Informal urban green space: A trilingual systematic review of its role for biodiversity and trends in the literature

Abstract

Urban greenspaces harbor considerable biodiversity. Such areas include spontaneously vegetated spaces such as such as brownfields, street or railway verges and vacant lots. While these spaces may contribute to urban conservation, their informal and liminal nature poses a challenge for reviewing what we know about their value for biodiversity. The relevant literature lacks a common terminology. This paper applied a formal definition and typology of informal urban greenspace (IGS) to identify and systematically review a total of 174 peer- reviewed papers in English (152), German (14) and Japanese (8). We identified three main topics: value for conservation (94 papers), factors influencing diversity (80), and non- indigenous species (37). Additionally, we analyzed this literature for temporal trends, spatial patterns, studied IGS types, taxa, climate zones, human impact types, and key authors. Results show IGS plays an important role for biodiversity. Management practices were identified as the most common and negative impact on diversity, while vegetation, site age, distance to city center, and habitat diversity were positive-influence factors. The number and impact of non-indigenous species varied widely. The analysis of literature patterns reveals: an increase in publications over the last 15 years and a strong geographic bias in publications, as well as towards temperate and humid climate zones. Studies of gap, powerline and microsite IGS were scarce, as were studies of mammals and reptiles. Results suggest different maintenance regimes for IGS may improve its contribution to urban conservation. We therefore propose adapting management to the local context.

Full text

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Informal urban green space – A trilingual systematic review of its role for
biodiversity and trends in the literature
Authors’ manuscript, accepted at Urban Forestry & Urban Greening July 11, 2015.
Version of record: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.07.003
Citation: Rupprecht, C.D.D., Byrne, J.A., Garden, J.G., Hero, J.-M., (in press). Informal urban
green space: A trilingual systematic review of its role for biodiversity and trends in the literature.
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2015.08.009
Christoph D. D. RUPPRECHT1,2 (Corresponding author)
Email: christoph.rupprecht@griffithuni.edu.au
Address: Room 3.16, Building G31, Griffith University QLD 4222, Australia
Phone: +61 7 5552-9340
Jason A. BYRNE1,2 (jason.byrne@griffith.edu.au)
Jenni G. GARDEN1,3 (j.garden@griffith.edu.au)
Jean-Marc HERO1,2 (m.hero@griffith.edu.au)
Affiliations
1. Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia
2. Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast QLD 4222, Australia
3. Seed Consulting Services, 106 Gilles Street, Adelaide 5000, South Australia
Abstract
Urban greenspaces harbor considerable biodiversity. Such areas include spontaneously vegetated
spaces such as such as brownfields, street or railway verges and vacant lots. While these spaces
may contribute to urban conservation, their informal and liminal nature poses a challenge for
reviewing what we know about their value for biodiversity. The relevant literature lacks a common
terminology. This paper applied a formal definition and typology of informal urban greenspace
(IGS) to identify and systematically review a total of 174 peer-reviewed papers in English (152),
German (14) and Japanese (8). We identified three main topics: value for conservation (94 papers),
factors influencing diversity (80), and non-indigenous species (37). Additionally, we analyzed this
literature for temporal trends, spatial patterns, studied IGS types, taxa, climate zones, human impact
types, and key authors. Results show IGS plays an important role for biodiversity. Management
practices were identified as the most common and negative impact on diversity, while vegetation,
site age, distance to city center, and habitat diversity were positive-influence factors. The number
and impact of non-indigenous species varied widely. The analysis of literature patterns reveals: an
increase in publications over the last 15 years and a strong geographic bias in publications, as well
as towards temperate and humid climate zones. Studies of gap, powerline and microsite IGS were
scarce, as were studies of mammals and reptiles. Results suggest different maintenance regimes for
IGS may improve its contribution to urban conservation. We therefore propose adapting
management to the local context. (243/250 words)
Keywords: urban ecology; conservation; wasteland; spontaneous vegetation; cities, liminal
1.!Introduction
Some of the biggest conservation challenges, and most permanent ecological changes occur in cities
and towns (Goddard et al., 2010; Kowarik, 2011). Much of the research on urban forestry and urban

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greening is dedicated to two types of spaces: (1) naturally vegetated spaces (e.g. remnants of the
pre-development vegetation), and (2) highly managed spaces with planted vegetation (e.g. formal
parks and gardens). Yet many scholars have emphasized the potential of spontaneously vegetated
spaces (e.g. brownfields, street or railway verges etc.) for urban conservation (Del Tredici, 2010a;
Kowarik, 2011; Kühn, 2006). For example, recent reviews concluded urban wasteland can
contribute to biodiversity conservation in urban regions (Bonthoux et al., 2014; Gardiner et al.,
2013), and quantitative research suggests such spaces cover around five percent of surveyed cities
(Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014a). However, knowledge of this topic is still quite limited. Most of what
we know is derived from English language literature. In contrast to research on parks and
conservation areas, research on informal green spaces also faces a conceptual challenge that
complicates identifying relevant papers – namely the lack of an agreed approach about how to
define these spaces.
In absence of a formal definition, researchers from urban geography and other fields have explored
the characteristics of informal green spaces. They argue such spaces are ‘liminal’ (Rupprecht and
Byrne, 2014b), and hard to identify and analyze because they form an ‘ambivalent landscape’
(Jorgensen and Tylecote, 2007) where land tenure, conservation, maintenance regimes, use,
regulation, and legitimacy are fraught with uncertainty (McLain et al., 2014). Liminality is a term
emerging from the social sciences (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014a). It refers to a condition of
becoming, a transitional state of ‘in-between-ness’ or hybridity – distinguished by temporal and
spatial flux – and not easily categorized (Sweeney, 2009). As Pritchard and Morgan (2006, 764-65)
note, liminal spaces: ‘are borderlands between the mundane and the extraordinary…betwixt
places…[that are] mutable’. Head and Muir (2006, 506) assert that in liminal spaces can be found
‘complex entanglements of humans and nature…[where] …nature and culture are reinforced,
maintained or ruptured’ and ‘belonging is highly contingent’. Instone and Sweeney (2014) astutely
observe that for liminal ecologies, the culture/nature boundary is disrupted and divisions between
public/private and controlled/neglected are blurred. In sum, liminal spaces are ‘interfaces’ or
intersections of cooperation and competition, separation and reintegration, characterized by
informality and emergence (Imai, 2013).
The liminality of IGS may explain why researchers have referred to it using a variety of different
names, such as ‘urban wilderness’, ‘urban wildscapes’, ‘ambivalent landscapes’ or ‘urban
wasteland’ (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014b). Without clearly specifying the object of study,
researchers risk overlooking important details about the attributes of these spaces and may remain
ignorant about a body of relevant and important previous research. Moreover, without definitional
certainty - that we are studying the same object, efforts to compare between different research
findings and to build knowledge are severely impeded. To address this issue, Rupprecht and Byrne
advanced a definition and typology of ‘informal urban green space’ (IGS) in a field survey of IGS
quantity (2014a) and provided a review of IGS’ role and value for urban residents (2014b). But
there is still a lack of knowledge about the biodiversity value of these spaces. This paper reviews
the scholarly literature on IGS and urban biodiversity, using the analytical framework provided by
Rupprecht and Byrne (2014a), offering researchers, planners, and stakeholders an integrated
understanding and synthesis of research findings.
Specifically, the review aims to address two sets of questions. The first set targets the role of IGS
for urban biodiversity: (1.a) how is IGS valuable to urban biodiversity conservation; (1.b) what
factors influence IGS biodiversity; and (1.c) how is IGS used by indigenous and non-indigenous
species? The second set of questions targets patterns and trends in the scholarly knowledge of IGS
biodiversity: (2.a) how has the number of relevant publications changed over time; (2.b) what is the
spatial and linguistic structure of the literature; (2.c) which IGS types have been studied most; (2.d)

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which species groups have been studied most; (2.e) what forms of human impact are most common;
(2.f) what are the most studied climate zones; and (2.g) who are the key authors? These questions
assist in identifying knowledge gaps and identifying directions for future research. To answer these
questions, this paper provides a concise, tri-lingual review of 174 peer-reviewed research papers on
the biodiversity of IGS. Findings have important policy implications for biodiversity conservation
in urban areas.
2.!Methods
We used a systematic review approach (Pickering and Byrne, 2013) that differs from a classic meta-
analysis. The systematic review has recently emerged as a useful tool for scholarly literature
analysis (Byrne and Portanger, 2014; Guitart et al., 2012; Roy et al., 2012). Such reviews do not
analyze published data; rather they identify geographic, theoretical and methodological gaps by
analyzing trends in the literature. Similar to a recent systematic review of the role of IGS for urban
residents (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014b), this review included German, Japanese and English papers
to extend the scope of the review. These languages were chosen based on the multi-lingual
proficiency of the review’s first author. Preliminary searches revealed IGS-related research papers
published in other languages, such as Spanish (Lopez-Moreno et al., 2003) and Russian (Tikhonova
et al., 2002), and we recognize that we have not been able to address papers published in many
other languages (e.g. Mandarin, French, Portuguese etc.) – a point we return to in the discussion.
For this review, we systematically searched five major databases (Web of Knowledge, Scopus,
Google Scholar, CiNii and J-STAGE) using Boolean functions to combine search terms, for
example “urban AND species AND [all biodiversity terms with OR functions] AND [IGSvariable]”
(for full list of search terms in all three languages see Appendix A). Database searches were
performed in early 2011 for the full time frames available, and updated in early 2013 and late 2014
with a repeated search in Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Google Scholar, and J-STAGE for papers
published since the first search. We did not seek to impose a time limit on the search (e.g. 20 years)
but it should be noted that not all older papers may be full-text searchable, a limitation that may
cause them to be underrepresented. We selected a number of research papers specifically targeting
IGS to look in their reference sections for additional potentially relevant publications not returned
in the database searches.
To be included for analysis, publications had to meet three inclusion criteria: (1) the studied area
comprised or included at least one type of IGS following Rupprecht and Byrne’s typology (2014a,
2014b)(Table 1, Fig. 1); (2) the study reported sufficient details to identify a space as IGS (e.g. in
urban area, management arrangements, official park designation, site history); (3) the data reported
for an IGS was sufficient to include the study in the analysis of literature trends (e.g. target species
group). All feasible effort was made to clarify whether a study area fulfilled the requirements to be
included; aside from a close examination of all information provided in the publication, study areas
were (if possible) also located in Google Earth. Aerial photography and photographic material in
Google Earth was sighted to examine whether site conditions and site context in the urban matrix
complied with the three selection criteria above (a form of “ground-truthing”).

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Figure 1 Photographs of informal greenspace types following the typology presented in Table 1. a)
Street verge, covered in spontaneous herbal vegetation (Brisbane, Australia); b) Lot, formerly
residential with perfunctory access restriction (Tōkyō, Japan), c) Gap, space between three
buildings with spont. herbal vegetation used by birds (Sapporo, Japan); d) Railway, annual grass
verge between rail track and street; e) Brownfield, spont. vegetated industrial space around
abandoned factory (Brisbane); f) Waterside, spont. vegetation on banks and deposits in highly
modified river (Nagoya, Japan); g) Structural, spont. vegetation growing out of vertical, porous
retaining wall (Tōkyō); h) Microsite, grass growing spont. growing out of crack in the pavement
(Nagoya); i) Powerline, vegetated right of way underneath high voltage powerline (Brisbane);
(Rupprecht & Byrne, 2014a).

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Table 1 Informal urban greenspace typology (modified from Rupprecht & Byrne, 2014a)
IGS
Examples
Description
Management
Common
substrates
Street verges
Roadside verges,
roundabouts, tree
rings, informal
trails and footpaths
Vegetated area within 5m from street not in another IGS category; mostly
maintained to prevent high and dense vegetation growth other than street
trees; public access unrestricted, use restricted.
Regular vegetation removal (>= once
per month); governmental and private
stewardship
Soil, gravel, stone,
concrete, asphalt
Lots
Vacant lots,
abandoned lots
Vegetated lot presently not used for residential or commercial purposes; if
maintained, usually vegetation removed to ground cover; public access and
use restricted.
Irregular veg. removal, medium to
long removal intervals; private
stewardship
Soil, gravel, bricks
Gap
Gap between walls
or fences
Vegetated area between two walls, fences or at their base; maintenance can
be absent or intense; public access and use often restricted.
Irregular veg. removal; variable
removal intervals; private
stewardship
Soil, gravel
Railway
Rail tracks, verges,
stations
Vegetated area within 10m adjacent to railway tracks not in another IGS
category; usually herbicide maintenance to prevent vegetation
encroachment on tracks; public access and use mostly restricted.
Regular veg. removal (monthly to
yearly); corporate or governmental
stewardship
Soil, gravel, stone
Brownfields
Landfill, post-use
factory grounds,
industrial park
Vegetated area presently not used for industrial or commercial purposes;
usually no or very infrequent vegetation removal and maintenance; public
access and use mostly restricted.
Irregular veg. removal, long removal
intervals; corporate and governmental
stewardship
Soil, gravel,
concrete, asphalt
Waterside
Rivers, canals,
water reservoir
edges
Vegetated area within 10m of water body not in another IGS category;
occasional removal of vegetation to maintain flood protection and structural
integrity; public access and use often possible with some restrictions.
Irregular veg. removal,
long removal intervals; governmental
stewardship
Soil, stone,
concrete, bricks
Structural
Walls, fences,
roofs, buildings
Overgrown human artifacts; often vertical; occasional removal of vegetation
to maintain structural integrity; public access and use mostly restricted.
Irregular veg. removal,
medium to long removal intervals;
varying stewardship
Soil, stone, gravel,
wood, metal
Microsite
Vegetation in
cracks or holes
Vegetation assemblages in cracks, may develop into structural IGS;
maintenance can be absent or intense
Irregular veg. removal, variable
removal intervals; variable
stewardship
Deposits, soil,
stone, conrete
Power
line
Powerline rights of
way
Vegetated corridor under and within 25m of powerlines not in another IGS
category; vegetation removed periodically to prevent high growth; public
access and use mostly unrestricted.
Regular veg. removal (less than
yearly);
utility or governmental stewardship
Soil

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Publications were systematically analyzed for findings on the role of IGS for urban biodiversity,
characteristics of each published study (year of publication, location, Köppen-Geiger climate type,
IGS description, target species group, species number or range found (where available) and human
impact). We also analyzed publication patterns across all research papers, such as temporal trends,
spatial patterns, studied IGS types, taxa, climate types, human impact types, and key authors.
Results are presented in tables and figures to efficiently present and synthesize findings from the
large number of articles, following similar presentation and analysis methods used in recent
literature reviews (e.g., Garden et al., 2006). Analysis of distribution among different climate zones
followed an updated version of the Köppen-Geiger system (Kottek et al., 2006) using a KMZ-file
(Wilkerson and Wilkerson, 2010). Principal and co-authorship was used to identify key authors who
contributed multiple articles.
3.!Results
We found a total of 174 papers, consisting of 172 original journal articles widely distributed across
90 journals, one book chapter and one Masters’ thesis. Journals publishing the most research papers
were Urban Ecosystems, followed by Landscape and Urban Planning, Diversity and Distributions,
Biological Conservation, then Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture (Table
2). This demonstrates that a variety of journals and scholars share an interest in this topic.
Table 2 Journals containing most papers on IGS biodiversity
Journals containing two or more papers
Number of papers
Percent of papers*
Urban Ecosystems
22
13%
Landscape and Urban Planning
19
11%
Diversity and Distributions
7
4%
Biological Conservation
6
3%
Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape
Architecture
5
3%
Urban Ecology
4
2%
* Percentage does not add up to 100% as only journals with >3 papers are shown
3.1 Role of IGS for urban biodiversity
Research papers focused on three main topics: (a) value of IGS for conservation (94 papers), (b)
factors influencing IGS biodiversity (80), and (c) non-indigenous species found in IGS (37). A table
shows a summary of findings for the individual papers, including their publication year, location,
IGS type, climate zone, a detailed IGS description, details regarding human impact, the target
species group, number of species found (if available), and noteworthy comments about IGS and its
value (Appendix B). We discuss the main findings and their implications after summarizing the
results and examining trends in the literature.
3.1.(a) Value of IGS for conservation
The value of IGS for conservation was emphasized by just over half the papers (53%). Researchers
reported high species numbers across different IGS types and taxa (e.g., Brandes, 2001; Geibert,
1980; Muratet et al., 2007; Tan, 2010). Some IGS harbors rare species (Dana, 2002; Eyre et al.,
2003; Gilbert, 1990; Kadas, 2006) and was thus characterized as a wildlife refuge (Kantsa et al.,
2013). The contribution of IGS to biodiversity was often assessed in comparison to other areas and
habitats. Urban IGS can have higher species richness or diversity than rural areas (Mason et al.,
2006; Meek et al., 2010; Ray and George, 2009), lawns and forest (Robinson and Lundholm, 2012),

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or ornamental plantings (Fründ et al., 1988; Vakhlamova et al., 2014), although non-indigenous
species may account for the difference (Ray and George, 2009). IGS can provide valuable habitat
(Brandes, 1992; Brown and Sawyer, 2012; Colla and Willis, 2009; Dallimer et al., 2012b; Rebele,
1988; Winter, 2013), and occasionally serve as a substitute for natural habitats (Joger, 1988; Kaupp
et al., 2004). It also represents an opportunity for urban residents to experience nature as a ‘natural-
cum-cultural’ heritage (Jim and Chen, 2011, 2010, 2008) or as a source of edible plants (e.g. in
urban foraging) (Diaz-Betancourt et al., 1999; Rapoport et al., 1995). While IGS can have
additional benefits for residents, this topic has been covered in our earlier review (Rupprecht and
Byrne, 2014b). We will return to how and why IGS can provide habitat and other benefits in the
discussion.
3.1.(b) Factors influencing IGS biodiversity
A wide variety of factors influencing IGS biodiversity were identified in the research papers.
Scholars most commonly cited management practices and their negative impact on diversity (e.g.,
Helden and Leather, 2004; Jantunen et al., 2006; Jim and Chen, 2010; Vakhlamova et al., 2014),
even though habitat value for some indigenous species may depend on such management (Nemec et
al., 2011). Less direct disturbance may contribute to higher species numbers (Dana, 2002; Schadek
et al., 2008) by preserving vegetation communities valuable for conservation (Lenzin et al., 2007).
Different aspects of vegetation were regarded as important, especially vegetation structure
(Fernandez-Juricic, 2000; Florencia Carballido et al., 2011; Geibert, 1980; Strauss and Biedermann,
2006), vegetation as a food source (Eremeeva and Sushchev, 2005; Kazemi et al., 2011; Small et
al., 2006; Tommasi et al., 2004), and vegetation (including tree) cover (Ichinose, 2006; Itagawa et
al., 2010; Luther et al., 2008; Pennington et al., 2008). Biodiversity was found to increase with site
age (Crowe, 1979; Jantunen et al., 2006; Kim and Lee, 2005), distance from the city center
(Vakhlamova et al., 2014; Wahlbrink and Zucchi, 1994; Zorenko, 2003), and habitat diversity
(Dallimer et al., 2012b; Murgui, 2009), while it was negatively affected by sealed site surface (e.g.,
hard surfaces such as asphalt that can impede seedling growth) and substrate (Dallimer et al.,
2012b; Francis and Hoggart, 2008; Godefroid et al., 2007).
3.1.(c) Non-indigenous species found in IGS
Many researchers reported that they found high numbers of non-indigenous species across different
IGS types (Bigirimana et al., 2011; Garcillán et al., 2009; Kim et al., 2004; Ray and George, 2009),
particularly in New Zealand (Asmus and Rapson, 2014; de Neef et al., 2008), China (Gong et al.,
2013; Zhao et al., 2009), and the USA (Pennington et al., 2010; Stylinski and Allen, 1999). This
finding contrasts with papers reporting low numbers of such species (Catterall et al., 2010),
particularly in South-Africa (Cilliers and Bredenkamp, 2000, 1999) and Europe (Bornkamm, 2007;
Celesti-Grapow and Blasi, 1998). While some researchers reported that non-indigenous species
dominated (Asmus and Rapson, 2014; Crawford, 1979; Gantes et al., 2014; Stylinski and Allen,
1999), others found little evidence for competition (Celesti-Grapow et al., 2006). Some researchers
asserted that naturalized species may enhance urban biodiversity (Zerbe et al., 2004), provide
ecosystem services (Meek et al., 2010), and are of socio-cultural significance as they may possess
various desirable ecological and aesthetic qualities (Chmaitelly et al., 2009). Non-indigenous
species composition may also be used to trace historical patterns of introduction (Dehnen-Schmutz,
2004). While railway IGS was found to function as a corridor for grassland plants, it was not found
to provide any bonus to invasive species (Penone et al., 2012).
3.2. Trends and patterns in the literature
3.2.(a) Temporal trends
The earliest study included in our review was published in the 1960s (Bornkamm, 1961). Earlier
studies not appearing in our systematic search were reported in a post-war botanical study of

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bombed cities (Lachmund, 2003). Over the last 15 years, the number of publications on IGS and
urban biodiversity has risen, with 70% of all research papers published since 2004 (Fig. 2). This
increasing interest could be related to ongoing global urbanization, the rise of urban ecology
(Douglas and Goode, 2011), as well as increasing recognition of the interconnections between
biodiversity and the well-being of urban residents (Dallimer et al., 2012a; Dearborn and Kark,
2010; Keniger et al., 2013).
Figure 2 Publication history of papers on IGS biodiversity
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3.2.(b) Spatial and linguistic patterns
The geographic distribution of study locations in single-country papers shows a heavy bias towards
four countries: Germany (23 papers, 13%), the UK (22 papers, 13%), the US (18 papers, 10%), and
Japan (15 papers, 9%) (Fig. 3). Few research papers compared IGS in different geographical
contexts, causing a geographic concentration of knowledge about IGS especially in Europe (Fig. 4).
Papers from countries with increasing research output, such as China, are rare – a result possibly
caused by our limited capacity to search other languages, which we discuss in more detail later.
Research papers written in German (14 papers, 8%) and Japanese (eight papers, 5%) made up 13%
of all papers. Three German language papers studied IGS in Switzerland, while another one
compared IGS in multiple countries.
Figure 3 Geographic and linguistic distribution of papers on IGS biodiversity
Figure 4 Map of IGS biodiversity studies per country (including multi-national studies)
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3.2.(c) IGS types studied
Research papers that targeted at least two different types of IGS accounted for a third of all papers
(61 papers, 35%, Fig. 5). Brownfield and waterside were the most commonly studied IGS types in
single-type studies (27 papers or 16% each), followed by verges (22 papers, 13%) and structural
IGS (17 papers, 10%). Gap, powerline and microsite IGS were almost completely absent from the
literature. While some articles compared between types (Brandes, 2001), the number of IGS types
included in most multi-IGS-type papers was limited, which in turn limited potential comparisons.
As mentioned above, different authors may also refer to similar spaces by different names (e.g.
wasteland, derelict land, abandoned lot, vacant lot), which may complicate drawing upon their data
for potential future meta-analyses.
Figure 5 Distribution of papers on IGS biodiversity by studied IGS type
3.2.(d) Species groups studied
Vegetation dominated as the target of IGS biodiversity papers. Papers examining vegetation in
general were most common (79 papers, 45%, Fig. 6), but researchers also studied various subsets of
vegetation, such as vascular plants (5 papers, 3%), and groups of species not identical with a
specific taxon, such as spontaneous or non-native vegetation (4 papers or 2% each) or edible weeds
(2 papers, 1%). With regard to animals, birds (24 papers, 14%) and beetles (9 papers, 5%) were
most frequently studied.

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Figure 6 Distribution of papers on IGS biodiversity by studied species group
3.2.(e) Human impact
Researchers have found a variety of anthropogenic influence types affect IGS. The most commonly
mentioned types were the design of the site and general maintenance/management (29 papers, 17%,
Fig 7.), followed by vegetation removal in the form of mowing, cutting or weeding (26 papers,
15%) and pollution of various kinds (24 papers, 14%). Aspects of site design such as substrate type
(e.g., bricks, gravel) were emphasized as particularly important for waterside (Francis and Hoggart,
2012) and structural IGS (Jim and Chen, 2011).

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Figure 7 Most commonly mentioned types of human impact on IGS
3.2.(f) Climate zone distribution
Research papers showed a strong bias towards warm, temperate, and fully humid climate zones,
particularly Köppen-Geiger climate type Cfb (79 papers, 45%, Fig. 8), followed by Cfa (29 papers,
17%) and Dfb (18 papers, 10%). This bias likely results from the biased geographic distribution of
IGS biodiversity research sites and/or researchers (i.e. North America, Europe, and Japan).
Figure 8 Distribution of papers on IGS biodiversity by Köppen-Geiger climate zone

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3.2.(g) Key authors
Five scholars contributed four or more of the research papers reviewed. Petr Pyšek analyzed trends
in urban vegetation diversity and composition over three decades (Pyšek et al., 2004) and co-
authored several papers on European IGS vegetation (Celesti-Grapow et al., 2006; Prach et al.,
2014; Prach and Pyšek, 2001; Pyšek et al., 2003). Cilliers and Bredenkamp studied the ruderal
vegetation of railway reserves, vacant lots, and road verges of South Africa (Cilliers and
Bredenkamp 1998, 1999a, 1999b, 2000). Brandes worked on ruderal vegetation of railway stations,
walls, and that of a small town (Brandes, 2001, 1992, 1983; Oppermann and Brandes, 1993).
Francis (with Hoggart) examined river walls and the influence of substrate on vegetation (Francis,
2011; Francis and Hoggart, 2009, 2008; Hoggart et al., 2012). Ten scholars contributed three
research papers as authors or co-authors, including Bornkamm (Abd El-Ghani et al., 2011;
Bornkamm, 2007, 1961), Jim and Chen (Jim and Chen, 2011, 2010, 2008), Kim (Kim, 2013; Kim
et al., 2004; Kim and Lee, 2005), Kowarik (Weber et al., 2014; Westermann et al., 2011; Zerbe et
al., 2004), Muratet (Maurel et al., 2010; Muratet et al., 2008, 2007), Pennington (Pennington et al.,
2010, 2008; Pennington and Blair, 2011), and Small (Angold et al., 2006; Small et al., 2006; Small
and Sadler, 2003). Twenty-six scholars contributed two research papers as authors or co-authors.
4.!Discussion
4.1 Role of IGS for biodiversity
Researchers have found that IGS plays an important role for urban biodiversity because it provides
a range of species with valuable habitat, as our systematic review of 174 research papers has shown.
This result is consistent with an earlier review by Bonthoux and colleagues (2014), who analyzed
37 papers and reported that the diverse local features of wasteland encourage diverse communities.
Our results further emphasize that the value of IGS depends on its local context.
IGS can provide habitat of a specific type otherwise scarce or absent in an urban area, for example
as structural IGS in the form of vegetated brick walls (Brandes, 1992). It may also resemble
ecosystems that were once dominant, but have declined as a result of landscape changes, such as
verges and brownfields with characteristics similar to sand plain grassland (Brown and Sawyer,
2012). By providing stepping-stones that support dispersal in urban areas, informal greenspaces
form part of a habitat network and enhance sustainability of metapopulations, as Kaupp and
colleagues (2004) reported for beetles nesting on spontaneously vegetated roofs. In addition to such
direct contributions to conservation, the localized socio-ecological aspects of IGS can produce
indirect benefits. In Hong Kong, spontaneous strangler figs may inspire awe in the viewer (Jim and
Chen, 2011), thus inspiring ecological awareness, and increasing the possibility of support for
nature conservation initiatives (Dunn et al, 2006). In Bariloche (Argentina), where malnutrition
poses a serious problem, 1.3 tons of edible weeds may be harvested per hectare of vacant urban and
suburban lots (Diaz-Betancourt et al., 1999), thus reducing the use of protected areas for
unsustainable livelihood practices. Such socio-ecological aspects can be important for biodiversity
because urban residents’ contact with nature likely influences conservation efforts beyond the local
urban area (Dunn et al., 2006; Millard, 2010; Miller, 2005). However, the main value of IGS for
conservation remains context-specific (e.g., which species benefit the most, and which likely do
not? Which type of IGS may provide which kind of threatened habitat type?). As Bonthoux and
colleagues (2014) argued, wastelands are not a uniform environment. The same is true for IGS,
which means planners and environmental managers must depend on localized knowledge to
effectively integrate IGS into urban conservation strategies – a point we return to shortly.
Factors influencing the biodiversity of IGS are characterized by two aspects, (i) the importance of
local features and (ii) the strong impact of management practices. Regarding the importance of local
features, our results are consistent with the findings of Bonthoux and colleagues (2014). Our results

14
further emphasize the importance of vegetation structure, vegetation as a food source, vegetation
cover, site age, and soil – in other words, characteristics that require planners to have a thorough
understanding of the local conditions in order to adopt appropriate conservation strategies (as
discussed above). The impact of management on IGS biodiversity was a widely reported issue in
the papers we reviewed, but was in contrast not reviewed by Bonthoux and colleagues (2014).
The expanded scope of our review casts a new light on the importance of maintenance practices and
their negative impact on diversity (Cilliers and Bredenkamp, 1998; Helden and Leather, 2004;
Jantunen et al., 2006; Jim and Chen, 2010; Namba et al., 2010; Vakhlamova et al., 2014; Yamato et
al., 2004). IGS, according to the definition used in this review (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014a,
2014b), is neither formally recognized, nor its vegetation managed by its owner for agriculture,
forestry, gardening, or recreation. Yet various forms of maintenance (e.g., mowing, herbicide
spraying) are still regularly carried out (see above). Maintenance generally reduces vegetation
structure and complexity, in turn limiting the amount of food and shelter IGS can provide. This may
benefit pioneer and opportunistic species, but could make IGS less valuable for specialists. Some
maintenance may be necessary for utilizing the space (e.g., keeping verge vegetation from blocking
motorists’ line of sight (Brown and Sawyer, 2012)). However, as Hard (2001) pointed out, both
conservation-related and formal vegetation management in cities is ecologically and functionally
flawed: spontaneous vegetation is ‘managed’ using high levels of money, labor and herbicides to
protect abstract notions of aesthetics or risk minimization. Research by Nassauer has demonstrated
how aesthetics and social norms are important drivers for vegetation management (1988; 1992;
Nassauer et al., 2009), and as a result a perceived absence of management may signal a lack of care
(Nassauer, 1988), with flow-on impacts for biodiversity.
Such socially constructed ideals of greenspace (Lossau and Winter, 2011) and the notion that cities
are devoid of nature (long since dispelled by urban ecologists) may be reasons why IGS is often
viewed negatively and associated with decline (Corbin, 2003; Rall and Haase, 2011). To unlock the
potential of IGS to contribute to specific conservation goals, we may need to adapt management
practices accordingly. Brown and Sawyer (2012) provide examples for such adaptations in the
management of roadsides resembling sand plain grassland: changing mowing regimes to allow the
grasses to flower and mature seed could enhance the presence of rare species, while adjustments to
mowing height and width aid perennial species. This example demonstrates that management
adaptation is an intricate process. For such adaptions to succeed, we need to understand local IGS
conditions as well as the requirements of the species we aim to conserve.
Rare indigenous species have been found in IGS (Dana, 2002; Eyre et al., 2003), but so have non-
indigenous and invasive species (Asmus and Rapson, 2014) – an aspect that affects IGS
biodiversity management. Urban areas are characterized by challenging environmental conditions
that not all species are able to tolerate. While modified maintenance regimes may increase the
number of threatened species in IGS, even non-indigenous species that can adapt well to urban
environments may enhance biodiversity or provide ecosystem services. For example, Zerbe and
colleagues (2004) reported that non-indigenous vascular plants in industrial, road and railway sites
contribute close to a third of urban plant biodiversity in Chonju, South Korea. Moreover, Meek and
colleagues (2010) drew upon the concept of ‘novel ecosystems’ (Hobbs et al., 2006) to argue that
where restoration to historic conditions is not feasible, management should make use of non-
indigenous species to provide ecosystem functions. Importantly, IGS does not replace formal green
space such as parks, gardens and conservation areas. Rather, IGS is a liminal, hybrid, socio-
ecological entity that provides habitat for plants and animals as well as opportunities for urban
residents to interact with and experience nature (Rupprecht et al., in press; Rupprecht et al., 2015;
Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014b). Therefore, researchers have suggested spontaneous vegetation could

15
be understood as the “de facto native vegetation of the city” (Del Tredici, 2010b) because it is
always appropriate to site conditions (Kühn, 2006). This affects policy recommendations, discussed
in more detail later.
4.2 Trends and patterns in the literature
Our results have revealed a strong bias in the reviewed IGS literature towards specific regions
(Europe, the USA, and Japan) and climate zones (temperate and humid such as Cfb, Cfa, and Dfb).
One limitation of our review was our capacity to search other languages besides English, German,
and Japanese. This limitation likely contributed to the spatial bias we found in the literature.
However, papers published in both German and Japanese only accounted for about half of the
studies conducted in Germany and Japan, even though the different linguistic distance between
English and the two languages (Chiswick and Miller, 2005) makes learning English easier for
German researchers than for Japanese researchers. This could suggest that the comparatively low
number of English publications on IGS biodiversity may not solely result from missing non-English
publications, but could instead indicate an actual gap in our knowledge about IGS biodiversity in
these countries. Future reviews should therefore target additional languages to clarify this issue.
If we lack local IGS knowledge, the spatial and climate zone bias is a major concern, because it
would impede our ability to devise context-specific conservation measures in regions that are home
to large urban populations, such as China, India, South-East Asia, Africa, and South-America. In
particular, climate zones A (four studies) and B (11 studies) are severely understudied, but account
for 88% of Africa, 75% of South America, and almost all of South-East Asia (Peel et al., 2007).
Countries in these regions are experiencing both rapid urbanization (UN-HABITAT, 2012) and
threatened biodiversity (Zhao et al., 2006). But it is possible that there is a literature on IGS in these
climatic zones that has not been explicitly framed around biodiversity conservation. For example, in
the megacities of Africa and Asia, there may be an emphasis on food security rather than
biodiversity. Urban interstices offer the potential for growing food, especially for socio-
economically marginalized and vulnerable populations, and for growing medicinal herbs. Growing
plants valued for their medicinal properties or nutritional benefits does not necessarily diminish
biodiversity, and recent studies of urban food gardens have shown that they can be highly
biodiverse (Galuzzi et al., 2010; Weinberger, 2013). Therefore, a better knowledge of local IGS
could help to devise strategies for preserving urban biodiversity in these areas, which depend on
local knowledge to be effective (see above).
Studies on brownfield, waterside, verges, and structural IGS types were the most common, while
gap, powerline and microsite IGS are still comparatively understudied. The area of these
understudied sites is usually much smaller than that of a vacant lot or brownfield IGS, which may
make such sites seem like a less rewarding object of study, and/or present significant
methodological challenges. However, the fragmented nature of urban landscapes makes it likely
that a high number of such spaces exist within cities. For example, a recent case study suggested
that almost 20% of IGS, or one percent of the surveyed area in Sapporo (Japan) consisted of gap
IGS (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014a) – an amount particularly valuable for conservation in dense
urban areas where other greenspace is scarce. These hitherto little-examined IGS types also warrant
closer attention because different IGS types differ in their characteristics (Table 1), and may
consequently contribute to urban conservation in different ways. A better understanding of gap and
microsite IGS may also help planners to create synergies between conservation and greenspace
strategies. Specifically, they may be able to act as additional stepping-stones, similar to vegetated
roofs (Kaupp et al., 2004), while contributing to the prevention of urban heat-island effects.

16
Studies on the vegetation of IGS and its role for birds and beetles were comparatively common, but
we presently know little about if and how IGS can be valuable for mammals and reptiles. Studies on
ants were also scarce, despite research suggesting vacant lots can feature a distinct species
composition and can be richer in species than gardens (Uno et al., 2010). While the limited size of
some IGS sites suggest their value could be limited, large or linear sites such as powerline and
railway verge IGS could potentially function as movement corridors for large urban wildlife (e.g.,
coyotes, foxes, deer, kangaroos) connecting urban and peri-urban areas (Rudd et al., 2002).
A number of authors (e.g., Cilliers and Bredenkamp in South Africa, Jim and Chen in Hong Kong,
Kim in South Korea) that contributed three of more studies were based outside of Europe, the USA,
and Japan. This stands in contrast with the regional bias of the literature. Knowing authors central
to the field is important, because it allows us to understand how the current body of IGS literature
developed. Additionally, it provides a starting point for studies on the history of IGS biodiversity
science. Such authors possess valuable expertise that may help in devising locally adapted
conservation strategies. They could also play a role in coordinating future research efforts in their
regions, or collaborate for cross-regional and cross-cultural studies as follow-ups to emerging cross-
national studies (e.g., Lososová et al., 2011).
5. Conclusions
5.1 Policy recommendations
Our review of 174 research papers on the role of IGS for biodiversity found that IGS is valuable for
conservation, but appropriate management is important for maintaining IGS biodiversity (though
this must be inferred because few, if any, studies have demonstrated a statistically significant
correlation). We therefore propose to complement the suggestions for conservation and planning of
urban wastelands by Bonthoux and colleagues (2014) with a review of maintenance practices. For
example, reducing or changing mowing intervals may not only benefit site diversity (Brown and
Sawyer, 2012) and save resources, but may also preserve the natural site character that residents
cherish (Rupprecht and Byrne, 2014b). However, planners should avoid treating IGS like
conservation areas by restricting residents’ access, as the diversity of formal and informal uses
produces the habitat diversity and local features that make IGS valuable for biodiversity (Bonthoux
et al., 2014; Hard, 2001). A thorough understanding of these local features and the local context
should inform IGS management, and facilitate integration into urban conservation strategies.
Planners and government agencies need to work with owners of IGS, such as utilities and railway
operators, to phase out harmful maintenance practices (e.g., herbicide spraying). Where frequent
vegetation maintenance is essential or strongly preferred as a result of residents’ preferences
(Nassauer et al., 2009), encouraging a conversion of IGS toward recreational green space types such
as community gardens may be an option. For example, the power utility Chubu Electric Power
invites local residents in Nagoya (Japan) to use land under urban power transmission lines for
gardening free of charge, if they in return keep vegetation under a specified height (Rupprecht and
Byrne, 2015). The utility profits financially from reduced maintenance expenses, the community
enjoys additional recreational opportunities, and birds as well as insects gain a source of food. As
such arrangements in particular and the conservation value of IGS in general are determined by its
local context, we propose directions for future research to fill the gaps in our local knowledge of
IGS biodiversity.
5.2 Directions for future research
This review has identified three major gaps in our knowledge of IGS, our localized knowledge of
IGS around the world, our knowledge of understudied IGS types, and our knowledge of
understudied species groups. First, we know little about IGS biodiversity outside of the temperate

17
and humid Cfb, Cfa and Dfb climate zones of Germany, the UK, the USA, and Japan. Future
research should target IGS biodiversity in South-East Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East,
India, China, and Australia, as well as IGS in the climate zones A and B. Moreover, international
comparisons of IGS are rare, and the lack of studies in many regions limits potential meta-analyses
and cross-cultural studies. How do different cultural contexts influence the value of IGS for
biodiversity, the possibilities for management adaptions, or the potential for hybrid conservation-
recreational use? However, it is important to note that this review only examined the available
literature in English, German and Japanese. As discussed above, our search also found Spanish and
Russian research papers on IGS. A review of literature on IGS in these languages, Chinese, French,
Indonesian, Polish and other languages would likely advance our understanding of IGS and help
local planners and IGS owners to adapt policies and management.
Second, we lack studies on gap, powerline and microsite IGS as well as comprehensive
comparative studies. Future research should address this lack of knowledge by examining some of
the following questions. How do gap, powerline or microsite IGS contribute to urban biodiversity?
How does their potential contribution compare to other IGS types? How can management practices
for these sites be adapted to benefit conservation? Moving to study designs based on a common IGS
typology may help us to identify urban habitats important to biodiversity that researchers might
have previously overlooked, and could facilitate studies comparing between different IGS types.
Research on smaller sites could also redress the paucity of knowledge about IGS in the megacities
of Africa and Asia. For instance, it might help to answer questions about whether IGS is meeting
food-security needs, such as the harvesting of spontaneous vegetation or the growing of ‘bush
foods’ in the urban interstices, and how in turn this might impact biodiversity.
Third, future studies should investigate the role IGS may play for hitherto scarcely studied species
groups. Can IGS benefit mammals, reptiles, or marsupials? Do limited size and human disturbance
prevent large animals from using IGS? How does the presence of animals in IGS affect resident
perception (e.g., opportunities for nature contact, potential for wildlife conflict)? We need to
address these three main gaps in our knowledge. Closing these gaps would be a first step to better
understanding the local features of IGS – local features that are key to how IGS contributes to
biodiversity, how we should adapt our management of IGS, and how we can integrate IGS into
urban conservation strategies. Better knowledge of IGS is crucial for future conservation efforts in
urban areas.
Finally, the increasing number of studies on IGS biodiversity provides a growing source of data that
future studies could draw upon for meta-analyses. For example, IGS size did not feature
prominently as a driving factor for species diversity in the papers we examined in our study –
despite the important role of this factor in ecological theory (e.g., island biogeography). Future
research could analyze a set of IGS studies to explore what role IGS size and related factors such as
fragmentation play for the biodiversity of these urban spaces. Another potential target for a meta-
analysis would be to quantify (using statistical analysis) the apparent negative relationship between
the degree of IGS management and IGS biodiversity – as suggested in some of the literature
addressed by this paper. We recognize that this is just one step in a much larger research agenda on
IGS. Future studies could address diverse aspects of this understudied component of urban forestry
and urban greening.

18
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Appendix A – Search terms used in English, Japanese, and German
English
Japanese
German
IGSVariable
ruderal
 (arechi)
ruderal
railway
 (tetsudō)
Eisenbahn
vacant lot
 (akichi)
leeres Grundstück
abandoned lot
 (akichi)
verlassenes Grundstück
walls
 (kabe)
Mauer, Wall
street/
road verges
 (michi no hashi)
Straßenrand, Straßengraben
curbside
 (hodō no enseki)
Straßenrand
wasteland
 (kōya)
Ödland, Brache
brownfield
 (kōjōatochi),

Industriebrache, Brache,
Braunfeld
landfill
 (umetatechi)
Deponie, Müllhalde
industrial park
 (kōgyōdanchi)
Industriepark
corridor
 (kairō)
Korridor, Schneise
powerline
 (densen)
Hochspannungsleitung,
Stromleitung
riverbank
 (kawagishi)
Flussufer
buildings
 (tatemono)
Gebäude
road swales

Straßengraben
trails, foot paths
 (michi)
Weg, Pfad, Fusspfad,
Trampelpfad
wilderness
,  (shizen)
Wildniss
spontaneous
vegetation
 (jihatsutekishokusei)
Spontane vegetation
novel ecosystem
 (shinkōseitaikei)
Neue Ökosysteme
riparian
 (kawagishi),  (suihen)
Ufer...
Biodiversity aspects
biodiversity
 (seibutsutayōsei)
Biodiversität, Artenvielfalt
richness
(shuhōfusa)
Reichtum
composition
(shusosei)
Zusammensetzung
diversity
(shutayōsei)
Diversität, Vielfalt
species
(shurui)
Spezies
urban
(toshi)
urban, städtisch

29
Appendix B (online suppl. info?) – Author, year, location, IGS type, species group, study area, climate zone, IGS description, species number,
human impact, and comments on IGS of all 174 individual research papers
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Abd El-
Ghani
2011
Egypt
multi
Vegetation
multi
BWh
Wasteland
172
Flora distinct from other urban habitats
Abd El-
Ghani
2012
Egypt
multi
Vegetation
multi
BWh
Wasteland, abandoned
fields, railways,
highways, canals
na
Pollution, weeding,
canal design
Species diversity increases with aridity,
soil character changed by anthropogenic
activities
Angold
2006
UK
Brownfield
Vegetation
Birmingham
Cfb
Derelict sites
378
Dispersal between sites important for
flora, chain of habitats, recommend
delaying redevelopment
Asami
1999
Japan
multi
Imperata
cylindrica
Okinawa
Cfa
Expressway slope,
airfield
8-24
cutting
Separate seed pool from urban ecosystem,
easily invaded
Asmus
2014
New
Zealand
multi
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Ruderal & waste areas,
railways, paving,
walkways, walls, lawns
(var. management
levels)
483
Management, trampling
89% exotic species, town flora very
homogenous, environmental influence
factors include distance from coast & size
of central business district
Bacaro
2012
Germany
Brownfield
Vegetation
Bremen
Cfb
Brownfields on
university campus
60
Trampling, grazing
No decay of compositional similarity with
increasing spatial or environmental
distance was found
Banville
2012
USA
Waterside
Herpetofauna
Tempe
BWh
Riparian reach
2
Vegetation removal,
water diversion
Disturbed reach had lowest herpetofauna
abundance and species richness, increased
vegetation structural complexity
recommended
Bigirimana
2011
Burundi
multi
Urban
vegetation
Bujumbura
Aw
Ruderal grasslands,
verges, abandoned
ditches
176-337
trampling, grazing, fire
High abundance of introduced species
Bornkamm
1961
Germany
Structural
Spont.
vegetation
Göttingen
Cfb
Gravel-based unplanted
roofs
2-20
construction
Variety of plant communities, extreme
wet and dry conditions
Bornkamm
2007
Germany
Microsite
Spon. woody
vegetation
Berlin
Cfb
Bare experimental plots
over 38 years
17-28,
33
none
Alien species rare, results support
spontaneous succession as cheap way to
develop near-natural plant communities
rich in species

30
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Brandes
1983
Germany
Railway
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Active and abandoned
core rail yard areas
385
Intense herbicide
spraying
Abandoned rail yards of special
importance, valuable for biodiversity
Brandes
1992
multi
Structural
Vegetation
multi
City walls
221
Wall restoration
Important as habitat and for biodiversity,
recommendations for plant-friendly
restoration work
Brandes
2001
Germany
multi
Ruderal plants
Lüchow
Cfb
Stone and walls, verges,
riverbanks, rail tracks,
rail yard, wasteland
ca. 300
varying
Highest diversity in wasteland and rail
yard
Brown
2012
USA
Verge
Vegetation
multi
Cfa, Cfb
Limited-access highway
roadsides
80
Mowing, salt
Complex upland grassland habitat
reminiscent of agricultural grasslands in
19th century; not ecological wasteland
Campbell
2008
UK
Waterside
Waterbirds
Glasgow
Cfb
Riverbank (0-20m from
bank)
15
Presence, food waste,
feeding
Vegetation and veg. Diversity important
for birds
Carbo-
Ramirez
2011
Mexico
Verge
Birds
Pachuca
Cwb
Road strip corridors
9
Pedestrians, vehicles,
noise, vegetation
cutting
Can function as corridors, can contribute
to gamma diversity, potential not
recognized by authorities
Castillo
2003
Argentina
multi
Rodents
Rio Cuarto
Cwa
Vacant lots, rubbish
dumps, stream banks,
railway banks, vacant
areas
7
Food waste, shelter,
control efforts
Health risk, examined spaces provide
habitat
Catterall
2010
Australia
Verge
Birds
Brisbane
Cfa
Suburban road verges
69
Vegetation cutting,
planting, presence
Relatively high diversity and thus
valuable, may increase diversity if
replacing agriculture, homogenization not
supported, low replacement of natives by
non-natives
Celesti-
Grapow
1998
Italy
multi
Spont.
vegetation
multi
Cfa, Csa
Ruins, dumping sites,
industrial sites, road ides
ca. 50-
160
Intense human use
Flora not uniform between cities, high
diversity, low alien diversity and
influence
Celesti-
Grapow
2006
Italy
multi
Vegetation
Rome
Csa
Archeological sites, new
development with
wasteland and vacant
lots, historical center
with spon veg,
roadsides, walls
179-324
Intense human use
No competition between natives and
aliens, high diversity, diversity dependent
on habitat and disturbance

31
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Cervelli
2013
China
multi
Vegetation
Xi'an
Cwa
Permeable pavement,
unmanaged soil, walls,
sidewalk, planted beds
95
Trampling, distance to
city center
Microhabitats similar in species
composition, could be used to enhance
species diversity in city center
Ceschin
2010
Italy
Waterside
Vegetation
Rome
Csa
Riverbank
555)
Pollution, maintenance
work
Diversity may have been decreased by
more frequent maintenance, increase of
ruderals and aliens due to increased
human activity
Chen
2014
China
multi
Vegetation
Harbin
Dwa
Road gap, abandoned
land (soil or gravel)
na
Temperature increase,
land use change,
construction, trampling
Species diversity much lower than in
former non-IGS land use, increase in
xeric and mesic species
Chiquet
2013
UK
Structural
Vegetation,
birds
multi
Cfb
Vegetated walls
na
Human presence
Birds exploited green walls but were
never found on bare walls, veg. walls can
provide resources for birds without
requiring land
Chmaitelly
2009
Lebanon
multi
Vegetation
Beirut
Csa
Vacant lots, coastal cliffs
34-47
limited
High floral diversity, recognize that
naturalized flora have various ecological
as well as aesthetic qualities and socio-
cultural significance
Christian
2004
Austria
multi
Protura
Vienna
Cfb
Roadside green, bridge,
ruderal sites, waste
disposal site
0-3, 5
Human-deposited soil
Anthropogenic habitats bear a poor and
apparently random proturan fauna - yet
contribute one sixth to the overall species
number
Cilliers
1998
South
Africa
Railway
Vegetation
Potchefstroom
Bsk
Railway reserves
169
Soil compaction,
herbicide
Low species number per sample plot in
comparison with natural areas,
management should encourage
successional changes
Cilliers
1999
a
South
Africa
multi
Vegetation
Potchefstroom
Bsk
Pavements, parking
areas
na
Herbicide, weeding,
mowing
Previously undescribed communities,
conservation not necessarily means
changes in maintenance practices
Cilliers
1999
b
South
Africa
Lot
Ruderal plant
Potchefstroom
Bsk
Vacant lots
172
Disturbed soil (post-
building) lots
Relatively low percentage of introduced
species (35%), no similarities with ruderal
communities in other continents
Cilliers
2000
South
Africa
Verge
Vegetation
Potchefstroom
Bsk
Road verges
253
Construction,
maintenance
Well-established vegetation, low
percentage of introduced species (26%),
higher than similar ruderal sites in the city
(see Cilliers 1998, 1999a, 1999b)

32
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Clemens
1984
UK
Brownfield
Vegetation
Sheffield
Cfb
Derelict demolition sites
83-93,
152
Disturbed soil, brick
rubble
Cheap landscaping could increase
potential use, diversity and attractiveness
could be increased by sowing seed
collections from other wasteland sites
Colla
2009
Canada
Structural
Apidae
Toronto
Dfb
Spontaneously vegetated
green roof
54
None after construction
Green roofs can offer habitat for a variety
of bee species
Crawford
1979
USA
Brownfield
Spiders,
arthropods
Seattle
Csb
Former dumping site
with surface earth fill
na
Construction, limited
afterwards
Low arthropod diversity, absence of low
dispersal ability taxa, spider fauna
dominated by an introduced species
Crowe
1979
USA
Lot
Flowering
plants
Chicago
Dfa
Vacant lots
128
Mowing
Diversity increases with age and lot size,
decrease with isolation
Dallimer
2012
UK
Waterside
Vegetation,
birds,
butterflies
Sheffield
Cfb
Heavily modified
riparian corridors
363, 74,
21
Pollution, canalization
Important part of urban habitat mosaic,
influence of habitat diversity (positive)
and sealed surface (negative) on species
richness
Dana
2002
Spain
multi
Urban
vegetation
Almeria
Csa
Vacant lots, walls,
dumps
na
Complete destruction
of vegetation possible
several times a year
Should be considered for conservation,
contain rare species, balance between
protection and needed disturbance
difficult
De Neef
2008
New
Zealand
Structural
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Walls
117
Frequent spraying and
cleansing
High number of exotic species, numerous
benefits of wall vegetation, great potential
(large area, additional vertical space for
densely developed districts)
Dehnen-
Schmutz
2004
Germany
Structural
Alien plant
species
multi
Cfb
Castle rocks and walls
na
limited
Number of usable exotic plants show
historical reasons for introduction
Desjardins
2014
Canada
Brownfield
Vegetation
Varennes
Dfb
Former decantation
basin
23
Pollution
Rare species excluded, up to 60% of
variance in spont. Plant distribution was
explained by pollutant dispersion pattern
Diaz-
Betancourt
1999
multi
multi
Edible weeds
multi
Csb, Aw
Verges, pathways,
vacant lots
43 (Coatepec), 32 (Bariloche)
Significant potential as food source
providing more than 1 ton per ha of edible
fresh biomass
Dickman
1987
UK
multi
Small
mammals and
plant
Oxford
Cfb
Minimally managed long
grass fields
47-58
Minimal
Vegetation more important for small
mammals than urban environment factors

33
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Dingaan
2013
South
Africa
multi
Vegetation
Bloemfontain
BSk
Drainage line
surroundings, fallows,
vacant lots, railway and
road verges
na
Grazing, burning,
mowing
Preservation important because vegetation
could form dispersal corridors
Do
2014
South
Korea
Brownfield
Carabid
beetles
Busan
Cfa
Covered-up former
landfill
15
Artificial drainage
facilities
Landfill provides stable habitat, but
drainage facilities critically affect beetles
(fall into drainage)
Eremeeva
2005
Russia
multi
Pollinating
insects
Kemerovo
Dfb
Industrial zone
36, 7
Litter, pollution
Large areas of urban plots with partly
restored vegetation provide sufficient
food supply for butterflied and
bumblebees, pollution important for
bumblebees
Eyre
2003
UK
Brownfield
Coleoptera
multi
Cfb
Various brownfield sites
(railway, factory, canals)
473
Pollution, rubble
Large number of rare species, high
conservation value
Fernandez-
Juricic
2000
Spain
Verge
Birds
Madrid
Csa
Wooded streets
14
Pedestrians, vehicles
Vegetation structure and park connection
have positive influence
Florencia
Carballido
2011
Argentina
Brownfield
Rodents,
plants
Buenos Aires
Cfa
Closed landfill
6, 70
Reduced vegetation due
to landfill legacy
Mostly indigenous species, can play role
in conservation, vegetation structure
factors explain most abundance data
Franceschi
1996
Argentina
Lot
Ruderal
vegetation
Rosario
Cfa
Vegetated vacant lots
172
Mowing, burning,
weeding, rubble,
rubbish
No similarity to other vacant lot studies,
many therophytes, usually one
dominating species per community
Francis
2008
UK
Waterside
Vegetation
London
Cfb
River walls
35
Maintenance, choice of
substrate
Strong influence of substrate material on
habitat potential, brick and boulders
preferred to concrete, conservation
potential
Francis
2009
UK
Waterside
Vegetation
London
Cfb
River walls
20
Maintenance, pollution,
choice of substrate
Mix of terrestrial and riparian species,
surface fractures increase plant diversity,
habitat improvement potential
Francis
2011
UK
Waterside
Vegetation
London
Cfb
River walls
90
Limited, maintenance,
pollution, substrate
choice
"Mass effect" - flora maintained by
propagule pressure, significantly more
diversity on bricks than sheet metal,
potential for habitat improvement
Fründ
1988
Germany
multi
Soil biota and
vegetation
Berlin
Cfb
Wasteland, parking
space, verges, street tree
rings
na
Trampling (including
vehicles)
High diversity, wasteland and verges
more diverse than flower plantings

34
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Gantes
2014
Argentina
Brownfield
Vegetation
Buenos Aires
Cfa
Partly active landfills
48
Machinery movement,
maintenance, mowing,
cover material
Exotic species are dominant, natives gain
with age of cells, in oldest cells some
species belong to local climax community
Garcillán
2009
Mexico
Lot
Non-native
vegetation
Ensenada
Bsk
Vacant lots
97
High percentage (61%) of non-natives in
comparison to other vacant lot studies
Gatesire
2014
Rwanda
multi
Birds
Musanze
Cfb
Riversides, streamsides,
wasteland
35, 24,
16
Human presence,
vehicle noise
Lower diversity than other urban
landscapes, but different microlandscape
types harbor different species
Geibert
1980
USA
Powerline
Songbirds
South
Kingstown
Cfb
Powerline right-of-way
52
Infrequent cutting
High diversity, higher than in neighboring
residential area, vegetation structure
complexity and cover over 60cm
correlated with bird diversity
Gilbert
1990
UK
multi
Lichen
multi
Cfb
Highly urban, recently
disturbed wasteland
100
Rubble, rubbish
dumping, maintenance,
vehicle encroachment,
contractors' camps,
bonfires and children's
play
Higher than expected diversity, rare and
newly discovered species, threatened by
development and economic growth
Godefroid
2007
Belgium
multi
Vegetation
Brussels
Cfb
Derelict and despoiled
land
na
Former land use,
pollution
Probability of species occurrence related
to land use
Godefroid
2007
Belgium
multi
Vegetation
Brussels
Cfb
Former industrial area,
demolished house lots
74
Trampling
Concrete substrate and walls around a site
lowered diversity, different anthropogenic
substrates have different flora
Gong
2013
China
Verge
Vegetation
Shenzhen
Cwa
Linear corridors along
roads and sidewalks or
island patches
205
Verges similar to residential and
industrial vegetation in native-alien ratio,
alien species widespread
Gruttke
1988
Germany
Lot
Carabids
Berlin
Cfb
Abandoned ruderal area
68
Building density and use intensity
influence carabid distribution
Guggenheim
1992
Switzerlan
d
Structural
multi
Zurich
Cfb
Vegetated walls
199, 51
(moss)
Maintenance, substrate
choice, herbicides
Wall vegetation contributes to urban
diversity and to the visual character of the
city center and thus deserves protection,
human beauty perception plays a role in
conservation
Gupta
2010
India
Brownfield
Vegetation
Bulandshahr
Cwa
Brick kiln brownfield
25
Brick and ash rubble
Varying diversity in different seasons,
less diversity due to brick dust stress

35
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Haigh
1980
UK
Lot
Spont.
vegetation
Birmingham
Cfb
Weed patches
61
Urban ruderal communities may comprise
consistent and separate plant associations
Hanba
2009
Japan
multi
Poaceae
multi
Open wasteland,
roadside, empty lots
76
Gas exhaust
C3 and C4 alien species prefer ruderal
habitat compared to the native species
Hashimoto
2010
Japan
Waterside
Vegetation
Osaka
Cfa
Riverbanks and islands
39
Cutting
Elimination of dominant alien plant has
temporary positive effect on native plant
richness but causes other alien plant to
dominate
Hayasaka
2012
Japan
Verge
Vegetation
multi
Cfa
Curbside cracks
na
Mowing, traffic
Road management practices favor
ephemeral annuals and short-lived taxa,
arable land weeds dominant
Helden
2004
UK
Verge
Hemiptera,
grassland
plants
Bracknell
Cfb
Roundabouts and other
road-enclosed sites
1-17
Cutting, herbicide
Grassland Hemiptera diversity would be
increased with a reduction in the intensity
of management, such a reduction in the
frequency of mowing
Hoggart
2012
UK
Waterside
Macroinverteb
rates
London
Cfb
Flood defense walls
37
Wall design choice
Highest richness on brick walls, lowest
richness on concrete walls, influence of
algal cover and river flows
Hruska
2008
Italy
Waterside
Vegetation,
algae
Ascoli Piceno
Cfb
Riparian areas
53
Strong human influence
Different levels of anthropogenic
disturbance are reflected in the two rivers'
ecosystem health
Ichinose
2006
Japan
Verge
Birds
Osaka
Cfa
Wooded streets
8
Urban matrix (perching
etc.)
Strong relationship with vegetation cover
and >2ha woodlot vicinity
Isermann
2007
Germany
multi
Bryophytes
Bremen
Cfb
University grounds
(grassland and
stonework)
40
High diversity compared to other urban
areas
Itagawa
2010
Japan
multi
Orthoptera
Yokohama
Cfa
Wooded streets on
reclaimed land
na
Vegetation height, tree cover and distance
to original land are related to inhabitation
Jantunen
2006
Finland
Verge
Vegetation
multi
Dfb
Intersections, verges
na
Road-related effects
(drastic chemical and
physical changes)
Verges are distinct from semi-natural
grasslands, are species-poor due to young
age, over-management and disturbance
but show potential if these conditions
change (old, unmanaged verges)
Jim
2008
China
Structural
Trees
Hong Kong
Cwa
Stone retaining walls
30
Wall characteristics,
maintenance
Precious ecological asset, natural-cum-
cultural heritage, threatened by misguided
maintenance practice

36
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Jim
2010
China
Structural
Vegetation
Hong Kong
Cwa
Masonry walls
162
Land use, wall
characteristics,
management
Ecological heritage, environmental and
visual amenities, need to be protected
from management
Jim
2011
China
Structural
Spont.
arboreal flora
Hong Kong
Cwa
Buildings
11
Building materials,
maintenance
Conservation and biodiversity value,
places of nature-in-city, beneficial win-
win situations possible
Joger
1988
Germany
Structural
Fauna
Göttingen
Cfb
Town wall
237
Wall characteristics,
maintenance
High diversity, may act as substitute for
disappearing natural habitats (cliffs)
Junghans
2008
Germany
Railway
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Railway stations
170
Maintenance, ongoing
use
High diversity of species, substrate,
structure and processes
Kadas
2006
UK
multi
Invertebrates
London
Cfb
Roofs, brownfields
ca. 210
Substrate choice
High diversity and large future potential,
rare species
Kantsa
2013
Greece
multi
Vegetation
Ioannina
Csa
Old stonewall, rubble,
vacant lots, building
walls, fortress wall.
Microsites
278
Plants of conservation interest present,
wildlife refuge character
Kaupp
2004
Switzerlan
d
Structural
Beetles
Basel
Cfb
Vegetated roofs
183
Design choices
High diversity, function as stepping stone
and natural habitat substitute
Kazemi
2009
Australia
Verge
Terrestrial
invertebrates
Melbourne
Cfb
Lawn-type street verges
na
Mowing
Monoculture lawn with intense
management and low biodiversity
Kazemi
2011
Australia
Verge
Invertebrates
Melbourne
Cfb
Lawn-type street verges
na
Mowing
Comparatively low diversity, negative
impact of missing flowering plants
Kim
2004
South
Korea
Brownfield
Vegetation
Seoul
Dwa
Closed nonsanitary
landfill
255
Very limited
Possible to support succession to typical
forests, comparatively high number of
exotics
Kim
2005
South
Korea
Brownfield
Vegetation
Seoul
Dwa
Closed landfills
41-141
Management
Soil seed bank important, age related to
diversity
Kim
2013
South
Korea
Brownfield
Vascular
plants
multi
Cwa,
Dwa
Waste landfill with
natural vegetation
recovery
275
Fill materials, soil
compaction, pollution
Succession is a viable option for
restoration unless no nearby propagule
source is present
Koide
2004
Japan
Waterside
Birds
multi
Cfa
Riparian areas
42
River modifications
Areas serve variety of bird species
groups; influence of slope, artificial
structures and vegetation
Kondo
1983
Japan
Waterside
Chironomids
Nagoya
Cfa
Water reservoirs
34
Reservoir design,
maintenance
Difference in urban and suburban sites,
influence of water quality, vegetation,
reservoir structure

37
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Koyanagi
2012
Japan
Verge
Vegetation
Tsukuba
Cfa
Linear roadside
vegetation
285
Mowing
May have functioned as habitats under
regular mowing, can serve as key
reservoirs for recovery
Krigas
2004
Greece
multi
Alien vascular
plants
Thessaloniki
Cfa
Archaeological sites,
microsites, walls,
fallows
na
Non-native species not discovered before
found
Lanikova
2009
Czech R.
Structural
Vegetation
multi
Cfb, Dfb
Wall tops, verticals
358, 323
Substrate choice, air
pollution
High diversity, nutrient and moisture-rich,
mostly common species
Lenzin
2001
Switzerlan
d
multi
Neophytes
Basel
Cfb
Verges, roofs, cracks
na
Urban structure,
maintenance, pollution
Some neophytes resistant to urban
disturbance, but outcompeted by natives
in other places
Lenzin
2007
Switzerlan
d
Brownfield
Vegetation
Birsfelden
Cfb
Industrial area, harbor
230
Maintenance, former
use, (absent)
disturbance
High conservation value, absence of
anthropogenic disturbance causes
problems
Lososova
2011
multi
multi
Vegetation
and snails
multi
multi
Successional sites
(construction,
abandoned)
632, 675 (plants), 40, 73 (snails)
High diversity esp. in mid-successional
sites, high conservation value, endangered
by urbanization
Lussier
2006
USA
Waterside
Birds
multi
Cfa, Cfb
Riparian surrounded by
industrial, infrastructure
na
Infrastructure, land use
Infrastructure and residential areas have
most influence, benefit tolerant species
Luther
2008
USA
Waterside
Birds
multi
Csb
Urban riparian areas
na
Development,
management
Main factors influencing diversity are tree
cover percent and shrub species richness
MacGregor-
Fors
2012
Mexico
multi
Anurans
Morelia
Cwb
Abandoned lots, small
urban waterway
1
Pollution
Abandoned lots have highest abundance,
offer better breeding conditions than
polluted waterways
Madre
2014
France
Structural
Wild plants
multi
Cfb
Green roofs
spontaneously colonized
176
Maintenance, substrate
depth
Provide habitat for high number of native
plants, "wild roof" as potential rooftop
model
Maskell
2006
UK
Waterside
Vegetation
West
Midlands
Cfb
Urban riparian areas
249
Channelization,
pollution
Diversity key influence is dominance by
invasive species (regardless of nativeness)
Mason
2006
UK
Waterside
Birds
multi
Cfb
Urban riparian areas
na
Habitat modification
Urban areas have higher species richness
than rural areas
Maurel
2010
France
multi
Vegetation
Paris
Cfb
Vacant urban land,
unused spaces,
transportation-related
84
R. japonica negatively influences other
species, but covers not more than 4% per
site
Maurer
2000
Germany
multi
Vascular
plants
Berlin
Cfb
Former inner-German
border area
249
Intense herbicide
spraying
Area provides rare open space habitat for
wild plants within Berlin

38
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Meek
2010
South
Africa
Waterside
Vegetation
multi
Csa, Csb
Urban riparian areas
na
Land use regime
Urban areas have higher species richness,
alien species can provide ecosystem
services
Meffert
2012
Germany
multi
Birds
Berlin
Cfb
Brownfields, switching
yard, other
50
Value for endangered species, no impact
of human and dogs, greenspace design
implications
Melander
2009
Denmark
Verge
Weeds
multi
Cfb
Edges and center of
pavement
86
Use/non-use of
glyphosate
Increase of weeds without herbicide, but
not very pronounced
Menke
2011
USA
multi
Ants
Raleigh
Cfa
Industrial areas
21
Disturbance,
impervious surface
Lower species richness than any other
land use type
Morin
1989
Canada
Waterside
Vegetation
Montreal
Dfb
Disturbed river banks
156
Disturbance, substrate
choice
Large number of ruderal species, soil
texture and topography strongest
influence
Motegi
2005
Japan
Structural
Birds
Tokyo
Cfa
Roof tops
12
Vegetation choice
Relatively high diversity, tall trees
recommended to attract tree-reliant
species
Muratet
2007
France
multi
Vegetation
Hauts-de-
Seine
Cfb
Areas with abandoned
vegetation management
365
Management
Wasteland has highest species richness of
all habitat types, 20% naturalized species
Muratet
2008
France
multi
Vegetation
Hauts-de-
Seine
Cfb
Wasteland, walls,
verges, railway
na
Management, substrate,
buildings
Highest floristic interest index habitats
semi-natural, dwellings exhibits neg.
influence
Murgui
2009
Spain
Brownfield
Birds
Valencia
Csa
Derelict land
na
Built-up land cover
Positive influence of habitat diversity,
negative influence of built-up habitat
Namba
2010
Japan
multi
Birds
Sapporo
Dfb
Verges, vacant areas
na
Feeding, vegetation
management
Population decline due to intensified
vegetation management
Nemec
2011
USA
Railway
Woody plants
Lincoln
Dfa
Urban trails along (e.g.)
abandoned railway
19
Mowing
Habitat value for native species may
depend on intensive management
Noordijk
2009
Netherlan
ds
Verge
Arthropods
multi
Cfb
Road verges
638
Maintenance
High number of indigenous species, high
overall species number, important for
conservation
Nowak
2006
Poland
multi
Sozophytes
multi
Cfb
Brownfields, rail and
road verges, walls,
industrial areas
na
Disturbance, soil
transformation
Conservation value of strongly
transformed habitats pose conservation
attitude challenge
Öckinger
2009
Sweden
multi
Butterflies
Malmö
Cfb
Ruderal, industrial or
built-up areas
na
Ruderal area has highest species richness
and density, high conservation value

39
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Oppermann
1993
Germany
Waterside
Vascular
plants
multi
Cfb
Urban riparian areas
na
Canalization
Canalized areas less diverse than un-built
ones, many neophytes but little use of
river as vector
Pavlik
2000
Slovakia
multi
Woody plants,
birds
Zvolen
Dfb
Spontaneous woody
vegetation areas
37 (wp),
50
(birds)
Disturbance,
pedestrians, noise
Spontaneous woody vegetation plots had
higher bird diversity, plot size important
for plants and birds
Payne
1978
UK
Structural
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Garden, churchyard,
railway, building,
retaining walls
286
Disturbance, pollution
29% of probable horticultural origin,
derelict railway walls have higher variety
Pennington
2008
USA
Waterside
Birds
Cincinnati
Cfa
Riparian edges in
urbanizing area
102
Built-up area
Tree cover, native vegetation and building
area influence opposite for native and
non-native species
Pennington
2010
USA
Waterside
Woody plants
Cincinnati
Cfa
Riparian edges in
urbanizing area
103
Development, altered
hydrology
Native species decrease, non-native
increase with urbanization, some natives
tolerant
Pennington
2011
USA
Waterside
Breeding birds
Cincinnati
Cfa
Riparian edges in
urbanizing area
68
Habitat selection factors operate on both
proximate and broader spatial scales
Penone
2012
France
Railway
Vegetation
Paris
Cfb
Railway verges
186
Herbicide, mowing
Railway edges function as corridors for
common grassland plants but provide no
bonus to invasive species
Poague
2000
USA
Railway
Birds
Lincoln
Dfa
Abandoned railroad
na
Seasonal fluctuations of species richness
between urban/rural areas
Prach
2001
Czech R.
multi
Vegetation
Plzen
Cfb
Ruderal urban sites
na
Spontaneous succession can be relied
upon for restoration projects, cheap
Prach
2014
Czech R.
multi
Vegetation
multi
Cfb, Dfb
Road verges, ruderal
urban sites, abandoned
fields
na
Construction
Sere identify was not sign., sere
vegetation formed continuum along
moisture gradient and by successional
age, spontaneous succession mostly
results in woodland and is ecologically
suitable restoration option
Pysek
2003
Czech R.
Brownfield
Vegetation
multi
Cfb, Dfb
Rubbish dumps
588
Disturbance, toxic
waste
Dump area, human density in region and
altitude positively influence species
numbers
Pysek
2004
Czech R.
multi
Synanthropic
vegetation
Plzen
Cfb
Ruderal urban habitats
na
Change in construction
practice, winter salt use
Decrease in archaeophyte species richness
and diversity from 1960s to 1990s,

40
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Ranta
2014
Finland
multi
Vegetation
Vantaa
Dfb
Road and railway
corridors
484
Maintenance
Corridors cover only 2.7% of city but
hold 76.3% of flora, CR-strategists
prevail, corridors resilient to disturbance
Rapoport
1995
Argentina
Lot
Edible weeds
Bariloche
Csb
Disturbed suburban lots
24
Cultural preferences for
food
Edible weeds can provide considerable
food source, should be used to
complement agriculture
Ray
2009
India
Verge
Vegetation
multi
Am, As
Roadside areas
73
Pollution, trampling,
vehicle crushing
Urban areas have higher species richness
than rural areas, more exotics
Rebele
1988
Germany
Brownfield
Vegetation
Berlin
Cfb
Brownfields and
industrial areas
596
Use (industrial, kids),
pollution
Decrease of derelict areas leads to
dwindling wild flora habitats
Reis
2006
Brazil
Structural
Vascular
plants
Jundiai
Cfa
Urban walls
28
Most species grow better on base of wall,
less diversity than in Europe
Robinson
2012
Canada
Brownfield
Vegetation,
invertebrates
Halifax
Dfb
Urban spontaneous
vegetation sites
na
Higher plant species diversity,
invertebrate abundance and taxonomic
diversity than lawns and forest
Rouquette
2013
UK
Waterside
multi
Sheffield
Cfb
Don river banks
na
Legacy of
industrialization,
urbanization, mining,
modification
River banks provide habitat to bird, plant,
butterfly and macroinvertebrate species,
benefit from river connectivity
Saarinen
2005
Finland
Verge
Butterflies and
moths
multi
Dfb
Urban roadsides
75
Road kill, pollution,
mowing
Important reserve for some species,
diversity similar in different road verge
types
Salvati
2003
Italy
multi
Birds
Rome
Csa
Ruderal areas, verges,
factories
na
Development
Relict areas form basis of rich species
composition, but threatened by
development
Sanderson
1992
UK
Brownfield
Hemiptera,
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Derelict sites
149, 153
Rare plant species important in
determining rare Hemiptera species
presence
Sasaki
2006
Japan
Waterside
Vegetation
multi
Cfa
Artificial coast
na
Artificial coasts are colonized by plants
with floating seeds but not by those
without
Schadek
2008
Germany
Brownfield
Vegetation
multi
Cfb
Derelict industrial,
abandoned railroad, new
land fills
213
Soil alteration (rubble,
dog droppings)
High plant species richness possibly
achieved by strong disturbances every 5
years
Schmidt
2014
Germany
multi
Vascular
plants
Hamburg
Cfb
Port, industrial sites,
railway system, traffic
na
Urban redevelopment
Diversity similar between urbanization
zones, high number of species

41
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Schmitz
1998
Germany
Brownfield
Vegetation
Berlin
Cfb
Former inner-German
border area
na
Past herbicide use
Influence of surrounding gardens, areas
contribute to urban biodiversity
Shaltout
2002
Egypt
multi
Vegetation
multi
BWh
Demolished houses,
abandoned fields, refuse
areas, railway, roads
na
Fire, cutting, digging,
trampling, waste dump,
maintenance, pollution
Urban vegetation favored disturbance,
nutrient and water resources are abundant
Shushpannik
ova
2001
Russia
multi
Vegetation
Syktyvkar
Dfc
Verges, embankments
na
Disturbance by motor
vehicles
Enrichment from adventitious species, but
species composition loss in technogenic
sites
Small
2003
UK
Brownfield
Carabid
beetles
Birmingham
Cfb
Former factory, housing
an railway ground
63
Most species rich assemblages found on
early successional sites
Small
2006
UK
Brownfield
Carabids
West
Midlands
Cfb
Derelict land
32
Habitat quality (early successional sites
with diversity of seed producing plants)
important
Smith-Adao
2007
South
Africa
Waterside
Vegetation
Somerset
West
Csb
Riverbank (partly
modified)
na
Degradation
Channel discharge changes and riparian
vegetation changes controlled channel
instability
Strauss
2006
Germany
Brownfield
Leafhoppers,
grasshoppers
Bremen,
Berlin
Cfb
Derelict sites
146/130 (LH), 11/15 (GH)
Vegetation structure most important,
species prefer certain succession stages
Stylinski
1999
USA
Brownfield
Vegetation
San Diego
Bsk
Formerly severely
disturbed sites (e.g.
military training ground)
140
Exotic species dominate, native species
cover low even after 70 years
Sudnik-
Wojcikowsk
a
2005
Poland
multi
Vegetation
Warsaw
Cfb
Tramlines and building
surface
213, 111
Maintenance, herbicide
Higher number of therophytes, many
(light) tree seedlings on building surface
Tabata
1978
Japan
Waterside
Birds, ground-
beetles
Tokyo
Cfa
Highly modified river
bed and banks
23, 32
River modifications,
land use, water quality
Complexity of land use and
environmental quality affects birds,
ground beetles and plants
Tan
2010
Singapore
Lot
Orthoptera
Singapore
Af
Vacant lot vegetated
wasteland
18
Disturbance,
development
High diversity despite small area and high
disturbance
Tommasi
2004
Canada
multi
Bees
Vancouver
Cfb
Powerline corridors,
road edges
na
Bloom and habitat heterogeneity are key
to urban area potential for bees
Trammell
2012
USA
Waterside
Birds
multi
Csb
Riparian patches
59
Urban structure (both land use and
vegetation) best described potential
habitat
Uno
2010
USA
Lot
Ants
multi
Dfa, Dfb
Former residential use
vacant lots
20
Exotic species abundance correlates with
ant species richness

42
First author
Year
Country
IGS type
Species group
Study area
Climate
IGS description
Species
number
Human impact on
IGS
Value and comments regarding IGS
Vakhlamova
2014
Kazakhsta
n
multi
Vegetation
Pavlodar
Dfb
Unmanaged land,
wasteland, industrial
land, landfills, eroded
patches
na
Grazing, mowing,
trampling, waste
deposit, fire, industrial
contamination, traffic,
Species diversity increased with distance
to city center, species richness at
unmanaged sites higher than at
ornamental sites, alien species lowest
Venn
2013
Finland
Brownfield
Carabid
beetles
multi
Dfb
Matrix grassland on
former military
fortifications
34
Human population
density
Urban dry meadows important habitats,
but matrix grassland least diverse,
important to avoid replacement with
asphalt
Vincent
1985
Canada
Lot
Vegetation
Montreal
Dfb
Vacant lots
136
Low diversity per site but high
discrimination among lots
Wahlbrink
1994
Germany
Railway
Carabid beetle
Osnabrück
Cfb
Railway embankments
52
Herbicide
Towards city center shannon diversity,
evenness and carabid body size decrease
Weber
2014
Germany
Verge
Herbaceous
plants
Berlin
Cfb
Roadside verges
Air pollution
(particulate matter)
Not dedicated diversity survey, roadside
spont. Vegetation immobilizes significant
amount of air pollutants, increasing
biodiversity supports air filtration
Westermann
2011
Germany
Railway
Vegetation
Berlin
Cfb
Abandoned railway
areas
210
Environmental and landscape predictors