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Mosleh L, Negahban-Azar M, Pavao-Zuckerman M. Convergence in Perceptions of Ecosystem Services Supports Green Infrastructure Decision-making in a Semi-arid City. Environ Manage 2023; 71:885-898. [PMID: 36333485 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01738-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Effective management of cities using ecosystem services from green infrastructure (GI) requires explicit consideration of the linkages between provision of services and ecosystem service demands (i.e., governance priorities). Identification of stakeholder knowledge and objectives in GI decision-making contexts with respect to ecosystem services may improve urban planning; yet this information is rarely explicit in local contexts and cases. We address this gap by surveying environmental stakeholders and practitioners to investigate how perceptions of ecosystem services influence GI practice in Tucson, AZ. Results indicate that the semi-arid environment and urban design led to prioritizations that focus on water sustainability and urban heat mitigation. We found strong agreement in environmental perceptions between different management sectors. We observed matches (as well as mismatches) between the ecosystem service priorities and important environmental issues. Ecosystem services prioritization revealed a unique classification of ecosystem services that reflects stakeholder priorities. Our findings suggest the study of ecosystem services supply and demand can inform local urban management. These findings from a semi-arid city further suggest that understanding stakeholder knowledge, perceptions, and priorities should be important for cities in other regions where GI is being implemented as an environmental solution to provide ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Mosleh
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Stevenson JL, Birkel C, Comte JC, Tetzlaff D, Marx C, Neill A, Maneta M, Boll J, Soulsby C. Quantifying heterogeneity in ecohydrological partitioning in urban green spaces through the integration of empirical and modelling approaches. Environ Monit Assess 2023; 195:468. [PMID: 36918498 PMCID: PMC10014787 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11055-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGS) can help mitigate hydrological impacts of urbanisation and climate change through precipitation infiltration, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. However, there is a need to understand how precipitation is partitioned by contrasting vegetation types in order to target UGS management for specific ecosystem services. We monitored, over one growing season, hydrometeorology, soil moisture, sapflux and isotopic variability of soil water under contrasting vegetation (evergreen shrub, evergreen conifer, grassland, larger and smaller deciduous trees), focussed around a 150-m transect of UGS in northern Scotland. We further used the data to develop a one-dimensional model, calibrated to soil moisture observations (KGE's generally > 0.65), to estimate evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. Our results evidenced clear inter-site differences, with grassland soils experiencing rapid drying at the start of summer, resulting in more fractionated soil water isotopes. Contrastingly, the larger deciduous site saw gradual drying, whilst deeper sandy upslope soils beneath the evergreen shrub drained rapidly. Soils beneath the denser canopied evergreen conifer were overall least responsive to precipitation. Modelled ecohydrological fluxes showed similar diversity, with median evapotranspiration estimates increasing in the order grassland (193 mm) < evergreen shrub (214 mm) < larger deciduous tree (224 mm) < evergreen conifer tree (265 mm). The evergreen shrub had similar estimated median transpiration totals as the larger deciduous tree (155 mm and 128 mm, respectively), though timing of water uptake was different. Median groundwater recharge was greatest beneath grassland (232 mm) and lowest beneath the evergreen conifer (128 mm). The study showed how integrating observational data and simple modelling can quantify heterogeneities in ecohydrological partitioning and help guide UGS management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Lee Stevenson
- Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
- Northern Rivers Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Christian Birkel
- Department of Geography and Water and Global Change Observatory, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | | | - Doerthe Tetzlaff
- IGB Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Geographisches Institut, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Northern Rivers Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Christian Marx
- IGB Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Water Resources Management and Modelling of Hydrosystems, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aaron Neill
- Northern Rivers Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Marco Maneta
- Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, Missoula, USA
| | - Jan Boll
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Chris Soulsby
- Northern Rivers Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- Water Resources Management and Modelling of Hydrosystems, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Ecohydrology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
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Selmi W, Selmi S, Teller J, Weber C, Rivière E, Nowak DJ. Prioritizing the provision of urban ecosystem services in deprived areas, a question of environmental justice. Ambio 2021; 50:1035-1046. [PMID: 33244744 PMCID: PMC8035335 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01438-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The distribution of urban ecosystem services (UES) is often uneven across socioeconomic groups, leading to environmental justice issues. Understanding the distribution of UES across a landscape can help managers ensure an equitable distribution of services. While many past studies have focused on the distribution of green spaces in relation to socioeconomic variables, this research analyzes the distribution of UES provided by these green spaces. This research quantified air pollution removal, atmospheric carbon reduction, and surface runoff mitigation provided by urban trees in Strasbourg city (France). The provision of these three UES was studied at the census block scale by creating an index of UES delivery, which was contrasted with a constructed social deprivation index. Our results show that there is no significant association between the delivery of UES and social deprivation. Some deprived populations benefit from high UES delivery. Results also suggest that mapping associations between UES delivery and social deprivation should be integrated with future development plans to enhance the equitable distribution of UES. This study provides insights into the French context where studies about the distribution of UES at a small-area level remain lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wissal Selmi
- Local Environment Management and Analysis (LEMA), University of Liege, 9 allée de la découverte, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Slaheddine Selmi
- Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences, University of Gabès, Zrig, 6072 Gabès, Tunisia
| | - Jacques Teller
- Local Environment Management and Analysis (LEMA), University of Liege, 9 allée de la découverte, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Christiane Weber
- Territoires, environnement, télédétection et information spatiale (UMR TETIS), TETIS, CNRS, Uni. Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | | | - David J. Nowak
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 5 Moon Library, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA
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Cariñanos P, Ruiz-Peñuela S, Valle AM, de la Guardia CD. Assessing pollination disservices of urban street-trees: The case of London-plane tree (Platanus x hispanica Mill. ex Münchh). Sci Total Environ 2020; 737:139722. [PMID: 32526570 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Platanusx hispanica (London plane) is a tree species widely used in urban areas due to the diversity of ecosystem services it provides. However, its functions also have some negative effects or associated disservices, such as the emission of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) and allergens. This work aims to analyze the effect that urban environmental conditions and air pollutants have on pollen emissions of plane tree. The study has been carried out in Granada, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, a city with a Mediterranean climate and one of the most polluted in Spain. Granada is also one of the Mediterranean cities in which the increase in the percentage of the population affected by allergy to Platanus pollen in recent decades has been most significant. The 1992-2019 Platanus pollen data series has been considered to establish the main aerobiological parameters, trends and correlations with meteorological variables and particulate and gaseous atmospheric pollutants, both before and during the flowering period. The average Seasonal Pollen Integral (SPIn) of about 2700 pollen grains has shown a significant increase throughout the series. This increase in allergen emissions could be related to the increase in crown volume associated with tree growth, but also to other environmental factors. Precipitation and minimum temperatures of the winter prior to flowering were the parameters that have shown the most influence with SPIn, while O3 and NOx are the pollutants that have the most effect on the peak value. Due to the good adaptation that London plane has to changing climatic conditions in urban environments, its hegemonic presence as an element of Urban Green infrastructure must be reviewed so that the net balance of ecosystem services is not diminished by the disservices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Cariñanos
- Department of Botany, University of Granada, Spain; Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research, IISTA-CEAMA, University of Granada, Spain.
| | | | - Ana M Valle
- Pharmacy Service, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
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Włodarczyk-Marciniak R, Sikorska D, Krauze K. Residents' awareness of the role of informal green spaces in a post-industrial city, with a focus on regulating services and urban adaptation potential. Sustain Cities Soc 2020; 59:102236. [PMID: 32395422 PMCID: PMC7207117 DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2020.102236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Urban green spaces (UGS) and the ecosystem services they provide are essential for the health and wellbeing of city dwellers. UGS are increasingly seen as a potential solution for sustainable urban planning and development. Informal green spaces (IGS), even though they may make up a large share of UGS, are often overlooked in this regard. This study examines residents' awareness of the ecosystem services provided by IGS and their need for redevelopment. The data were collected through structured interviews in the immediate vicinity of selected IGS in the Polish city of Łódź. Łódź is typical of post-industrial European cities struggling with environmental (heatwaves, cloudbursts), social (aging, depopulation) and spatial (a neglected and dense city center) issues. Our results show that residents saw IGS as places able to provide a range of services, mostly of the regulating type, and even minor design interventions can improve the attractiveness of IGS. Taking this into account, we conclude that IGS are important vegetated areas in the city, which can be complementary to formal greenery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Włodarczyk-Marciniak
- European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Tylna Str., 90-364, Łódź, Poland
| | - Daria Sikorska
- European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Tylna Str., 90-364, Łódź, Poland
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Remote Sensing and Environmental Assessment, Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, ul. Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kinga Krauze
- European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Tylna Str., 90-364, Łódź, Poland
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Paulin MJ, Remme RP, van der Hoek DCJ, de Knegt B, Koopman KR, Breure AM, Rutgers M, de Nijs T. Towards nationally harmonized mapping and quantification of ecosystem services. Sci Total Environ 2020; 703:134973. [PMID: 31767316 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy requests EU Member States to map and assess ecosystem services within national territories, and to promote and integrate these values into policy-making. This calls for standardized and harmonized data, indicators, and methods to assess ecosystem services within national boundaries. Current approaches for assessing ecosystem services often oversimplify cross-scale heterogeneity, sacrificing the spatial and thematic detail required to support the needs and expectations of decision-makers at different levels. Hence, nationally harmonized models for mapping and quantifying ecosystem services are needed. This paper presents the Natural Capital Model (NC-Model), a spatially-explicit set of models for quantifying and mapping ecosystem services within the Netherlands. Its aim is to support the integration of ecosystem services within spatial planning and policy-making at the national level, contributing to the fulfilment of national and international environmental policy targets. Models introduce previously unexplored combinations of explanatory variables for modelling ecosystem functions and the socioeconomic benefits they accrue, making use of publicly-available and high-resolution spatial data. To capture spatial and thematic heterogeneity across the urban-rural gradient, the NC-Model comprises a subset of ecosystem service models tailored to the urban environment. To demonstrate the model's application, we expand on six urban ecosystem service models and implement them to quantify and map ecosystem services for Municipality of Amsterdam. High-resolution ecosystem supply and use maps provide detailed spatial information useful for supporting spatial planners and decision-makers who wish to optimize the allocation of natural elements while supporting the needs of citizens. They paint a picture on the interlinkages that exist between natural elements, ecological functions, and socioeconomic well-being in a friendly manner, tailored to various audiences with differing priorities. Their open-access nature enables their customization, supporting the sharing of knowledge and data to endorse ecosystem service modelling efforts by external parties within and outside the Netherlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Paulin
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
| | - R P Remme
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
| | - D C J van der Hoek
- Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - B de Knegt
- Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - K R Koopman
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - A M Breure
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - M Rutgers
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - T de Nijs
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
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Fruth E, Kvistad M, Marshall J, Pfeifer L, Rau L, Sagebiel J, Soto D, Tarpey J, Weir J, Winiarski B. Discrete choice experiment data for street-level urban greening in Berlin. Data Brief 2019; 28:105027. [PMID: 31956668 PMCID: PMC6956670 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.105027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The data presented in this DiB article are the outcome of a survey implemented in a Berlin neighborhood from January to March 2018. The data consist of socio-demographic, attitudinal and perception questions, and, most importantly, a discrete choice experiment. This dataset is complementary to the full research article, "Economic valuation of street-level urban greening: A case study from an evolving mixed-use area in Berlin" [1]. The analysis of the discrete choice experiment provided in the full article could be used to guide policy- and project-level decision-making for green building practices and urban green initiatives, while the dataset available here can be used to provide insight about how our sample population responded to the remaining parts of the questionnaire and how the experiment could be replicated in context or elsewhere in Berlin.
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Baró F, Calderón-Argelich A, Langemeyer J, Connolly JJ. Under one canopy? Assessing the distributional environmental justice implications of street tree benefits in Barcelona. Environ Sci Policy 2019; 102:54-64. [PMID: 31798338 PMCID: PMC6855261 DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2019.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Street trees are an important component of green infrastructure in cities, providing multiple ecosystem services (ES) and hence contributing to urban resilience, sustainability and livability. Still, access to these benefits may display an uneven distribution across the urban fabric, potentially leading to socio-environmental inequalities. Some studies have analyzed the distributional justice implications of street tree spatial patterns, but generally without quantifying the associated ES provision. This research estimated the amount of air purification, runoff mitigation and temperature regulation provided by circa 200,000 street trees in Barcelona, Spain, using the i-Tree Eco tool. Results were aggregated at neighborhood (n = 73) and census tract (n = 1068) levels to detect associations with the distribution of five demographic variables indicating social vulnerability, namely: income, residents from the Global South, residents with low educational attainment, elderly residents, and children. Associations were evaluated using bivariate, multivariate and cluster analyses, including a spatial autoregressive model. Unlike previous studies, we found no evidence of a significant and positive association between the distribution of low income or Global South residents and a lower amount of street tree benefits in Barcelona. Rather, higher ES provision by street trees was associated with certain types of vulnerable populations, especially elderly citizens. Our results also suggest that street trees can play an important redistributive role in relation to the local provision of regulating ES due to the generally uneven and patchy distribution of other urban green infrastructure components such as urban forests, parks or gardens in compact cities such as Barcelona. In the light of these findings, we contend that just green infrastructure planning should carefully consider the distributive implications associated with street tree benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesc Baró
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Carrer Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amalia Calderón-Argelich
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Johannes Langemeyer
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Carrer Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - James J.T. Connolly
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici Z (ICTA-ICP), Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Carrer Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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Tresch S, Frey D, Le Bayon RC, Zanetta A, Rasche F, Fliessbach A, Moretti M. Litter decomposition driven by soil fauna, plant diversity and soil management in urban gardens. Sci Total Environ 2019; 658:1614-1629. [PMID: 30678018 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In the face of growing urban densification, green spaces in cities, such as gardens, are increasingly important for biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, the influences of urban green space management on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships is poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between soil fauna and litter decomposition in 170 urban garden sites along a gradient of urbanisation intensity in the city of Zurich, CH. We used litter bags of 1 and 4 mm mesh size to evaluate the contribution of soil meso- and macrofauna on litter decomposition. By using multilevel structural equation models (SEM), we investigated direct and indirect environmental effects and management practices on litter decomposition and litter residue quality. We evaluated the role of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of soil fauna species on litter decomposition, based on a sample of 120 species (81,007 individuals; 39 collembola, 18 earthworm, 16 isopod, 47 gastropod species). We found highest litter decomposition rates using 4 mm mesh size litter bags, highlighting the importance of soil macrofauna. Urban warming, a proxy for urbanisation intensity, covaried positively, whereas soil disturbances, such as intensive soil and crop management, were negatively correlated with decomposition rates. Interestingly, soil fauna species richness decreased, with the exception of gastropods, and soil fauna abundance increased with urban warming. Our data also show that plant species richness positively affected litter decomposition by increasing soil fauna species richness and microbial activity. A multivariate analysis of organic compounds in litter residues confirmed the importance of soil fauna species richness and garden management on litter decomposition processes. Overall, we showed, that also in intensively managed urban green spaces, such as gardens, biodiversity of plants and soil fauna drives key ecosystem processes. Urban planning strategies that integrate soil protecting management practices may help to maintain important ecosystem services in this heavily used urban environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Tresch
- University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology, Functional Ecology Laboratory, Rue Emile-Argand 11, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland; Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Department of Soil Sciences, Ackerstrasse 113, Frick 5070, Switzerland; Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Zuercherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland.
| | - David Frey
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Zuercherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland; ETH, Department of Environmental System Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Universitaetstrasse 16, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Renée-Claire Le Bayon
- University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology, Functional Ecology Laboratory, Rue Emile-Argand 11, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Zanetta
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Zuercherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland; University of Fribourg, Department of Biology, Chemin du musée 10, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland
| | - Frank Rasche
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 13, Stuttgart 70599, Germany
| | - Andreas Fliessbach
- Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Department of Soil Sciences, Ackerstrasse 113, Frick 5070, Switzerland
| | - Marco Moretti
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Zuercherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
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Ciftcioglu GC, Aydin A. Urban ecosystem services delivered by green open spaces: an example from Nicosia City in North Cyprus. Environ Monit Assess 2018; 190:613. [PMID: 30259215 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6985-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the major urban ecosystem services (UESs) delivered by a number of green open spaces (GOSs) and their contributions to the human wellbeing (HWB) in four selected sites located in the city of Nicosia of North Cyprus. The objectives of the study were to map the dominant GOSs in the selected sites, to identify the plant species cultivated in the GOSs, and to evaluate the major UESs delivered by the GOSs and their contributions to the components of HWB. The conceptual framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was adopted to evaluate the linkages between the different types/components of GOSs, UESs, and HWB. The relevant data were collected by combining quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews and field surveys) research tools. The collected data were evaluated on a 1-5 Likert scale. Overall, 31 UESs and 14 components of HWB were evaluated. The results of the evaluation revealed that 229 plant species are cultivated in the GOSs. The total average relative value of the UESs delivered by the dominant GOSs was estimated to be very low with 2.43 points. The total average relative contribution of the UESs to the HWB seems to be low with 3.56 points. Plant diversity was identified as the main criterion that influences the degree of UESs. We hope that the results of this study can help policy-makers and planners to design more effective policies in terms of building resilient cities and societies in the city of Nicosia and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulay Cetinkaya Ciftcioglu
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, European University of Lefke, Gemikonagi, Mersin 10, Turkey.
| | - Aslihan Aydin
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, European University of Lefke, Gemikonagi, Mersin 10, Turkey
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