Wildness and habitat quality drive spatial patterns of urban biodiversity
Aznarez, Celina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Svenning, Jens Christian (Aarhus University. Department of Biology)
Taveira, German (Universidad de la República. Departamento de Territorio, Ambiente y Paisaje)
Baró Porras, Francesc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Pascual, Unai 1973- (Basque Centre for Climate Change (Bilbao))

Fecha:	2022
Resumen:	Urban green and blue spaces (UGBS) are key for biodiversity conservation. Many studies focus on UGBS benefits for well-being, but how UGBS ecological and quality influence urban biodiversity is still poorly understood. We analysed the predictive accuracy of urban wildness (UW) and habitat quality (HQ) spatial patterns to biodiversity in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country. Using GIS techniques, we mapped relative UW as a landscape quality, considering remoteness, challenging terrain, and perceived naturalness. We further evaluated HQ using the InVEST habitat quality module, including data on habitat sensitivity to threats (e. g. population density, light and noise pollution, accessibility) and suitability for biodiversity support, based on a parametrization by expert consultation. We compared UW and HQ to observed species richness obtained from crowd-sourced databases as a biodiversity proxy. UW and HQ models predicted general biodiversity urban patterns, being particularly adequate in UGBS. Peripheral UGBS were associated with higher UW and HQ and positively correlated to biodiversity, as opposed to the smaller-sized centrally located UGBS, more exposed to threats. Both predictors significantly explained biodiversity, and HQ better accounted for threat susceptibility in UGBS. Our findings suggest that small-sized UGBS, such as parks and squares, fail to effectively support urban biodiversity, due to their high exposure and vulnerability to threats, particularly in centric areas. Emphasizing efforts in larger centric UGBS with rewilding strategies (e. g. lowering management frequency) and reducing exposure to threats is essential to increase the habitat quality of UGBS and thus support urban biodiversity.
Ayudas:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación MDM-2017-0714 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Nota:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Materia:	SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Publicado en:	Landscape and urban planning, Vol. 228 (December 2022) , art. 104570, ISSN 0169-2046

DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104570

12 p, 6.9 MB

El registro aparece en las colecciones:
Documentos de investigación > Documentos de los grupos de investigación de la UAB > Centros y grupos de investigación (producción científica) > Ciencias > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Artículos > Artículos de investigación
Artículos > Artículos publicados