathey et al. 2018). This calls into question the ability of planners to confidently consider the value of biodiversity across urban brownfield areas in the wake of England's planning reforms. ...
Protection and mitigation of biodiversity are essential within land-use planning; highlighted by the increased importance of nature during the global pandemic and the fight against climate change. Currently, the character of both the land and decision-makers can influence the weight biodiversity is ascribed within planning processes. Through analysis of semi-structured interviews, with various actors within the Northamptonshire planning system, this research explored the opportunities and challenges around promoting biodiversity across brownfield sites; the motivations for conservation by different planning actors; and what this means for the future of urban habitats on previously developed land. This research found that brownfield sites continue to be undervalued for their biodiversity potential, predominantly due to the downplaying of ecological expertise in decision-making. With England’s proposed planning reforms, this paper argues that tensions between brownfield redevelopment and biodiversity conservation stand to be further exacerbated as the government intends to “scythe through red tape” (Johnson 2020b).
... Urban green spaces are generally isolated, of limited size, and either fragmented habitat relics (Soga et al., 2014) or newly built (Matteson et al., 2008;Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014;Partridge and Clark, 2018;Dromgold et al., 2020). Newly built green spaces include parks (McFrederick and LeBuhn, 2006;Nielsen et al., 2014), abandoned lots (Gardiner et al., 2013;Bonthoux et al., 2014), traffic medians (Pećarević et al., 2010), gardens (Vergnes et al., 2012;Barratt et al., 2015;Burks and Philpott, 2017;Goddard et al., 2017), and green roofs (MacIvor and Lundholm, 2011;Partridge and Clark, 2018;Partridge et al., 2020). Unlike in habitat relics, wildlife communities in newly built green spaces generally develop from colonization with installed substrates and plants (MacIvor and Ksiazek, 2015) or from immigration over time (Schrader and Böning, 2006;Fattorini et al., 2018;Perry et al., 2020), with age being an important driver of community composition (McIntyre, 2000). ...
... This relationship between green space age and taxonomic richness holds true in small urban green spaces, such as gardens that are between 4 and 48 years old (Burks and Philpott, 2017). Even unmanaged vacant lots can exhibit rapid increases in wildlife richness with increased age (i.e., within several years), though the rate of change depends on site soil conditions and the resulting plant community (Bonthoux et al., 2014). ...
Global wildlife populations are in decline, in part, due to urbanization. However, in urban landscapes, green infrastructure such as green roofs are being created to provide habitat for wildlife. Green roof isolation, planting heterogeneity, and size can all influence wildlife biodiversity, as may the age of a green roof. When new habitat is created, wildlife use of these new habitats is expected to increase over time. To test this expectation for birds, we monitored bird activity prior to and after installation of small green roof plots on six buildings located within New York City parks. Contrary to expectations, bird activity and bird species richness did not increase after green roof plot installation, nor did they increase over a period of 4 years following installation. These unexpected results may reflect the relatively small size of the plots or the fact that the plots were on buildings located within urban parks. Bird activity and bird species richness varied widely between roofs, and the composition of rooftop bird species may have been more influenced by the characteristics of the surrounding landscapes than the presence of the green roof plots. These findings suggest that small urban green roofs within a larger and, potentially, higher quality habitat may not provide additional habitat for foraging birds. Urban green roofs have numerous ecological and environmental benefits, but the size and characteristics of landscapes surrounding a green roof need to be considered when installing green roofs as wildlife habitat.
... Typical urban habitats are vacant lots and brownfields with early-or mid-successional stages of seminatural vegetation. These habitats can be species-rich, as can be seen in many European cities (Knapp et al. 2008, Lososová et al. 2011, Bonthoux et al. 2014. We found that brownfields, situated mainly in the industrial parts of the city, provide suitable living conditions for both common urbanophilous species and specialized rare species. ...
The thirteenth part of the series on the distributions of vascular plants in the Czech Republic includes grid maps of 88 taxa in the genera Alcea, Ambrosia, Anacamptis, Anchusa, Anoda, Atocion, Ballota, Bothriochloa, Bunias, Conium, Epipogium, Kickxia, Kitaibela, Lavatera, Lawrencia, Limodorum, Listera, Malope, Malva, Neotinea, Nonea, Nuphar, Nymphaea, Peucedanum, Phlomis, Selinum, Sida, Silaum and Silene. These maps were produced by taxonomic experts based on examined herbarium specimens, literature and field records. Particular attention was paid to rare and declining species. Altogether, 34 of the mapped species are on the national Red List. Critically threatened species, with the highest rates of decline and smallest population sizes, are mainly among orchids and aquatic plants. Two species, Anacamptis coriophora and Peucedanum arenarium, have been extirpated from this country and are classified as nationally extinct. In contrast, four of the mapped species have only recently been identified as new aliens to the Czech flora: Kitaibela vitifolia, Lavatera punctata, Silene csereii and S. stricta. Based on the analysis of the past distributions and circumstances of the earliest records, Silene bupleuroides and S. conica are proposed for reclassification from native to casual neophytes. Altogether, 47 archaeophytes and neophytes are discussed. Two of the neophytes, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Bunias orientalis, have become invasive and at present they are widespread mainly in warm areas of the country. Spatial distributions and often also temporal dynamics of individual taxa are shown in maps and documented by records included in the Pladias database and available in the Supplementary materials. The maps are accompanied by comments that include additional information on the distribution, habitats, taxonomy and biology of the taxa.
... Typical urban habitats are vacant lots and brownfields with early-or mid-successional stages of seminatural vegetation. These habitats can be species-rich, as can be seen in many European cities (Knapp et al. 2008, Lososová et al. 2011, Bonthoux et al. 2014. We found that brownfields, situated mainly in the industrial parts of the city, provide suitable living conditions for both common urbanophilous species and specialized rare species. ...
Urban areas exert a significant influence on plant species assemblages. The mosaic of different urban land uses is reflected in the distribution patterns of different plant groups. Here we present the results of the first systematic and detailed floristic survey of the city of Brno, Czech Republic. We studied the flora of Brno from 2011 to 2021, and recorded all spontaneously
occurring species in grid cells of 1.3 × 1.5 km. Our dataset includes 1,492 taxa found in the city, classified by their origin, residence time, invasion status, index of ecological specialization,
and threat status in the Czech flora. Of these, 902 are native, 205 archaeophytes and 339 neophytes. The remaining 46 species with unknown status are probably remnants of cultivation
or newly introduced species. Of the total list of species, 255 species are classified as threatened or near threatened in the Czech Republic. We analysed the effect of seven land-use categories on the proportions of these plant groups and found significant differences in the distribution of individual plant groups within the city. The proportions of plant groups except for threatened species reflected the proportions of individual land-use categories in the grid cells, although the strength and direction of these responses differed among plant groups. Native plant species richness was high in grid cells where forests predominate and the level of urbanization is low. In contrast, the proportion of archaeophytes and neophytes was much lower in the grid cells with a high proportion of forests. While archaeophytes predominated in the lowlands with agricultural
land use, neophytes were more common in the central built-up areas of the city. To document the current distribution of all taxa found we supplement this study with a series of maps.
... Asimismo, los Planes Comunales de Adaptación al Cambio Climático, que deben ser elaborados por los municipios a más tardar el año 2025 (para el cumplimiento de lo establecido en la Ley Marco de Cambio Climático y su reglamento), pueden considerar la reforestación o restauración ecológica de los cerros isla como una de las acciones a implementar para generar un efecto de regulación de las temperaturas urbanas y, al mismo tiempo, como una medida de mitigación al incrementar la capacidad de captura de carbono y contrarrestar emisiones que ocurran en la ciudad. Para esto, en primer lugar, es necesario favorecer la naturalización e incrementar la gestión y aprovechamiento de los espacios naturales o seminaturales remanentes para incrementar la sucesión ecológica y la renaturalización de zonas urbanas (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Gardiner et al., 2014;Sikorska et al., 2020;Twerd y Banaszak-Cibicka, 2019). ...
Los cerros isla (CI) representan elementos de alto valor natural y patrimonial. Sin embargo, pese a su destacada presencia en las ciudades latinoamericanas, es escaso el conocimiento documentado que facilite su reconocimiento e incorporación en la planificación urbana. El objetivo de este trabajo es identificar, clasificar y caracterizar los CI mayormente no-urbanizados y ubicados dentro de la zona urbana de las 16 ciudades capitales regionales de Chile. Los 75 CI identificados fueron clasificados en tres tipologías y caracterizados en virtud de sus coberturas de suelo, edificaciones y normativa asociada. En las 16 ciudades hay 32 cerros isla urbanos, 24 cerros isla en el borde urbano y 19 cerros de cordones en el borde urbano, concentrados en Santiago, Concepción y Copiapó. Estos tienen coberturas de bosque nativo, matorral y plantaciones forestales en el sur del país y suelos con escasa vegetación en el norte, dando cuenta de la diversidad geográfica y también de las presiones y usos que existen en el territorio. Así, los CI de Concepción tienen 30% o más de su superficie cubierta por plantaciones forestales; y del total, un 83% de los CI tienen elementos edificados y un 36% elementos patrimoniales. En términos de normativa urbana, no hay una zonificación típica de cerros y coexisten destinos diversos.
... Nonetheless, the literature attests that vacant lots represent a land reserve that, when reused, can have ecological, economic, and social benefits, fitting smart city development agendas (Anderson and Minor, 2017;Burkholder, 2012;Hollander and Németh, 2011;Kim, 2016). The ecological benefits of vegetated vacant lots are derived from considering them as part of urban green infrastructure systems, improving air quality, reducing noise, carbon dioxide, and the urban heat island effect (Aram et al., 2019;Bolund and Hunhammar, 1999;Kim et al., 2018;Schilling and Logan, 2008), restoring biodiversity (e.g., Bonthoux et al., 2014;Gardiner et al., 2013;Kowarik, 2011), contributing to better ecosystem connectivity (Anderson and Minor, 2017;Herbst and Herbst, 2006), or offering flood protection (Kim et al., 2018). Economic benefits are derived when well-managed vacant lots as public or green spaces attract higher-skilled workforces seeking enhanced well-being (Power et al., 2010); building up the vacant lots can increase property prices, support further economic development (Accordino and Johnson, 2000;Anderson and Minor, 2017;Heckert and Mennis, 2012), or lower infrastructure maintenance costs through increasing urban compactness (Hudeček et al., 2019). ...
... However, not everyone has the same demands concerning urban green spaces (Arnberger 2006) and many may not recognize certain potential services (Spangenberg, von Haaren, and Settele 2014). The integration of information about social and cultural values related to BGI and ES in spatial planning and decisionmaking can bring positive results (G omez-Baggethun and Barton 2013), such as influence on residents health and their willingness to use areas (Hofmann et al. 2012;Bonthoux et al. 2014;Russo et al. 2017) and can reduce forms of anti-social behavior, such as vandalism, and potential conflicts regarding spaces (Pawłowska 2012). ...
Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an important source of ecosystem
services (ES) for urban residents; however, the perception of ES
varies throughout the population. An important factor in this regard
is having a formal education, as this plays a key role in recognizing
environmental benefits and understanding the value of less obvious
services. In addition, the educational profile may also have an impact
on ES assessment. The present study examines how students perceive
BGI and its associated ecosystem services. Students of Social
Work, Ecocity, Spatial Economy and Biology at the University of Lodz
were surveyed to determine whether educational profile may influence
their assessment of ES. Our findings indicate that educational
profile can play a significant role in explaining the perception of ESs
provided by urban BGI. The students of Biology have a better understanding
of the importance of BGI for improving the ecological status
and quality of life in urban areas.
... In this context, it is imperative to find approaches that support the transition of urban systems towards sustainability. To that end, the promotion of vegetation that grows and colonizes the city freely (hereafter called spontaneous vegetation) is recognized as a means to enhance urban plant diversity at multiple scales (Salisbury et al., 2021) as this vegetation provides breeding sites, refuges, and food resources for many animal species (see Bonthoux et al., 2014 for a review; Twerd and Banaszak-Cibicka, 2019 for bees; Villaseñor et al., 2020 for birds). ...
... Urban nature is not only important for humans, but can be an important part of nature in and of itself. For example, while urban areas often disrupt habitat connectivity having strong negative consequences for nature conservation and biodiversity (Liu et al., 2016;Mcdonald et al., 2008), urban green and blue spaces can partially mitigate this effect acting as stepping-stone biotopes or as part of green corridors, thereby facilitating habitat connectivity and supporting biodiversity (Beninde et al., 2015;Bonthoux et al., 2014). ...
In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature‐based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID‐19 pandemic and its associated stressors highlighted the interrelated socio‐ecological services provided by nature‐based solutions like urban green and blue spaces.
This pan‐European study therefore aimed to enhance the socio‐ecological understanding of green and blue spaces to support their design and management. Using an online survey, green and blue space preferences, usage, and pandemic‐related changes in greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were examined.
Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were associated with respondents’ (N = 584 from 15 countries) geographical location, dominant type of neighbourhood greenspace and greenspace availability during the pandemic, but not greenspace perceptions or sociodemographic background.
Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were generally high; however, Southern Europeans reported lower greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies both before and during the pandemic than Northern Europeans. Many Southern Europeans also reported having few neighbourhood greenspaces and low greenspace availability during the pandemic.
The most common outdoor recreational activity among respondents before the pandemic was walking or running with the most frequently stated purpose of time spent outdoors being restorative in nature (i.e. relaxing or calming down). Most Europeans had positive perceptions of green and blue spaces with preferences for structurally diverse and natural or unmanaged green elements.
This highlights the importance of accessible green and blue spaces both in everyday life and during times of crisis. Stakeholders, their preferences, and regional and cultural differences should be included in the co‐design of urban green and blue spaces to maximize their potential for both people and nature.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
... Ce type de trajectoire s'observe pourtant déjà dans les friches urbaines, bien que ces dernières soient parfois perçues négativement. Plusieurs scientifiques ont montré que les sites abandonnés à la végétation spontanée ont un réel potentiel pour contribuer à la conservation de la biodiversité en milieu urbain (Bonthoux et al, 2014). En région parisienne, la diversité des plantes, des oiseaux et des papillons dans les friches est plus élevée que dans les autres espaces verts (Baude et al, 2011). ...
À l’heure de l’objectif national « zéro artificialisation nette », ralentir l’urbanisation et renaturer les villes deviennent deux stratégies incontournables et complémentaires. Elles se posent avec d’autant plus d’acuité que la biodiversité décline fortement au sein des villes, que les effets du changement climatique (ruissellement, inondations, îlots de chaleur urbains) s’amplifient et que la santé et le bien-être se dégradent dans les métropoles.
Or, nos villes regorgent d’espaces inutilement asphaltés ou bétonnés sur lesquels la nature pourrait reprendre ses droits. Ce gisement, actuellement mal quantifié, pourrait être mobilisé pour agrandir les espaces de nature, les relier entre eux, rouvrir des rivières urbaines, restaurer des zones humides et créer de nouveaux espaces de nature. Pour relever ce défi, les collectivités et leurs partenaires publics et privés ont besoin de localiser les secteurs à renaturer en priorité et de préconisations pour les accompagner techniquement. L’ouvrage « Renaturer les milieux urbains » revient sur les différentes approches de la renaturation et propose une méthode pour identifier les zones urbaines à fort potentiel de renaturation pour la biodiversité, l’adaptation au changement climatique et la santé des populations. Enfin, au travers de multiples retours d’expériences, il suggère des recommandations pour mettre en œuvre son projet dans les meilleures conditions.
... This type of trajectory can, however, already be observed in urban D3.2 Guidelines for a "depaving" and "re-greening" strategy in cities 9 brownfield sites, although the latter are sometimes perceived negatively. Several scientists have shown that sites that have been allowed to become overgrown have real potential for the conservation of urban biodiversity (Bonthoux et al, 2014). In the Paris Region, the diversity of plants, birds and butterflies in brownfield sites is higher than in any other "natural" urban areas (parks, gardens, cemeteries, and so on) (Baude et al, 2011). ...
The loss of soil functions and ecosystem services is one of the major environmental challenges Europe is facing. Despite a reduction in the last decade, land take in EU28 still amounted to 539km2/year between 2012‐2018. Since the mid‐1950s, the total surface area of cities in the EU has increased by 78% while the population has grown by just 33% [1]. Population growth can also drive land take, but built‐up areas are expanding more quickly than populations are growing. Urban sprawl often continues even where populations are decreasing. In France, the rate of land take in France is the highest in Europe, occurring 4 times faster than population growth. This phenomenon is now foremost among the drivers of rapid climate change and the erosion of biodiversity [2].
To address this global problem, the European Commission has proposed in the EU Environment Action Programme to 2020 (7th EAP) to achieve ‘no net land take’ by 2050. Sealing agricultural land and open spaces should be avoided as far as possible and the focus should be on building on land that has already been sealed. In France, the national objective dubbed Zéro Artificialisation Nette (Net Zero Land Take) marks a turning point in strategies designed to slow urban sprawl as it places the emphasis on urban renewal and densification. It also introduces a renaturing goal that involves “giving back to nature” an amount of land equivalent to that consumed by urban growth. For example, unused land could be returned to cultivation or renaturalised so that it can once again provide the ecosystem services of unsealed soils. The implementation of the Net Zero Land Take goal, however necessary it may be, may nevertheless result in even greater urban densification in cities that are already suffering from climate change and dwindling biodiversity. Moreover, the estimated cost and complexity of a renaturing operation above all presuppose the avoidance of any additional land take.
In this context, slowing urban growth and renaturing urban environments have become key strategies. They are all the more relevant as biodiversity is declining significantly in urban areas, the effects of climate change (runoff, flooding, urban heat islands, etc.) are intensifying and the health and wellbeing of city‐dwellers are deteriorating. Renaturing makes it possible to adapt cities to climate change and to make them more permeable to wildlife by developing nature‐based solutions. Our cities are full of areas that have been concreted or asphalted over and where nature could return and flourish. The Paris Region, especially the Greater Paris area, is particularly affected by the consequences of urbanisation and density. The purpose of this guide is to propose a method that will help local authorities to target urban areas where renaturing represents a key strategy to restore biodiversity, adapt to climate change and improve people’s health. Based on feedback from respondents in the field, it provides recommendations on how to implement projects in the best possible conditions.
This guide is part of the European project titled Horizon 2020 REGREEN on nature‐based solutions in urban environments. The term “nature‐based solutions” refers to initiatives aimed at the conservation, management and restoration of ecosystems. Their aim is to attenuate climate change (e.g. via carbon capture and storage) and to facilitate adaptation to climate change (e.g. via protection against storms, flooding and landslides). These solutions have proved their effectiveness and can complement or replace the grey infrastructure traditionally used in regional development. The advantage of nature‐based solutions is that they are multi‐functional whereas grey solutions only solve one problem at a time. As well as benefiting climate and biodiversity, they have the advantage of helping to improve the living environment and health of city‐dwellers at lower cost to local authorities. Nature‐based solutions apply to all environments on all scales (farmland, woodland, aquatic and urban environments) and help enhance the resilience of local regions to global change. Renaturing is a way of rolling out nature‐based solutions in areas that have been subject to land take and ground sealing.
... We assumed that no housing projects will be planned on urban wastelands (UW), considering them as flexible spaces, opening various opportunities. They are particularly interesting for urban green systems and provide real potential to promote biodiversity in the city (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Brun et al., 2018;Draus et al., 2020). ...
Being considered as a basic necessity and a key element in the development of sustainable communities, housing is a major concern for the Algerian government. Algiers is facing for the last years a challenging housing shortage and as a way to overcome this problem, many housing projects have been launched. However, the pressing need to address this crisis has disregarded what the pattern of landscape will be, how the existing infrastructures will accommodate with such housing projects and how they will impact on human well-being. This research aims to advance the challenges of planning for sustainability by proposing a methodological approach in a context of high lack of data to support decision-makers in the elaboration of affordable housing projects. The main objective is to trade off urban growth with residential satisfaction and the preservation of natural resources. We developed two Cellular Automata (CA) based residential development scenarios to identify suitable locations for future affordable housing projects: Urban densification scenario (UD) and Constrained urban sprawl scenario (CUS). Both scenarios are based on indicators of residential preferences and measures taken in order to counter the negative effects of urbanization. Results reveal the low capacity of Algiers to meet the housing shortage according to the conditions set for each scenario. The scenarios were evaluated by quantifying their spatial patterns using a preselected set of six class-level landscape metrics. Results show a combination of aggregated and dispersed patterns growth for both scenarios meeting trade-offs among the advantages and the challenges of urban densification and urban sprawl. Then, Standard deviation and regression analysis were conducted to assess the accuracy of CA simulation and the evaluation of pattern changes in the simulated scenarios. The resulting values indicate the good performance of CA and confirm its effectiveness in predicting the future locations of housing projects.
... Wild vegetation often grows in urban wastelands. In most cases, urban wastelands have a higher species richness [15] and a higher proportion of native species than other urban green spaces. An increasing number of scholars have paid attention to the protection of wild vegetation and the ecological potential of improving urban biodiversity. ...
Wetlands contain a large number of spontaneous plants, and the ecological value of such plants should not be underestimated. However, the influence of the surrounding environment on the composition of spontaneous plants in wetlands is still unclear. Hangzhou Jiangyangfan Ecological Park, built more than 20 years ago, is the first ecological park in China based on the “wild state” concept. The wetland in the park was taken as a study case, and we investigated some of the ecological factors affecting the diversity and distribution pattern of spontaneous plants in wetland habitats after natural succession. A total of 100 species of spontaneous plants were recorded, belonging to 93 genera and 48 families, with native species accounting for approximately 78% of the total. We found significant differences in the species diversity and distribution patterns of spontaneous plants in different habitats and microhabitats. According to the biological characteristics of spontaneous plants, the fruit types were mostly achenes and capsules, and the seed dispersal mode was mainly animal dispersal. Different fruit types and dispersal modes affected the composition and distribution of spontaneous plants. In terms of environmental factors, the water depth and slope aspect were the key factors determining the diversity and distribution pattern of spontaneous plants. It was also found that the clustering degree of cultivated plants had an effect on the composition of spontaneous plants. To form a more natural wetland landscape, it is necessary to provide a variety of growing environments for spontaneous plants. We suggest allocating appropriate habitat types in wetlands and reducing human intervention to increase biodiversity.
... The beginning of the 21st century has seen this new interest in wastelands not only confirmed but also increased. Research in urban ecology has intensified considerably, giving a significant place to the study of biodiversity on brownfields (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Muratet, 2017). As for the social sciences, the development of the "environmental humanities" (van Dooren et al., 2016), including fields such as multi-species ethnography, more than human geography, anthropology beyond humanity, has triggered the publication of many original works concerning wastelands approached as hybrid places where human and non-human beings make up new forms of life (Gandy, 2013;Haraway, 2016;Lorimer, 2015;Tsing, 2017a). ...
... On one side it is a perfect pollinator habitat, a highway for insects, birds, and other species, and on the other a perfect setting for the restored human experience of nature forgotten in the contemporary urban lifestyle. Therefore, WUW has great potential to contribute to urban biodiversity conservation [14,15] and regeneration, but it also allows Sustainability 2022, 14, 11445 4 of 23 people, and in particular children, to experience nature [16,17] "offering a range of opportunities for informal recreation activities" [18]. A few existing studies on the subject of urban nature where traces of neglect become a valuable space resource [19,20] illustrate the benefits of structural diversity [14,21,22], a sort of hedonistic recuperation strategy leading to a new kind of socio-ecological sustainability. ...
In the vortex of the environmental and ecological crises, it is clear that the cosmopolitan way of living is facing uncertainty with no easing in sight. Looking beyond the horizon at what the aftermath will yield, it is quite clear that the meaning of urbanity has to be transformed; the urban life has to support social and ecological well-being, and the city has to intertwine more closely with nature. Therefore, wild urban woodlands (WUWs), often morphologically exclusive, culturally contradictory, and biologically heterogeneous, are recognized together with the other informal wilderness of the city as catalyzers of a newly constructed identity and the first line of defense when the question of the socio-ecological resilience of the city is raised. The present study focuses on how the biocultural diversity of WUWs can be stimulated by architecture and on which principles and restorative components an architectural design should stand on. Taking War Island on the river Danube, in the very heart of Belgrade, Serbia, as the particular case study, a specific assignment was given to students of the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade to affirm, recuperate, and stipulate the relationship between the nature and the culture of the site. On the threshold of interdisciplinarity, a net of coordinated values is set up based on a theoretical, analytic, and typo-morphological approach, gathering the eco-cultural aspects, components, and characteristics of the place. On the bases of the students’ research-based design propositions, the results show different design paths promoting accessibility and security, restoring social responsibility and awareness, and regaining the socio-ecological well-being of the place. The conclusions drawn from the study open the perspective of the alliance between nature and culture through an architectural infrastructure that heals the landscape and induces its therapeutic properties, enhancing the biocultural diversity of the place and proclaiming a kind of hedonistic sustainability for the future life of cities.
... private backyards, apartment building courtyards and corporate campuses (Wolch et al. 2010)), as well as common green spaces (Petrescu et al. 2016). While parks and gardens have been the main focus of research over time (Brantz 2017), other areas including urban wastelands and wilderness (Bonthoux et al. 2014;Brun et al. 2018;Gandy 2018;Kowarik 2018;Threlfall and Kendall 2018) and relatively new phenomena such as civic or guerrilla gardening (Barron 2016;Bendt et al. 2013;Benjamin 2020;Tornaghi and Certomà 2019) have recently received crucial attention. In line with this definition, the array of green spaces studied in this volume is wide. ...
The chapter provides an overview of the objectives, structure, content and results of this joint volume. Starting from the paradox of well-known green space benefits on the one hand and multiple challenges to their fair provision on the other hand, the book argues to put green space contestations and environmental justice concerns into focus when striving for a sustainable city development. As the edited volume unites interdisciplinary and multi-method studies on green space use and planning, it enriches environmental justice studies by widening the understanding of green space access, critically evaluating cases of procedural injustice and providing in-depth studies on the contexts of injustices in urban greening. Based on the results of these studies, a future research agenda is proposed in this introductory chapter.
... Cette hétérogénéité permet le développement d'une flore et une faune variée (Bonthoux et al., 2014;Eyre et al., 2003;Frouz et al., 2013;Hunter, 2014). La présence de sols nus et secs, peu présents en milieu naturel, peut être favorable à l'installation de certaines espèces rares (Hunter, 2014 ;Mathey et Rink, 2010). ...
Les friches industrielles représentent de réelles opportunités pour la création d’espaces naturels mais les méthodes de restauration et d’évaluation des bénéfices environnementaux de ces opérations sont très lacunaires. L’objectif de cette thèse a été, au travers d’un cas d’étude, de palier à ce manque. Les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence que la restauration des technosols de friches industrielles nécessite une approche pluri-compartimentale (végétation et sol) et que les méthodes utilisées actuellement en restauration des sols sont moins efficaces dans des milieux aussi dégradés. Une approche pluridisciplinaire alliant outils d’évaluation économique et indicateurs écologiques a été ajustée permettant l’évaluation des bénéfices environnementaux de tels projets. Des adaptations sont cependant encore nécessaires dans la récolte de données, la sélection des indicateurs et la conception de la méthode pour garantir une meilleure prise en compte du compartiment sol, optimiser l’intégration des objectifs du projet de restauration et des potentiels impacts de la restauration sur les populations locales.
... Green space is vital for supporting biodiversity across urban and suburban landscapes [1]. Formal green spaces set aside for nature, such as parks, gardens, and forest preserves, can benefit both wildlife and people; however, informal green spaces, such as brownfields, vacant lots, street verges, and powerline corridor rights-of-way, can also be equally if not more important sources of habitats [2,3]. While informal greenspaces in developed landscapes can support substantial biodiversity, they are understudied systems [4,5]. ...
Electric powerline corridors are informal green spaces that encompass large areas of land and have the potential to support biodiversity in urban and suburban landscapes. However, the extent to which these corridors provide novel habitats compared to the surrounding landscape is unclear. Biodiversity in corridors is often compared to that of “natural” habitats despite the fact that the corridors are subject to frequent vegetation management. In urban and suburban landscapes, residential yards may provide a more appropriate comparison because they are a dominant type of green space and are also characterized by frequent vegetation management. We conducted a study of the biodiversity in suburban powerline corridors in northern Illinois, USA, and compared it to the biodiversity found in nearby residential yards. Our goal was to determine whether powerline corridors added ecological value to these suburban landscapes. We included three different management styles of powerline corridors: (1) frequently mowed and kept as lawn, (2) brush mowed on a five-year cycle (“old-field”), and (3) restored and/or maintained as native prairie. We measured the species richness and composition of plants, birds, and insect pollinators in corridors and yards. The corridor management types and comparison yards differed significantly in the richness of all three taxa, with old-field and/or prairie sites having greater species richness than mown corridors and/or comparison yards. Community composition also differed by management category. While the species richness of old-field sites tended to be high, prairie sites generally had more species of conservation interest. Our study shows that both old-field- and prairie-managed powerline corridors add habitat value to Midwestern U.S. suburban landscapes by providing alternative habitat types that support many species. Nonetheless, we suggest that managers looking to specifically support native and/or grassland specialist species in this region should manage sites as prairies when possible.
Outdoor sports fields are places for sports activities, but simultaneously, they also serve as living spaces for vegetation. Sports fields are primarily intended for human activities, yet they also serve as habitats for plants. The interaction between sports activities and vegetation is an understudied area, which is the focus of this paper. The aim of the study is to evaluate the biodiversity and ecosystem functions of the vegetation. The selected Rosnička sports field is used by the Sokol Physical Education Unit and is located in the cadastral territory of Brno-Žabovřesky, Czech Republic. A total of 99 plant taxa were found within the locality. As revealed by the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), diverse parts of the sports field significantly differ in species composition from each other. The vegetation present in the outdoor sports field fulfils several ecosystem functions, such as creating a favourable microclimate, supporting biodiversity, serving an aesthetic function and providing a source of fruit. The quality of the sports turf is essential as it must withstand and facilitate sports activities. Sports facilities not only support the physical and mental health of residents, but also have the potential to synergistically support the biodiversity of urban ecosystems.
Работа посвящена роли городских пустот в целом и пустырей в частности в процессе развития городского пространства. В российской литературе термин «городские пустоты» до настоящего момента в большей степени относится к смысловым разрывам, тогда как мы предлагаем рассматривать пустоту в городе как более широкий концепт. Городская пустота — «зонтичный» концепт, особый тип пространства, который характеризуется отсутствием контроля и предзаданного формата пользования. Под это определение подпадают различные виды пространств: пустотами будут и заброшенные здания, и территории под мостами, и неопределенные клочки земли между магистралями и пр. Пустырь — это частный случай городских пустот, характеризующийся открытыми ландшафтами, выделяющимися на фоне общей морфологии застройки окружающего района, возможным наличием бывших построек, потерявших свой изначальный функционал, и дикой растительности. Важная особенность, выделяющая пустыри на фоне городских пустот, — принципиально не планировочный, естественный характер ландшафта. В работе предпринята попытка систематизировать зарубежные подходы к определению городских пустот. В общем виде мы рассматриваем городскую пустоту как пустоту контроля. Это пространство, которое противопоставлено застроенной и четко спланированной городской среде. С одной стороны, эти пространства негативно влияют на окружающую среду и город в целом. Заброшенность пространства способствует активизации несанкционированной деятельности, что может отрицательно влиять на образ района и города в целом. С другой стороны, новая оптика городских исследований рассматривает их как ценные пространства. Пустыри становятся пространствами для жителей, пространствами, где они могут делать что хотят, где могут всецело проявлять свою креативность. Тем более что у пустырей есть индикативная функция, и по тому, какие практики реализуются там, можно сделать выводы о состоянии окружающих их территорий.
In the context of socio-ecological change, developing people-nature connections in cities could potentially improve city dwellers’ well-being while developing an attachment to other living beings. Increasing wildness by limiting management interventions may promote biodiversity in cities, but little is known about the ways in which city dwellers relate to wild places. In this study, we analyse how city dwellers use and experience an urban near-wild river flowing through the centre of a historic French city. We firstly presented the interweaving of historical cultural components and ecological processes that shaped the river. Based on behavioural mapping and questionnaires, we then investigated three different dimensions of user-river relationships (activities, affects and cognitions) and analysed how they are modulated by individual features. Users’ activities were diverse and spatially related to facilities (i.e. benches, types of ground cover), and they mainly perceived the river as a place of appeasement and relaxation. Wild elements such as birds, flora and water were more notable components of places than historic architectural elements, and users preferred riverbank vegetation with high structural complexity. However, plant and animal species living along the river were not well known. Users’ age and visit frequency were positively correlated with some components of affects and knowledge, but users’ features had only modest explanatory power. The results refine our understanding of city dwellers’ perceptions and attachment to urban wild places, and provide inspiration for designing places that promote biodiversity and enrich experiences of nature in cities.
Urbanization is one of the main threats to biodiversity. However, some urban green spaces could act as refuges for urban fauna if the composition of the flora were less horticultural and if a less intensive management strategy is adopted. Among the taxa, butterflies are experiencing a strong decline from European to regional scales. An ecological engineering project based on a plantation of host and nectariferous plants backed up by a well thought out management strategy was carried out in Marseille at the Parc Urbain des Papillons (the Butterflies Urban Park). We assessed its effectiveness by comparing the butterfly communities in this park before and after the engineering work, and we compared it to a neighboring wasteland with natural habitats. After 12 years of the project, the results show a significant change in the species composition. The species richness greatly increased from 25 to 42 species. Some specialist species we targeted appeared, and their numbers increased from one to five. However, three Mediterranean species are still absent compared to the wasteland with natural habitats. As the plant palette used and the management strategy implemented enabled us to significantly increase the number of species, we now plan to work on the structure of the vegetation.
Though most cities, particularly in the Global North, have been intensely modified by human activities certain locations still exist in varied forms of abandonment or disinvestment, often allowing for new species assemblages to flourish. These urban novel ecosystems or informal wild spaces are often perceived as in-between or overlooked, calling into question their value and social-ecological role, while also creating tensions amongst different groups and stakeholders who share different visions for their use and management. Within these tensions, issues of justice and equity can be more pronounced and surface historic legacies of environmental contamination, inequitable development, and extraction. Despite this, very little is known about the social-ecological role informal wild spaces play in urban areas, and how best to interrogate and understand the equity and justice dimensions they elicit. To fill this gap in knowledge, this paper critically examines the literature on urban novel ecosystems in relation to justice, with a particular interest in multispecies justice. Through this analysis, gaps in the literature are exposed, while also arguing the informality, neglect and contestation of wild urban spaces provides opportunities to explore issues of access, benefits and harms, particularly in light of global climate and ecological crises. A systematic approach is utilized to search the literature, identifying 45 papers which are thematically analyzed under a justice lens. The study identifies three themes that thread throughout the literature: distributional injustices relate to perceptions and attitudes, which give rise or arise from injustices; the regeneration discourse focuses on a ‘new nature’, which is based on social-ecological displacement and devaluation; and the potential of urban wild spaces to generate new multispecies sensibilities. The paper concludes by discussing trends, gaps, and emerging discourses, and proposing a multispecies justice approach for urban planning through the learnings and engagement with urban wild, novel ecosystems.
The rarity of species has multiple facets. Functional rarity is an integrated index that can quantify species’ sparseness and functional traits’ rarity. However, a comprehensive evaluation of various dimensions of functional rarity at different scales in urban ecosystems is under-researched. Here, we addressed two hypotheses: (1) functional rarity will not be consistent with conventional rarity at local and regional scales, and (2) land use types influence the distribution of all forms of functionally rare plants in urban ecosystems. We first selected ten functional traits to quantify the functional rarity components of 170 plant species. Second, we assessed the distribution of functional rarity and all forms of functionally rare plants across seven land use types in the megacity of Tokyo. We found that functional rarity is not consistent with conventional rarity at the local and regional scales. Several native species and two non-native species were functionally distinct and not scarce at the local scale. In addition, natural remnants and anthropogenic habitats could protect functionally rare species in urban ecosystems. We thus argue for incorporating functional rarity in the current biodiversity conservation framework and considering natural remnants and anthropogenic habitats in urban functionally rare species conservation.
Despite a growing literature-base devoted to document biodiversity patterns in cities, little is known about the processes that influence these patterns, and whether they are consistent over time. In particular, numerous studies have identified the capacity of cities to host a rich diversity of plant species. This trend, however, is driven primarily by introduced species, which comprise a large proportion of the urban species pool relative to natives. Using an experimental common garden study, we assessed the relative influence of local assembly processes (i.e., soil environmental filtering and competition from spontaneous urban species) on the taxonomic and functional diversity of native plant communities sampled over four seasons in 2016-2018. Taxonomic and functional diversity exhibited different responses to local processes, supporting the general conclusion that species- and trait-based measures of biodiversity offer distinct insights into community assembly dynamics. Additionally, we found that neither soil nor competition from spontaneous urban species influenced taxonomic or functional composition of native species. Functional composition, however, did shift strongly over time and was driven by community-weighted mean differences in both measured traits (maximum height, Hmax; specific leaf area, SLA; leaf chlorophyll a fluorescence, Chl a) and the relative proportions of different functional groups (legumes, annual and biennial-perennial species, C4 grasses, and forbs). By contrast, taxonomic composition only diverged between early and late seasons. Overall, our results indicate that native species are not only capable of establishing and persisting in vacant urban habitats, they can functionally respond to local filtering pressures over time. This suggests that regional dispersal limitation may be a primary factor limiting native species in urban environments. Thus, future regreening and management plans should focus on enhancing the dispersal potential of native plant species in urban environments, in order to achieve set goals for increasing native species diversity and associated ecosystem services in cities.
While the role of urban green space in mitigating environmental hazards and enhancing urban resilience is widely recognised, the current or potential contribution of brownfield land to urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services has been largely overlooked by planning legislation. The perception of brownfield as low value spaces has instead driven a focus on brownfield-first redevelopment, and thus, this dynamic resource is quickly being lost. This research, based on GIS and remote sensing data, develops a novel hierarchical brownfield classification methodology to understand the nature and distribution of brownfield, using k-means clustering of several physical attributes, which can be used for a range of objectives and is widely applicable to post-industrial cities. Application of the methodology to the case study, Greater Manchester, UK, produced a typology of twenty-six brownfield types with distinct characteristics and differing spatial patterns across the city. Land cover analysis reveals that over half (51%) of brownfield land is vegetated (comprising 27% trees and shrubs, 24% grass and herbaceous vegetation), highlighting the significant ‘hidden’ green space present on brownfield. Brownfield sites traditionally perceived as difficult to develop (e.g. those with uneven topography, irregular shapes, or a water body), are particularly highly vegetated. Predominantly pervious types are widely distributed across the conurbation, including in built-up areas, which are a principal target for redevelopment, and thus highly vegetated brownfields are likely being lost undetected. Brownfield land is evidently a valuable dynamic resource in post-industrial cities and redevelopment should be planned at the city-scale to ensure careful strategic selection of sites for redevelopment, greening, or interim use based upon their characteristics and location.
L’objectif de la thèse est d’explorer les actions et les perceptions des acteurs intervenants dans la transformation de ces espaces délaissés, au niveau d’un territoire (sur la base du cas de l’Aire Métropolitaine de Lyon-Saint-Etienne, LySEM), dans le contexte des changements globaux. Il s’agit en particulier de savoir si les acteurs mobilisent la transformation et/ou régénération des friches pour développer des trajectoires socio-économiques et écologiques soutenables, à l’échelle locale ? Et si oui, comment procèdent-ils ?Dans le chapitre 1, nous avons cherché à identifier les parties-prenantes à considérer lors de la mise en œuvre d’initiatives de transformation de friches, quelle qu’elle soit leur nature, et les logiques qui sous-tendent ces projets de transformation, en fonction des contextes et des enjeux au sein des territoires. Nous avons pu montrer dans le chapitre 2, sur la base d’exemples tirés de la littérature, les possibilités qui s’offrent aux acteurs pour redévelopper des friches sous une perspective socio-écologique, en soutenant les capacités adaptatives des systèmes écologiques et les capacités adaptatives des systèmes sociaux. Ainsi, nous avons proposé un cadre heuristique pour analyser la transformation des friches, avec un volet écosystémique, permettant de limiter les approches économico-centrée de ces initiatives.Dans le chapitre 3, nous avons d’abord, exploré la prise en compte des changements climatiques, dans la mise en œuvre de stratégies et d’actions pour l’adaptation et la préservation de la biodiversité. Cette analyse a montré que les acteurs, bien qu’ils soient conscient des impacts des changements climatiques au niveau local, les actions en faveur de l’atténuation et/ou l’adaptation climatique restent subordonnées aux intérêts limités du court-terme, notamment de nature socio-économique et aux approches de planification qui favorisent des réponses isolées, réactives. Nous avons pu constater aussi un fort intérêt pour la transformation des délaissés vers des espaces verts en les promouvant et en les concevant pour leurs avantages esthétiques, d'infrastructure verte et de loisirs, et dans une moindre mesure pour la biodiversité. Dans le chapitre 4, nous nous sommes focalisés sur les acteurs de l’aménagement du territoire intervenants de manière directe ou indirecte dans la transformation des friches, afin d’explorer leurs points de vue (world views) à propos de la mise en œuvre d’un changement qui permet une reconfiguration du système d’aménagement en vue de développer des trajectoires socio-économiques et écologiques soutenables, au niveau du terrain d’étude, LySEM. Nous nous sommes appuyés sur l’approche par la construction de récits de changement (ou narrative of change), pour analyser les dires des acteurs. Cette analyse a montré que les narratives produites remettent en question le modèle capitaliste de développement économique, sans pour autant proposer d’imaginaires alternatifs transformateurs. Les territoires tentent de remobiliser les sites en friches dans des logiques marchandes et répondre à des enjeux de compétitivité, d’optimisation du développement socio-économique, tout en intégrant des objectifs environnementaux comme outil d’aménagement. Dans le chapitre 5, nous avons réalisé une revue de littérature à propos de la transformabilité des systèmes socio-écologiques complexes afin de mettre l’accent sur les risques d’apparition de problèmes pernicieux qui peuvent entraver ces processus de transformations délibérées. La compréhension des processus sous-jacents aux transformations socio-écologiques apporte des éléments pour anticiper la mise en œuvre en identifiant les facteurs conduisant à l'émergence de problèmes pernicieux lors de la conception de transformations socio-écologiques.
This article suggests avenues for improving the Brussels biotope area factor tools in order to take into account during the urbanization of urban wastelands their main characteristics influencing the development of biodiversity and its evolution in space and the duration. The particular context of urban wastelands, a source of covetousness or even conflict that is sometimes difficult to reconcile and which can simultaneously shelter different semi-natural habitats, provides an interesting testing ground for CBS to assess its applicability in urbanization projects. The work is based on both a literature review and applied cases. The article makes it possible to identify potential weighting factors complementary to those assigned in the Brussels CBS tools. They are distinguished into so-called "major" factors essential to the development of the biodiversity of an urban wasteland (soil and water) and into so-called "minor" factors necessary to describe the state and elementary dynamics of the biodiversity of an urban wasteland (area, age, environment, management, land cover). It highlights the relative importance of the combinations of factors capable of simplifying the calculation of the CBS as well as the need to have reference values and spatial units.
Urbanization leads to the biotic homogenization of global avifauna. We hypothesized that urbanization acts as a filter on species traits and, therefore, that urban passerines share biological traits explaining their capacity to tolerate urban constraints. We investigated 18 biological traits of passerines related to their general biology, distribution, breeding, and morphometry. In a regional analysis conducted on passerine data from one Swiss and 11 French cities (regional analysis), we identified urban adapters (tolerant species) and urban avoiders (intolerant species), and compared their traits. In a local analysis conducted on passerine data of 13 woodlands located along a short rural-urban gradient, we identified groups of species associated with particular vegetation structures within or particular landscape structures around woodlands. We associated each of these species groups with a tolerance level to urbanization and compared their traits. Regional analysis revealed that urban adapters prefer forest environments, are sedentary, omnivorous, widely distributed, high-nesters with large wingspans. Urban avoiders seem to allocate more energy to reproduction than do urban adapters, to the detriment of adaptation to new environments such as urban areas. Local analysis did not reveal any link between traits and species tolerance levels. At large spatial scales, urbanization seems therefore to act as a filter on species traits. However, the urban constraints that filter species at such large scales do not seem to be the same ones that determine species distribution at local scales. Analyses of traits are powerful tools to understanding regional community composition between urban and rural areas.
This paper presents the case study of an abandoned urban railyard in Berlin, the Schöneberger Südgelände. Originally a desolate freight railyard, then for over four decades an almost untouched novel urban wilderness, today it is one of the first official conservation areas in Germany in which urban-industrial nature is protected and made accessible to the public.The paper illustrates how different goals of biodiversity conservation and recreation have been united and how the conceptual and design principles have opened up access to the new wilderness.
Spontaneous vegetation colonizes large areas in and around cities. These unmanaged areas are considered to have low economic value or indicate dereliction, but recent research suggests that these can contribute valuable ecosystem services. This study evaluates indicators of ecosystem services in three habitats: urban spontaneous vegetation (USV), managed lawns, and semi-natural urban forest, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. USV had higher indicator values for habitat provisioning (plant species diversity, invertebrate abundance and taxonomic diversity) than the other habitats. Indicators of climatic regulatory services (albedo and leaf area index) in USV were similar to those in lawn habitats. Organic carbon content of the soils, an indicator of carbon storage, was lowest in USV but only marginally lower than in lawns. Standing biomass, an indicator of production services, was lowest in USV but lawn production may have been overestimated. While USV sites are usually transitory components of the urban landscape, they deserve further consideration due to their provision of ecosystem services, in some cases to a greater extent than conventionally valued urban habitats.
We analysed the effect of the urban matrix, the urban space surrounding distinct habitat patches, on bird communities. In doing so we assessed the impact of urbanisation beyond the effect of habitat loss. We used a set of 54 wasteland sites of early successional stages that were scattered over the entire urban area of Berlin, Germany. Sites were similar to each other in habitat structure but differed in their surroundings, the urban matrix. Thus, our study design allows to investigate associations between birds and the urban matrix. Our measures for urbanisation are human population density and degree of sealing within 50 to 2,000 m buffer zones surrounding each wasteland site. Along the urbanisation gradients we calculated three measures of bird communities: alpha diversity, beta diversity, and trait profile of the entire bird community regarding food, life-history, and behavioural traits. Alpha diversity did not change significantly along the gradients of urbanisation. However, beta diversity increased along the urbanisation gradients with urbanisation at the local scale (50 m) but decreased at the landscape scale (200 and 2,000 m). Fourth-corner analysis of relationships between urbanisation and species traits showed trait shifts: adult survival rate increased with human population density and densities of birds that are more often reported to show innovative behaviour increased with both human population density and degree of sealing. We conclude that the influence of the urban matrix contributes to the homogenisation of the avifauna by filtering certain species traits and promoting others.
In this study, we present an indexing scheme to screen large numbers of brownfield sites in wide areas (municipalities, counties, states or other types of districts) in order to develop initial planning strategies for fund allocation and redevelopment. The scheme entails three dimensions, socioeconomic, smart growth and environmental, for each of which an index is constructed on the basis of location-specific variables irrespective of the target end use. Socioeconomic variables include population density, property values and unemployment which collectively represent the potential contribution of brownfield redevelopment to economic growth. The smart growth or livability index was developed on the basis of the LEED ND evaluation scheme of the U.S. Green Building Council, isolating location-specific features. Finally, the environmental index incorporates variables that represent the potential source of contamination (past use), pathway of exposure (soil permeability) and receptors (zoning, proximity to water bodies, parks, critical habitats, open spaces, wetlands and floodplains). The application of the indices to the City of New Haven, Connecticut as a case study yielded four priority sites out of 47 in the city inventory. Even though the indices were sensitive to the chosen weights, prioritization of sites in clusters reduced the effect; the top four sites were identical in the case study and 31 out of 47 sites were present in the same cluster regardless of the weighting scheme.
Habitat dynamics (habitat turnover due to natural perturbations or human activity) are commonplace, particularly in intensively used landscapes. Conservation planning requires an understanding of how spatio-temporal habitat dynamics and species characteristics interact with and relate to species persistence. We conducted a systematic literature review to determine how spatial and temporal properties of habitat networks can be changed to improve species viability in dynamic landscapes. We searched for both generalities that can be interpreted as spatial planning guidelines and gaps in knowledge that limit the application in spatial planning. Seventy studies matched our inclusion criteria. From these studies, we extracted knowledge regarding the role of four spatial and five temporal network properties (e.g. network area and habitat turnover rate) for species viability. We found that improving spatial network properties often effectively counterbalances the negative effects of habitat dynamics. Furthermore, changes in several temporal properties can alleviate the impact on species viability, for example, by reducing clustering in habitat turnover events. From these findings, we formulated a first set of general qualitative guidelines for planning practices. Moreover, we identified gaps between the available and required knowledge for planning ecological networks in dynamic landscapes, thereby leading to a research priority list containing the following recommendations: (1) provide guidance regarding the effective management of network properties; (2) compare alternate management regimes and their cost-effectiveness; (3) study management regimes for a wide range of species and habitat properties. Given the continuing climate change and economic development, guiding network design—including habitat dynamics—is urgently needed.
Information on the urban flora and vegetation in the industrial new cities in Egypt are insufficient and far from complete.
For this reason, this study was undertaken as the first attempt to fill this gap of knowledge. For two successive years (2004
and 2005), a reconnaissance survey was conducted in four new industrial cities: 6th October, El-Sadat, Burg El-Arab and 10th
Ramadan; aiming at: (1) recognizing the floristic composition and vegetation structure of each of the studied cities; (2)
identifying the main urban habitats dominating the studied cities; (3) comparing the vegetation of the urban habitats at the
boundaries of each city, where desert soil merges gradually with the agricultural land, with that at its centre (purely agricultural
land); and (4) analyzing, quantitatively, the vegetation groups (plant communities) that characterize the urban habitats.
A total of 189 permanent stands in the four cities were selected to represent the apparent variation in the different habitats.
These stands were distributed as follows: 49 in 6th October, 37 in El-Sadat, 45 in Burg El-Arab, and 58 in 10th Ramadan. Altogether,
305 species of the vascular plants constituted the main synanthropic flora and the total number of species varied from 171
in Burg El-Arab, 157 in 10th Ramadan, 144 in Sadat and 132 to 6th October. The largest families that formed the main bulk
of the recorded flora were Gramineae, Compositae, Leguminosae, followed by Euphorbiaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cruciferae, Cyperaceae,
Umbelliferae and Solanaceae. Five main urban habitats (from inner city toward outskirts) were distinguished: lawns, home gardens,
public gardens, waste lands and desert outskirts. The most species-rich habitat was the waste lands (172 species), while the
total number of species varied from 104 in the lawns and 113 home gardens, to 123 in the desert and 133 in the public gardens.
Generally, the recorded synanthropic flora within the five main urban habitats can be classified into: (1) cultivated plant
species that included ornamentals, hedges, shade plants, fodder plants, vegetables and fruits; (2) canal banks, salinized
areas and wetland plants; (3) xerophytic plants of the outskirting desert; and (4) weeds of arable lands. Application of multivariate
analyses techniques to 4 floristic data matrices yielded 22 TWINSPAN vegetation groups in the cities, and 26 in the five habitats,
clearly separated along the first two axes of DCA.
Cities are hotspots for plant invasions and woody plants that have escaped from cultivation contribute significantly to this phenomenon. Yet whether the richness of alien species in the floras of woody plants in urban areas also corresponds to a prevalence of alien species at the habitat and population levels is an open question. To explore the scale and context dependence of invasions by woody plants of urban environments, we analysed the occurrence of alien and native species of trees, shrubs and vines at the city, habitat and community scales in Berlin, Germany. The percentage of alien species in the flora of spontaneously occurringwoody plants increased from 16% at the end of the 18th century to 67% two hundred years later. Of the 181 species of alien woody plants in Berlin’s flora 32% have become naturalized. Species from other parts of Europe, the Mediterranean and western Asia escaped and became naturalized more frequently than species from other areas. Escape from cultivation did not increase the share of evergreens in the total flora of woody plants. All habitats other than wetlands had more alien than native species, and the percentage of alien species was significantly higher in green spaces, wastelands and residential areas than in forests and wetlands. However, native species were more frequent at the habitat scale. Overall, the trees most likely to be found in all habitats were native Acer platanoides, Betula pendula, Quercus robur and alien Robinia pseudoacacia, Acer negundo and Prunus serotina, and the most frequent shrubs the native Sambucus nigra and alien Mahonia aquifolium. At the community scale, counts of the numbers of individual trees in two selected study areas revealed that native species prevailed in residential areas and alien species in urban wasteland. The results demonstrate that invasion success of alien woody species in urban environments is strongly scale- and context-dependent. The clear dominance of alien species in the total urban species pool was not similar at both the habitat and community scales, particularly when the frequency of species is considered. In conclusion, assemblages ofwoody species in urban areas are not only characterized by high numbers of aliens but also by an increase in the abundance of native species such as the formerly rare Acer platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus, which nowprevail due to enhanced propagule pressure and the eutrophication of urban ecosystems.
Due to economic decline and the recent rise in home foreclosure, many U.S. cities are faced with managing large acreages of vacant land. Interest in local food production on this land has the potential to dramatically reshape the composition of greenspace found within urban landscapes. This study examined how the conversion of vacant land to urban gardens and farms influenced arthropod generalist predator populations and their ability to support biocontrol services. We found that the abundance of Coccinellidae and Syrphidae, and the activity density of Carabidae, Formicidae, and Lycosidae were equivalent among vacant lot and urban garden sites. Dolichopodidae abundance and the activity density of Linyphiidae and Opiliones were reduced in urban gardens whereas Anthocoridae abundance and the activity density of Staphylinidae were greater within urban gardens relative to vacant lots. The biocontrol service supplied by generalist predators was measured using sentinel eggs (Helicoverpa zea (Noctuiidae)) and pupae (Sarcophaga bullata (Sarcophagidae) and Musca domestica (Muscidae)). We found no difference in the biocontrol of H. zea eggs or M. domestica pupae among the focal greenspaces. We found no difference in the removal of S. bullata pupae by predators in June 2010, whereas in August 2010 a greater proportion of pupae were removed in urban garden sites relative to vacant lots. Based on these findings, we discuss the potential of the urban landscape to support generalist predators and sustainable urban gardening and farming.
Questions: Which plant traits characterize successful and failed target species in urban grassland restoration? Do traits of successful target species differ from those of resident species? How do plant traits relate to environmental constraints?
Location: In-situ experimental sites on wastelands in shrinking residential areas in Berlin, Germany.
Methods: We established grassland restoration treatments and explored plant traits of successful and failed target species (plant height, specific leaf area, seed mass, seed shape, seed longevity index, CSR strategy type, plant life form). To shed light on mechanisms that shape restoration success, we also analysed the same traits of species originating from the soil seed bank and species immigrating from the surroundings. We compared both trait sets to those of resident species. With RLQ analyses we related the trait data to abundance data of species and to variables describing the environmental setting of the sites.
Results: In the third year after treatment, several plant traits differed between the successful or failed target species and the resident vegetation, e.g. successful target species tended to be as tall as resident species, whereas failed target species were smaller, suggesting insufficient competitive ability of the latter. Species that successfully recruited from the soil seed bank were taller than resident species. Small specific leaf area was important for the establishment success of target species. Trait composition of the species assemblage clearly related to the environmental setting: mean specific leaf area and the proportion of annuals increased and the proportion of C-strategists decreased with increasing human-mediated impacts on the restoration sites.
Conclusions: Our results reveal clear trait differences between successful and failed target species in grassland restoration on urban wasteland sites, demonstrating that high competitive ability is crucial for success in target species. Grassland species that are successfully integrated into urban wasteland vegetation may thus fill well-defined vacant niches, while resembling the traits of the resident species in other ways. Our results may allow generalizations and transfer to similar urban settings, as the analysed trait states were assessed as relative values compared to resident species.
We examined the biodiversity of urban habitats in Birmingham (England) using a combination of field surveys of plants and carabid beetles, genetic studies of four species of butterflies, modelling the anthropochorous nature of the floral communities and spatially explicit modelling of selected mammal species. The aim of the project was to: (i) understand the ecological characteristics of the biota of cities model, (ii) examine the effects of habitat fragment size and connectivity upon the ecological diversity and individual species distributions, (iii) predict biodiversity in cities, and (iv) analyse the extent to which the flora and fauna utilise the,urban greenways' both as wildlife corridors and as habitats in their own right. The results suggest that cities provide habitats for rich and diverse range of plants and animals, which occur sometimes in unlikely recombinant communities. The studies on carabids and butterflies illustrated the relative importance of habitat quality on individual sites as opposed to site location within the conurbation. This suggests that dispersal for most of our urban species is not a limiting factor in population persistence, although elements of the woodland carabid fauna did appear to have some geographical structuring. Theoretical models suggested that dormice and water voles may depend on linear habitats for dispersal. The models also indicated that other groups, such as small and medium sized mammals, may use corridors, although field-based research did not provide any evidence to suggest that plants or invertebrates use urban greenways for dispersal. This finding indicates the importance of identifying a target species or group of species for urban greenways intended as dispersal routeways rather than as habitat in their own right. Their importance for most groups is rather that greenways provide a chain of different habitats permeating the urban environment. We suggest that planners can have a positive impact on urban biodiversity by slowing the pace of redevelopment and by not hurrying to tidy up and redevelop brownfield sites. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Brownfield sites are thought to support a minimum of 12–15% of Britain’s nationally scarce and rare invertebrates. The amount of derelict land in Britain is set to decrease dramatically under current home-building and
regeneration policies. There is therefore a pressing need for research into the potential importance of brownfield sites for invertebrates. In this study we sampled the carabid fauna of 26 sites, with ages varying between 2–20 years since their formation, to assess whether vegetation succession was an important determinant of invertebrate
diversity the West Midlands of England. The work was carried out over the course of one growing season (in 1999), with concurrent surveys of the soil characteristics, vegetation type and land-use history. 63 carabid species were found including 2 nationally scarce species. The most species rich assemblages are found on early successional sites, which persist for 6 years on graded sites and up to 20 years on compacted substrates.
Landscape connectivity is a key process for the functioning and persistence of spatially-structured populations in fragmented landscapes. Butterflies are particularly sensitive to landscape change and are excellent model organisms to study landscape connectivity. Here, we infer functional connectivity from the assessment of the selection of different landscape elements in a highly fragmented landscape in the Iˆle-de-France region (France). Firstly we measured the butterfly preferences of the Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae) in different landscape elements using individual release experiments. Secondly, we used an inter-patch movement model based on butterfly choices to build the selection map of the landscape elements to moving butterflies. From this map,
functional connectivity network of P. brassicae was modelled using landscape graph-based approach. In our study area, we identified nine components/groups of connected habitat patches, eight of them located in urbanized areas, whereas the last one covered the more rural areas. Eventually, we provided elements to validate the predictions of our model with independent experiments of mass release-recapture of butterflies. Our study shows (1) the efficiency of our inter-patch movement model based on species preferences in predicting complex ecological processes such as dispersal and (2) how interpatch movement model results coupled to landscape graph can assess landscape functional connectivity at large spatial scales.
Similarity in species composition among different areas plays an essential task in biodiversity management and conservation since it allows the identification of those environmental gradients that functionally operate in determining variation in species composition across spatial scale. The decay of compositional similarity with increasing spatial or environmental distance derives from: 1) the presence of spatial constraints which create a physical separation among habitats, or 2) the decrease in environmental similarity with increasing distance. Even if the distance decay of compositional similarity represents a well known pattern characterising all types of biological communities, few attempts were made to examine this pattern at small spatial scales with respect to both grain and extent. Aim of this work was to test whether the distance decay of similarity 1) can be observed at a local scale in situations where environmental conditions are relatively homogeneous and ecological barriers are absent, and 2) is dependent on the grain size at which plant community data are recorded. We selected two urban brownfields located at Bremen university campus, Germany, of 40 m x 20 m each, systematically divided in nested plots with an increasing spatial scale of 0.25 m(2), 1 m(2), 4 m(2) and 16 m(2). Both plant species composition and soil variables were recorded in each cell. Linear and logarithmic least squares regression models were applied in order to examine the decay of similarity due to spatial distance (calculated as the Euclidean distance among pairs of plots) and environmental distance (calculated as the Euclidean distance among PCA-transformed soil variables). A general lack of distance decay was observed, irrespective of the type of distance (spatial or environmental) or the grain size. We argue that this is probably due to a random variation both of the important environmental parameters and of the local distribution patterns of individual species, the latter mainly caused by the high dispersal abilities of the majority of species occurring in the brownfields.
Invasive plants are recognised as a major threat to biodiversity. Although they are well-established in natural areas, the supposed negative impacts of invasive plants upon communities and ecosystems have so far been poorly investigated in urban areas, where invasions are a main issue for ecologists and for urban planners and managers. We propose to assess the effects of an invasive species along an invasion gradient in a typical urban habitat. We focused on the Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica Houtt.), a widespread invasive species in Europe and North America. We considered eight urban wastelands invaded by this species in the heart of the Greater Paris Area, France. On each site, we ran four transects from the centre of the Japanese knotweed patch towards the uninvaded peripheral vegetation. We recorded the flora using the line intercept method, and several soil parameters (thickness of A horizon, abundance of arthworm casts, topsoil Munsell value, pH) every metre along each transect. The A horizon was thicker and the topsoil darker under R. japonica canopy. Thus, this invasive plant species seemed to influence soil organic matter pool. However, our results also steadily showed that R. japonica locally excluded and/or everely reduced the cover of many plant species through competition. Our study clarified the local effects of R. japonica: an influence on the soil organic matter, and a severe negative impact on wasteland plant communities. We suggest implications in both conservation and restoration ecology.
In the past two centuries, urban growth has increased at a rapid pace, mainly driven by the demographic impact of industrialization. Besides urban growth, as this article argues, effects of industrialization have likewise intensified urban shrinkage. Cities of the industrial age have experienced unprecedented economic crises followed by waves of out-migration; they have suffered from violent destruction, made possible by the mechanization of war; they have been drained by suburbanization driven by an industrialized building sector and increasing private car ownership; and they have undergone processes of deindustrialization followed by losses of workplaces and population. This article outlines the historic development of urban shrinkage in the twentieth century, with a particular focus on the aged industrial countries. Based on an extensive evaluation of historic population data, the article provides an overview of the most relevant causes of shrinking cities, and offers an outlook on future demographic trends.
Landscape connectivity, defined as the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement among resource patches, has been consid-ered to be a key issue for biodiversity conservation. However, the use of landscape connectivity measure-ments has been strongly criticised due to uncertainties in the methods used and the lack of validation. Moreover, measurements are typically restricted to the population level, whereas management is generally carried out at the community level. Here, we used satellite imagery and network metrics to predict the landscape connectivity at community level for semi-natural herbaceous patches in an urban area near Paris (France). We tested different measurement methods, both taking into account and ignoring the spatial heterogeneity of matrix resistance estimated by the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and quantifying the link strength between patches with the shortest path and flow metrics. We assessed the fit of these connectivity predictions with empirical data on plant communities embedded in an urban matrix. Our results indicate that the best fit with the empirical data is obtained when the connectivity is estimated with the flow metric and takes into account the matrix heter-ogeneity. Overall, our study helps to estimate the landscape connectivity of urban areas and makes recommendations for ways in which we might opti-mise landscape planning with respect to conservation of urban biodiversity.
As urban green spaces are important for residential satisfaction, human preferences are a key criterion in their design. However, preferences may vary between landscape planners and residents, which may result in differences between residents’ demands and the actual design. With urban derelict land becoming an important part of the urban green infrastructure, information about the perception and acceptance by residents compared to formal urban parks is important for their planning and design. It was thus examined how different types of urban green spaces are perceived by landscape planners and residents. Criteria for the classification of green spaces used by both participant groups were compared, as were the criteria that influenced preference.
Participants sorted and rated photographs of parks and urban derelict land in two different tasks. Hierarchical cluster analyses and multidimensional scaling analyses were used to characterize the participants’ perceptual space. By conducting multiple regression analyses the resulting perceptual dimensions were related to preference.
The identified perceptual criteria used to distinguish green spaces were degree of canopy closure, artificiality vs. naturalness, prospect, physical accessibility, and beauty. For residents, the degree of canopy closure was the most important criterion for classification; for landscape planners, it was artificiality. Preferences varied between groups: whereas landscape planners preferred rather natural areas with low accessibility and high species richness, the residents showed a greater preference for formal parks.
As a practical implication, the study suggests that residents generally accept urban derelict land as recreational areas if a minimum of maintenance and accessibility is provided. When designing green spaces, landscape planners may consider these differences in their preferences compared to residents.
Despite evidence that pet cats prey on urban wildlife and may transmit disease, there is uncertainty over whether they cause declines in wildlife populations. The uncertainty fosters disagreement about whether and how pet cats should be managed, and hampers the implementation of regulations. We suggest that the precautionary principle could be used in this context. The principle mandates action to protect the environment when there is a scientifically plausible but unproven risk, and provides a rationale for immediate intervention to protect wildlife from pet cats while we await definitive studies. In applying a 4-step guide for implementing the precautionary principle, we argue that: (i) current data documenting wildlife mortality caused by pet cats satisfy the precautionary trigger of scientifically plausible risk; (ii) the risk of significant declines or local extinctions of threatened wildlife, coupled with uncertainty in establishing population declines in response to pet cats, argue for strong levels of precaution; (iii) precautionary measures that should be considered include, but are not limited to, restrictions on the maximum number of cats allowed/household, mandatory sterilisation and registration of pet cats, curfews, requiring pet cats roaming outdoors to wear collar-mounted predation-deterrents or compulsory confinement of cats to their owners' premises; and (iv) the principle's requirement for extensive consultation in implementing precautionary measures should encourage collaborations involving conservation biologists, veterinarians, animal welfare activists, concerned citizens and municipal officers. Adherence to these steps should assist in choosing actions that have broad support and are applicable to unique local circumstances.
Although urban and suburban soils are used for many purposes, some of them relevant to agricultural and forest sciences, that these intensively managed and disturbed soils have not been extensively investigated up to now is suggested by the white areas representing most urban zones on soil survey maps. Because urban soils are often developed on composite materials derived from previous uses and exogenous sources, spatial heterogeneity is a typical feature. Their evolution is controlled almost exclusively by humans, who impose very rapid transformation cycles compared with those occurring in less disturbed areas. However, there is a continuum from the natural soils to the extensively disturbed soils, and their basic functions are essentially the same. As a result of their origin and uses, urban soils may contain pollutants, the location, characteristics, and potential evolution of which must be established clearly to ensure safe land uses. These soils can be investigated with the traditional soil survey approach when the techniques are adapted properly to the urban context. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to ensure that urban soils are well understood in order to ensure their optimum use.
Urbanization induces changes in species abundance and richness that are beginning to be extensively described. However, the functional structure of urban communities still requires attention to provide a basis for a more accurate understanding of urban ecosystems’ functioning. This study has been performed in order to assess functional changes in ecological communities related to changes of urban landscape features along an urbanization gradient. Species abundance and richness of birds and butterflies in the city parks of Marseille (south-east France) have been used to assess these changes. On the basis of easily accessible traits (reproduction parameters, size, feeding habits), we have examined whether different contexts of urbanization favour some strategies more than others. Some differences occur between butterflies and birds in terms of species abundance and richness through the urbanization gradient, showing that at least some species of birds manage to colonize city centre and/or exploit urban resources better than butterflies. But our results also clearly reveal general patterns in biological traits for both birds and butterflies that further reflect the gradient of urban features from outskirts to city centre. Species associated with the city centre tolerate a wide range of conditions whereas species associated with city outskirts have more specialized abilities. Urbanization acts as an environmental filter for bird and butterfly communities selecting species able to colonize and settle in the city centre on the basis of their biological traits. In our context, environmental filters induce a biotic homogenization with urbanization through loss of species (taxonomic homogenization) and over-representation of generalist species (functional homogenization). This homogenization reflects an underlying process of disruption of biotic interactions for butterflies and birds. This study has enabled us to identify a combination of biological traits sensitive to urban features that may represent useful indicators for both theoretical and applied purposes in order to understand the impact of urbanization on animal communities.
Many studies have described the effects of urbanization on species richness. These studies indicate that urbanization can
increase or decrease species richness, depending on several variables. Some of these variables include: taxonomic group, spatial
scale of analysis, and intensity of urbanization. Recent reviews of birds (the most-studied group) indicate that species richness
decreases with increasing urbanization in most cases but produces no change or even increases richness in some studies. Here
I expand beyond the bird studies by reviewing 105 studies on the effects of urbanization on the species richness of non-avian
species: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and plants. For all groups, species richness tends to be reduced in
areas with extreme urbanization (i.e., central urban core areas). However, the effects of moderate levels of urbanization
(i.e., suburban areas) vary significantly among groups. Most of the plant studies (about 65%) indicate increasing species
richness with moderate urbanization whereas only a minority of invertebrate studies (about 30%) and a very small minority
of non-avian vertebrate studies (about 12%) show increasing species richness. Possible explanations for these results are
discussed, including the importance of nonnative species importation, spatial heterogeneity, intermediate disturbance and
scale as major factors influencing species richness.
The importance of the spatial as well as the temporal structure of habitat patches for urban biodiversity has been recognised,
but rarely quantified. In dynamic environments the rate of habitat destruction and recreation (i.e. the landscape turnover
rate), the minimum amount of potential habitat, its spatial configuration as well as the environmental conditions determining
habitat quality are crucial factors for species occurrence. We analysed species responses to environmental parameters and
to the spatio-temporal configuration of urban brownfield habitats in a multi-species approach (37 plant and 43 insect species).
Species presence/absence data and soil parameters, site age, vegetation structure and landscape context were recorded by random
stratified sampling at 133 study plots in industrial areas in the city of Bremen (Germany). Based on the field data, we predicted
species occurrences by species distribution models using a multi-model inference approach. Predicted species communities were
driven by successional age both at the scale of a single building lot and at the landscape scale. Minimum average succession
time of brownfield habitats required to support all and especially regionally rare species depended on the proportion of available
open space; the larger the potential habitat area the faster the acceptable turnover. Most plant, grasshopper, and leafhopper
species modelled could be maintained at an intermediate turnover rate (mean age of 10–15years) and a proportion of open sites
of at least 40%. Our modelling approach provides the opportunity of inferring optimal spatio-temporal landscape configurations
for urban conservation management from patch scale species-environment relationships. The results indicate that urban planning
should incorporate land use dynamics into the management of urban biodiversity.
In urban brownfields (derelict sites), we studied the influence of local factors (successional age, vegetation structure, soil) and landscape context (spatial arrangement of brownfields of different successional stages) on the diversity of phytophagous insects, grasshoppers and leafhoppers (Orthoptera and Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha). The study was conducted on a total of 246 plots in the cities of Bremen and Berlin, Germany. We used a habitat modelling approach, enabling us to predict the community from single species models (30 species in Bremen, 28 in Berlin). The results revealed that communities were predominantly determined by vegetation structure, followed by landscape context, soil parameters and site age. For most species, local factors were the most important. Only few species were strongly influenced by landscape context, even though some showed clear negative reactions to low proportions of brownfields in the surroundings. Along a successional gradient of vegetation structure, from scarce and low to dense and high vegetation, the insect community was not static. Even though species numbers remained comparatively constant, species composition changed considerably. Many species showed clear preferences for certain successional stages. Thus, maintaining the regional species pool of a city requires a mosaic of all successional stages.
QuestionsHow do different substrate types and soil nutrient levels influence species composition and successional sequences, as represented by different life‐history traits? Is the rate of succession increasing or decreasing along a gradient from low to high fertility? LocationEcological field station Dahlem, Berlin, Germany. Methods
An 18‐yr permanent plot study of succession on soils of differing fertility. The original substrates were a nutrient‐poor sandy soil from a sandpit, ruderal subsoil of moderate fertility and nutrient‐rich topsoil. ResultsIn plots with sand, monocarpic perennials were dominant at the beginning, which were then replaced by perennial grasses, those being then replaced by woody perennials. On ruderal soil, monocarpic perennials were co‐dominant with perennial herbs at first, then were replaced by perennial herbs, which were then also replaced by woody plants. Dominance of woody species was attained after about 10 yr, both on sand and on ruderal soil. In plots with topsoil, there was a short phase at the start where monocarpic perennials were co‐dominant with perennial herbs, followed by a relatively long period of perennial herb dominance. There were about twice as many woody species growing on the substrates of low and intermediate fertility compared to the nutrient‐rich soil. If we compare the time necessary for woody species to reach 10% and 50% cover, woody colonization was much slower on the resource‐rich site. DCA ordination revealed a clear separation of samples along the nutrient gradient. It also showed slower community change with increasing soil fertility. Conclusions
This study demonstrates that woodlands can be created on bare ground in a temperate climate through natural colonization in a relatively short time, if substrates are not too nutrient‐rich. The assumption that the rate of succession increases with increasing productivity could not be confirmed. Succession towards woodland can be rapid on soils of low and intermediate fertility. In contrast, a nutrient‐rich substrate favours perennial herbaceous vegetation, which inhibits woody colonization and arrests succession.
Questions: How can floristic diversity be evaluated in conser‐vation plans to identify sites of highest interest for biodiversity? What are the mechanisms influencing the distribution of species in human‐dominated environments? What are the best criteria to identify sites where active urban management is most likely to enhance floristic diversity?
Location: The Hauts‐de‐Seine district bordering Paris, France.
Methods: We described the floristic diversity in one of the most urbanized French districts through the inventory of ca. 1000 sites located in 23 habitats. We built a new index of floristic interest (IFI), integrating information on richness, indigeneity, typicality and rarity of species, to identify sites and habitats of highest interest for conservation. Finally, we explored the relationship between site IFI and land use patterns (LUP).
Results: We observed a total of 626 vascular plant species. Habitats with highest IFI were typically situated in seminatural environments or environments with moderate human impact. We also showed that neighbouring (urban) structures had a significant influence on the floristic interest of sites: for example, the presence of collective dwellings around a site had a strong negative impact on IFI.
Conclusions: Our approach can be used to optimize management in urban zones; we illustrate such possibilities by defining a ‘Site Potential Value’, which was then compared with the observed IFI, to identify areas (e.g. river banks) where better management could improve the district's biodiversity.
Large trees are considered keystone structures in agricultural and forestry production landscapes, but research demonstrating this in urban landscapes is urgently needed. If large trees are keystone structures in urban parks, it is imperative that this is recognized in policy to ensure their ongoing existence. We studied the role of large native trees for birds in urban parks in Canberra, Australia. We found that (1) large trees had a consistent, strong, and positive relationship with five measures of bird diversity, and (2) as trees became larger in size, their positive effect on bird diversity increased. Large urban trees are therefore keystone structures that provide crucial habitat resources for wildlife. Hence, it is vital that they are managed appropriately. With evidence-based tree preservation policies that recognize biodiversity values, and proactive planning for future large trees, the protection and perpetuation of these important keystone structures can be achieved.
Aim Urbanization is a major driver of global land‐use change, substantially modifying patterns of biodiversity. Managing these impacts has become a conservation priority. The creation and maintenance of greenways, such as river corridors, is frequently promoted as a strategy for mitigating habitat fragmentation in urban areas by bringing semi‐natural habitat cover into city centres. However, there is little evidence to support this assertion. Here, we examine whether riparian zones maintain semi‐natural habitat cover in urban areas and how species richness varies along such zones.
Location Sheffield, Northern England.
Methods Multiple taxonomic groups (birds, butterflies, plants) were surveyed at 105 sites spanning seven riparian corridors that transect the study system. For all groups, we model the relationships between species richness and environmental variables pertinent to an urban system. To test whether riparian zones can act to maintain semi‐natural habitats within a city, we modelled the proportion of semi‐natural land cover within 250 m grid squares that do, and do not, contain a river.
Results Species richness varied markedly in relation to distance from the urban core. Trends differed both between taxonomic groups and between rivers, reflecting the complex patterns of environmental variation associated with cities. This suggests that biodiversity surveys that focus on a single group or transect cannot reliably be used as surrogates even within the same city. Nonetheless, there were common environmental predictors of species richness. Plant, avian and butterfly richness all responded positively to Habitat Diversity and the latter two declined with increases in sealed surface.
Main conclusions Multiple transects and taxonomic groups are required to describe species richness responses to urbanization as no single pattern is evident. Although riparian zones are an important component of the mosaic of urban habitats, we find that river corridors do not disproportionately support tree and Natural Surface Cover when compared to non‐riverine urban areas.
Urban derelict space can form a valuable complementary element to the formal green spaces of a city: wastelands are often biologically diverse and their unregulated status can provoke innovative spatial activities by a wide range of users. Using the case of an urban brownfield in Tallinn, Estonia, this paper examines how such a space is used and evaluates the magnitude of the impact of minor design interventions – so-called urban acupuncture – on the activities carried out by the users. The study used field observations and behaviour mapping to compare the spatial pattern of the users before and after small design interventions. Although there was widespread use beforehand there was both an increase in use and a different pattern afterwards, which was clearly detectable from the composite behaviour maps of both arrangements, where users follow the properties of the particular environment. The small improvements tested showed the largest effect on the female and the older user groups, raising the number of overall visits and increasing the occurrence of active behaviour almost five times. The research demonstrates that small, inexpensive and possibly temporary interventions can have a major positive effect.
In Central Europe as in most other temperate regions of the world, Buddleja davidii has become a very successful invader. A thorough observation, documentation and analysis of the spread of invasive species is the precondition for the understanding of invasion processes. Therefore, I documented the occurrence of the species along a west–east transect as well as an altitudinal transect, and I tried to reconstruct the spread of the species in the course of the last decades along railroad areas, which have proved to be the most favorized habitats for colonization of Buddleja. Additionally, a literature review is given on its general spread and distribution in Germany. Based on the investigation of 52 stations, the results show that the species, in Germany, has its optimum in the Rhein-Ruhr- and the Rhein-Main-area, that its abundance significantly decreases from west to east and with increasing altitude. A literature review combined with own investigations shows, that it was very successful in Germany on ruins of World War II but decreased and sometimes totally disappeared in cities of East Germany and of the altitudinal higher regions of Germany, i.e. also in many towns of South Germany. In West Germany, the recent spread started about three decades ago and is still in process. As cold winters seem to be the limiting factor for the spread of Buddleja, even an accelerated spread of this species and perhaps a loss of its ruderal character can be expected, considering the progress of climate change.
Urban processes lead to species loss. Palmas is a young city under construction; thus, it provides a rare opportunity to analyze changes in bird richness in a developing city. Eighty city blocks, which were classified into five different categories according to different levels of urbanization, were sampled. Bird counting took place during a dry season and a rainy season in four parallel transects in each block. In these blocks, we estimated 20 variables related to woody vegetation, land cover and type of urban use. The estimated bird species richness for the study area was very high (151 species); nevertheless, species reduction occurred as a function of the urbanization processes. Although representing only 11% of the city surface, the not-urbanized blocks showed the highest species richness, which corresponded to 96.3% of the richness estimated in the city. The average species richness for most trophic groups, families, open-field or forest species and resident or migratory species decreased significantly in urbanized blocks. According to a Hierarchical Partitioning analysis the environmental variables that made the greatest positive contribution to the variation in bird species richness in urbanized blocks were the percentage of block area planned for residential use, the density of native trees and the percentage area covered by unpaved roads, whereas the commercial block density, the density of exotic trees and the percentage of block area built had the greatest negative contribution. Based on our results, policies aimed to maintain Cerrado native species in urbanized blocks would contribute to reduce bird species loss.
Humans are rapidly reducing and isolating the habitats of native species such as the wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) through urbanisation and agricultural intensification. The wheatear, a small songbird, has declined dramatically throughout Europe. It is known to live in alpine meadows, in tundra, and rural landscapes as well as in urban areas, but it is unknown if these urban populations reproduce sufficiently. This study aimed to investigate reproductive success and habitat requirements of the wheatear in the city of Berlin, Germany. We analysed occurrence and breeding success in relation to vegetation and surface structure of the settled sites, intensity of direct disturbance by humans and dogs, as well as degree of sealing and residential population density in the surrounding urban matrix. Finally, we compared early-settled to late-settled territories to appraise habitat preferences of wheatears.The proportion of successful nests was high (73%) compared to other regions and habitats. Area size of a site greatly affected the probability of wheatear occurrence; it was much higher on sites larger than five hectare. Factors affecting breeding success differed completely from those explaining variation in occurrence, indicating that breeding success seems not to be related to habitat preferences. There was no influence of the urban matrix at a landscape level (200 m and 2000 m zone) on occurrence or breeding success. To maintain and create habitat for endangered open-land species as the wheatear, we recommend minimum area size of five hectare, sparse vegetation, open soils, short grass, and very few trees and shrubs.
Bird species of cultivated landscapes have been declining dramatically for decades. The main cause for this decline is intensified agricultural practice. At the same time, worldwide urbanisation increases and has severe impacts on land use. Urban wastelands, i.e., unused land within urban agglomerations, are known to provide habitat for endangered animals, but to date systematic research on birds is rare. We aim at assessing environmental characteristics of urban wastelands that meet the requirements of rare and declining bird species.
Urban shrinkage affects many cities across the world, especially former industrial areas. One of the most dramatic areas of population decline has been in eastern Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1999, the City of Leipzig started a program to revitalize its declining neighborhoods. Taking over the development of private brownfields and waiving property taxes in return for a promise of regular maintenance in a program called interim use, the city has vastly increased public greenspace in these neighborhoods. Despite regional acclaim and imitation, the strategy has thus far lacked a comprehensive evaluation: How successful has the interim use strategy been? This study approaches that question in the context of the city's sustainability goals and public use and perception of the sites, thereby providing insights for planners into the efficacy of this planning tool for neighborhood revitalization. Our sustainability assessment of the interim use sites uses a triangular integrated evaluation method combining indicator-integrated surveys and questionnaires with expert interviews. The results show that interim use sites scored higher overall than their closest counterparts, recently demolished brownfields. They also have a much greater usage rate. However, most people using the sites do not recognize the sites as being a result of city intervention, and many complain about the lack of site maintenance and benches. We conclude that public acceptance and support for interim use can be strengthened with more seating, punitive measures for property owners and increased communication about the strategy and its potential as a planning tool.
Modern urban development provides an excellent laboratory for examining the interplay among socioecological relationships. We analyzed how the rapidly urbanizing Phoenix, Arizona metropolis has affected plant species diversity and community composition at a regional scale. Species diversity and plant density probably result from abiotic sorting in undeveloped desert sites, but not in urban sites. We found that species richness at the plot scale was higher for desert as opposed to urban sites; however, the estimated total species pool in the urban ecosystem is higher than that in the desert, as a result of the increased importation of introduced species through the nursery trade. Ordination of plant communities suggests three unique groupings of species based on land-use type of the site (desert, urban, and agriculture) and two unique groupings of urban sites based on landscaping aesthetics (mesic or xeric). We therefore recognize both bottom-up and top-down controls of plant biodiversity within the urban ecosystem.
Urban habitats, particularly wastelands and brownfields, maintain rich biodiversity and offer habitat for many species, even rare and endangered taxa. However, such habitats are also under socio-economic pressures due to redevelopment for housing and industrial uses. In order to maintain urban biodiversity, it is currently unknown how much open area must be preserved and whether conservation is possible without complete exclusion from economic development. In this study, we applied a simulation model based on species distribution models for plants, grasshoppers, and leafhoppers to investigate planning options for urban conservation with special focus on business areas. Altogether, we modelled the occurrence of 81 species of the urban species pool and analysed settings of different proportions of open sites, different habitat turnover times, and different lot sizes. Our simulations demonstrated that dynamic land use supports urban biodiversity in terms of species richness and rarity. Setting aside brownfields before redevelopment for a period of on average 15years supported the highest conservation value. Consequently, we recommend integrating the concept of ‘temporary conservation’ into urban planning for industrial and business areas. This concept requires habitat to be destroyed by redeveloping brownfield sites to built-up sites, but simultaneously creating new open spaces due to abandonment of urban land uses at other locations. This maintains a spatio-temporal mosaic of different successional stages ranging from pioneer to pre-forest communities.
Effective conservation planning requires information from well-designed studies across a spectrum of land uses, ranging from wildlands to highly modified production landscapes and large cities. There is cur- rently a lack of such information about human settlement, even though this is a major source of land-use change with serious implications for biodiversity. Fewer than 6% of the papers in recent volumes of Conserva- tion Biology described work conducted in urban, suburban, or exurban areas or studies in which human set- tlement was considered explicitly. For a variety of reasons, conservation has tended to focus on lands with a relatively small human presence, often dominated by resource extraction and agriculture. Urbanization is occurring in numerous biodiversity hotspots worldwide, however, and has been identified as a primary cause of declines in many threatened and endangered species. Suburban and exurban growth are affecting biodiversity in many places once thought of as too remote to attract such levels of development. Conservation biologists must address the issue of human settlement to enhance the habitat value of unreserved lands for native species, to increase landscape connectivity between reserves, and to mitigate adverse influences on re- serves from adjacent lands. Conservation and restoration of native habitats in densely settled areas also have social and educational value. We therefore suggest a more balanced approach in conservation biology to ad- dressing the effects of human land use through increased attention to areas where people live and work.
Urbanisation is an important driver of biodiversity loss, also contributing to habitat loss and fragmentation of grasslands at the urban-rural interface. While urban green spaces are known to include many grassland habitats, it is uncertain to what extent urban land use types harbour grasslands of special conservation interest and whether patch characteristics and connectivity of these differ from grasslands on agricultural land. By relating the city-wide biotope mapping to the land use mapping of Berlin, Germany, we assessed (1) to which specific urban land use types the major grassland biotope types belong, (2) differences in patch characteristics and connectivity, and (3) the conservation value of grassland patches at a typological level by means of their legal protection status. Grasslands cover 5% of Berlin's surface, and 43% of that area is assigned to legally protected grassland types. The majority of legally protected grassland (71%) lies on urban land opposed to 29% on agricultural land. Airports and historic parks, which only cover 2% of land in Berlin, contain one-third of all protected dry grasslands. Wet grassland is more confined to agricultural land. In airports and agricultural areas, grassland patches are larger but of a more complex shape than those in historic parks. In airports, grassland patches show greater connectivity as they are situated in grassland-dominated surroundings. Grassland in historic parks appears to be more vulnerable due to smaller patch sizes and higher fragmentation. The example of Berlin demonstrates that the urban green infrastructure can clearly contribute to grassland conservation and may thus partially compensate for the decline of traditional grasslands in cultural landscapes. It will be important to involve residents and landowners in urban grassland conservation and management because most grassland of special conservation interest (57%) was found outside of conservation areas.
Industrial and traffic areas are particularly characteristic of the urban environment. Due to frequent soil transport and vegetation disturbance, soil seed banks and seed production play an essential role for vegetation establishment in these sites. Since researchers have scarcely focussed on these traits, it was analysed in three railway and loading areas in Munich. Seed numbers in soil ranged from 1300m−2 on ruderalized calcareous grassland at Virginia Depot to 2800m−2 on the rail track beds in Steinhausen and 7600m−2 on ballast and calcareous gravel at Gleislager Neuaubing. The corresponding annual seed production was 17 000, 50 600 and 49 400 seeds m−2, respectively. The seed bank of all three sites was dominated by biennial and perennial ruderals, and species naturally growing on rocky or sandy habitats. Grassland species and woody plants frequently grew in the established vegetation but scarcely occurred in the soil samples. The abundance of invasive alien species in the seed bank significantly exceeded their share in the vegetation. The seed banks also harboured endangered plants. Differences between the seed bank and the established vegetation reflect ongoing succession. While the seed bank was mainly composed of persistent seeds of early-successional plants, the established vegetation was dominated by long-lived species with transient seeds that increasingly suppress regeneration of the short-lived species. These results imply that recurring soil disturbance could re-activate the seed bank of both alien and endangered plants. Consequences for vegetation management and nature conservation are discussed.
In many areas of the world, grassland species have declined due to intensified agriculture and abandonment of unproductive sites. In rural areas, restoration approaches seek to counteract this loss. Additional potential for grassland restoration arises in urban settings, especially on large-scale wastelands isolated from suitable species pools. We explored the potential of urban wastelands for the development of low-maintenance meadows. We expanded on restoration approaches of rural landscapes by working with altered urban soils and existing wasteland vegetation. We tested if grassland species of regional provenances can be successfully reintroduced by comparing different restoration treatments: (1) transfer of a threshed seed mixture (Heudrusch) from local hay meadows, (2) seeding of species of regional provenances, (3) the same seeding combined with mycorrhizal inoculation. We revealed higher total species richness in all treated plots compared to the control, with similar proportions of grassland species. Both seeding treatments showed increased proportions of target species. The proportion of target species was stable in the seeding/mycorrhiza treatment and increased in the seeding only treatment from the second to the third year of the study to the same level. Urban soil features including stone content were negatively related to target species richness. In contrast, human-mediated impacts (e.g., dog intrusion) showed no significant effect on target species richness. Our experiment demonstrates that urban wastelands are suitable habitats for grassland species. Including extant soils and resident vegetation results in novel urban meadows with a considerable share of ruderal species but where rare grassland species are able to persist.
Aim: Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity, and The ecology of invasions by animals and plants by Charles Elton (1958) is often recognized as the starting point for modern invasion research. Yet there were predecessors in invasion research whose contribution to the development of ideas and concepts in this field is often underestimated. To contribute to a balanced perception of pioneers in invasion research, we retrace the work of the Swiss botanist Albert Thellung (1881–1928) whose main work, La flore adventice de Montpellier, appeared 100 years ago, in 1912, and illustrate how his ideas contributed to the current state of the art in the fields of invasion science and biogeography.
Methods: We discuss conceptual approaches in the invasion-related work by Albert Thellung.
Results: Thellung's early work covered topics that are still central to widely used invasion frameworks. He promoted concepts to classify alien species (degree of naturalization, introduction pathways and time period of introduction) and adopted these systematically at a regional scale in his alien flora of Montpellier, comprising 800 non-native species. He introduced an exact population-based definition of naturalization, with links to environmental barriers, and elaborated the first assessment of pathway efficiency by relating introduction modes to naturalization. With conceptual papers and a first review of human-mediated plant introductions, Thellung stimulated further research on plant invasions as well as modern terminological frameworks for alien plants.
Main conclusions: Albert Thellung was an outstanding member of the group of pre-Eltonian invasion scientists. He opened up focussed research in the field of alien plants in Europe, and his theoretical approaches were a powerful step towards unifying concepts in invasion ecology.
Aim Urbanization as a major global trend profoundly changes biodiversity patterns, and homogenization of urban biota due to expanding exotic species and declining native species is of increasing concern. Previous studies on this topic have mostly taken place at large scales that include high habitat heterogeneity. Here, we aimed at disentangling the effects of urbanization and plant invasion on species composition through the analysis of similarity patterns of urban plant assemblages at the community scale where species interact.
Location Berlin, Germany.
Methods We analysed how different levels of urbanization, specific components of the urban matrix and the dominance of a native (Betula pendula) versus an exotic tree species (Robinia pseudoacacia) affect alpha and beta diversity of urban woodland understorey vegetation in sixty-eight 100-m2 plots.
Results Exotic dominance reduced alpha diversity, but not beta diversity of the total species pool. Comparing beta diversity among different species groups revealed significant but divergent effects of exotic dominance, habitat connectivity and levels of urbanization in native and non-native species assemblages. In particular, urbanity proved to homogenize the native species pool, whereas the beta diversity of the non-native species pool showed a more pronounced response to exotic dominance.
Main conclusions Our data provide evidence that both the urban context and the dominance of exotic species can modify homogenization processes at the community level. These novel insights into the mechanisms of biotic homogenization of urban floras may contribute to mitigating the effects of urbanization on biodiversity.
Urbanization particularly promotes habitat fragmentation, which in turn strongly affects biodiversity patterns. A major driver of species loss in isolated habitat patches is dispersal limitation. The relative importance of dispersal ability of species, spatial habitat configuration and local environmental conditions for predicting species composition is still unclear though. Addressing urban abandoned railway areas as study areas, we analyzed the relative importance of environmental versus landscape predictors (e.g. proportions of sealed, built-up and ruderal areas) using variation partitioning methods. To add the perspective of individual species dispersal ability, we characterized the effect of species traits on explained variation in species occurrence with a regression tree. The difference in explained variation in the occurrence of individual species (ΔCfit) between a CCA with environmental predictors and environmental and landscape predictors together was analyzed.
1. Population viability can depend on habitat area, habitat quality, the spatial arrangement of habitats (aggregations and connections) and the properties of the intervening non-breeding (matrix) land. Hodgson et al. [Journal of Applied Ecology46 (2009) 964] and Doerr, Barrett & Doerr (Journal of Applied Ecology, 2011) disagree on the relative importance of these landscape attributes in enabling species to persist and change their distributions in response to climate change.
2. A brief review of published evidence suggests that variations in habitat area and quality have bigger effects than variations in spatial arrangement of habitats or properties of the intervening land. Even if structural features in the matrix have a measurable effect on dispersal rates, this does not necessarily lead to significant increases in population viability.
3. Large and high-quality habitats provide source populations and locations for colonisation, so they are the main determinants of the capacity of species to shift their distributions in response to climate change because populations must be established successively in each new region.
4. Synthesis and applications. Retaining as much high quality natural and semi-natural habitat as possible should remain the key focus for conservation, especially during a period of climate change.
Aim To compare bird abundances in woodlands along gradients from the city centre to the peri‐urban area. To evaluate the importance of the proportion of woodland within the city and in the peri‐urban landscape to forest bird communities breeding in urban woodlands. To test whether fragmentation effects on birds were linked to the type of peri‐urban matrix.
Location A total of 34 Swedish cities with > 10,000 inhabitants in south‐central Sweden. The study area covered 105,000 km ² , in which 84% of the Swedish population of 9.1 million lives.
Methods Repeated point count surveys were conducted in 2004 in a total of 474 woodlands. General linear models were used to test for possible differences in abundance along urban to peri‐urban gradients, and to regress bird abundances in local urban woodlands on: (1) total woodland cover in the city, (2) total woodland cover in the peri‐urban landscape, (3) the interaction between woodland cover in the city and in the peri‐urban area, (4) region, and (5) human density.
Results More than 12,000 individuals of 100 forest bird species were recorded. Of the 34 most common species detected, 13 bird species had higher abundances in urban than in peri‐urban woodlands, and seven species showed the opposite trend. The bird community of urban woodlands was characterized by species associated with deciduous forests and tree nesters, whereas the bird community of peri‐urban woodlands was characterized by species associated with coniferous woodland and ground nesters. Twelve species were significantly linearly associated with the proportion of urban woodland and/or the proportion of peri‐urban woodland, and a further eight species were associated with the interaction between these two factors. Local breeding bird abundances of four species were significantly positively associated with the proportion of urban woodland only in farmland‐dominated landscapes.
Main conclusions Fragmentation effects on some urban birds are linked to the type of peri‐urban matrix. In farmland landscapes, peri‐urban woodlands may have been too scarce to act as a source of bird immigrants to fragmented urban woodlands. To maintain populations of specialized forest birds within cities in landscapes dominated by agriculture, it is of paramount importance to conserve any remaining urban woodlands.
Summary • With the majority of people now living in urban environments, urbanization is arguably the most intensive and irreversible ecosystem change on the planet. • Urbanization transforms floras through a series of filters that change: (i) habitat availability; (ii) the spatial arrangement of habitats; (iii) the pool of plant species; and (iv) evolutionary selection pressures on populations persisting in the urban environment. • Using a framework based on mechanisms of change leads to specific predictions of floristic change in urban environments. Explicitly linking drivers of floristic change to predicted outcomes in urban areas can facilitate sustainable management of urban vegetation as well as the conservation of biodiversity. • Synthesis. We outline how the use of our proposed framework, based on environmental filtering, can be used to predict responses of floras to urbanization. These floristic responses can be assessed using metrics of taxonomic composition, phylogenetic relatedness among species, plant trait distributions or plant community structure. We outline how this framework can be applied to studies that compare floras within cities or among cities to better understand the various floristic responses to urbanization.
Abstract 1. Urban brownfields offer an excellent opportunity to study successional processes. Changes in the frequencies of biological traits during succession are of particular interest. They shed light on the general reasons why species emerge and vanish during the course of succession.
2. Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) occurrence data (3763 species observations) of 194 species were studied. Data was collected on 246 brownfield plots, aged 0–40 years, in two cities in Northern Germany.
3. Four categorical traits were studied: host-plant type, phagy, dormancy, and voltinism. In these traits, two aspects were analysed: (1) changes in trait category frequencies during succession, and (2) distribution of trait categories (i) within the brownfield species pool versus the German species pool and (ii) within species observations.
4. Trait categories showed clear successional trends. Young successional stages were related to feeding on herbs, polyphagy, egg overwintering, and two generations per year.
5. By analysing combinations of two traits, species could be assigned to four functional groups: species associated with young, intermediate and old sites, and one group indifferent to site age. The pioneer group comprised the least number of species, but the highest number of observations.
6. Categories associated with young site age were over-represented in the brownfield species pool. Moreover, within this already biased species pool, species with pioneer trait categories occurred with higher frequency. For the slow colonisers among leafhoppers, brownfields seem to be habitats that are hard to exploit.
Early investigations on the ecology of cities were in the tradition of natural history and focused on single biotopes. Of
special interest were the plants and animals introduced into new areas directly or indirectly by man. In Central Europe, studies
of anthropogenic plant migrations and cultural history were combined in a specific way, the so called Thellungian paradigm.
The succession of vegetation on ruins after the bombing during the Second World War was studied in many cities. Ecological
studies on whole cities started in the 1970s with investigations on energy flow and nutrient cycling. Today the term urban
ecology is used in two different ways: in developing programs for sustainable cities, and in investigation of living organisms
in relation to their environment in towns and cities.