Authors:Maleha Mahmud et al. Abstract: Many studies have documented the detrimental effects of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems. What is less known is how “super urban” centers—areas with unusually high human population densities and immense infrastructures—impact biodiversity. Specifically, freshwater streams and rivers that are situated in highly urbanized metropolitan areas might be more susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance. Here, we evaluated the impacts of land use and human population density on benthic macroinvertebrate diversity along the Bronx River, a freshwater river situated in one of the largest urban centers in the world: the New York metropolitan area. We addressed the following research question: How does (1) high intensity development, (2) distance to the Bronx River Parkway, and (3) human population density impact benthic macroinvertebrate diversity along the Bronx River' To answer this question, we sampled benthic macroinvertebrates from 18 study sites, and calculated five measures of benthic macroinvertebrate diversity: (1) family richness, (2) Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) family richness, (3) Simpson’s diversity index, (4) invasive species abundance, and (5) family dominance. Our study yielded three main results. First, benthic macroinvertebrate diversity was extremely low. Across study sites, family richness ranged from two to seven and EPT family richness ranged from zero to one. Indeed, only four of 18 sites harbored pollution-sensitive mayflies (Ephemeroptera) or caddisflies (Trichoptera), and zero sites supported stoneflies (Plecoptera). Second, two measures of land use, high intensity development (80 to 100% impervious surface cover) and distance to a major highway (Bronx River Parkway) were associated with reduced biodiversity. Specifically, high intensity development was negatively associated with family richness and Simpson’s diversity, and positively associated with invasive species abundance. Study sites located closer to the Bronx River Parkway harbored more invasive species than study sites located further away. One invasive species, the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), was the second most dominant taxon on the Bronx River. Finally, we found that high human population density was negatively associated with family richness and positively associated with invasive species abundance. Our results suggest that “super urban” centers are especially vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures and that large urban areas warrant special attention for mitigating the decline of benthic macroinvertebrates. PubDate: Mon, 06 May 2024 11:39:22 PDT
Authors:Varsha Bhaskaran et al. Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes in a short span of time to people’s life and living. Being in a lockdown, especially in urban areas, has led to changes in the way people perceive nature around them and within their homes. Research on this topic in the cities of the global south has been limited with even fewer studies in Indian cities. To begin to address this gap, in this exploratory study we interviewed 30 residents of Bengaluru, India to understand how they perceived the changes they experienced in their home gardens and in the nature around their neighborhood due to the 2021 Covid-19 lockdown. A common observation was that most respondents felt the lockdown had led to an increase in their curiosity and observation towards nature. Some respondents highlighted that their enthusiasm towards gardening had increased. Participants also recognized the importance of home gardens as a safe outdoor space where they can enjoy nature. However, there were a few respondents who mentioned that they did not observe any imminent changes in the environment around them, due to the lockdown. While the lockdown has implications on a global scale, further research is needed to assess the changes at local scale to understand the impacts on people and nature. PubDate: Mon, 06 May 2024 11:39:10 PDT
Authors:J. Rebecca Hargrave et al. Abstract: US state and federal urban forest management agencies endeavor to support municipal forestry programs. However, the variation in programs within and among states may complicate support delivery. Municipal programs are often categorized by population size and community affluence to identify common characteristics and needs and facilitate support. To describe local urban forest management programs in New York State, a survey of municipalities gathered information on urban forest management program components, intentions, and needs. In addition to examining the contributions of population size and affluence, this study also evaluated the influence of metropolitan areas on programs in small municipalities and compared all community categorizations using national program standards. The survey revealed that a high percentage of municipalities plant and maintain trees. Nearly half of municipalities have tree inventories and street tree advisory boards, and a low percentage have an urban forest management plan. Almost all reported needing technical and educational assistance. Larger communities were more likely to have a comprehensive urban forest management program than medium-sized communities, and medium communities were more likely than small communities. Communities with high median household income (MHI) were more likely to have comprehensive urban forestry management programs than less affluent communities. However, low MHI and middle MHI communities had equivalent programs. Small municipalities in counties with large metropolitan areas possessed attributes similar to larger municipalities, compared to small communities in counties without these areas. This may indicate that proximity to a large metropolis has the potential to provide a small community with additional resources. These results suggest that smaller and less affluent communities, especially those outside counties containing large metropolitan areas, need more urban forest management assistance than larger and more affluent communities. However, all survey respondents indicated the need for support. PubDate: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 08:29:55 PDT
Authors:Mazin B. Qumsiyeh et al. Abstract: The situation in Palestine is of concern where global threats of climate change, overexploitation, habitat destruction, invasive species, and pollution are compounded by occupation and conflict. Thus, almost 1/3rd of vascular plant species are rare and over 50 are listed as endangered or rare based on their abundance and presence in grids studied earlier. Here, we describe the development of a conservation botanic garden that works via research, education, and direct in situ and ex situ conservation of plant species. The garden now boasts 381 species of vascular plants (63 are rare). The team scientifically and selectively introduced some rare and endemic species, developed educational modules, and engaged the community in all aspects of planning and growth of this garden. It has acted as a model for threatened and protected areas in the state of Palestine, as well as becoming a national oasis for both wildlife and humans. The lessons learned from this experience include: 1) principles of minimal intervention in eco-friendly ways producing zones of permaculture and gardening towards conservation (ex situ and in situ conservation), while allowing botanic garden functionality, 2) involvement of staff, volunteers, experts, and community in education and conservation efforts, 3) value of research in plants and animals for integrated ecosystem management. The outcome of this work is a maximally utilitarian garden for areas like education, direct conservation, research, and human satisfaction whilst ensuring long-term sustainability in a nascent state in the midst of a difficult political situation. PubDate: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 08:29:39 PDT
Authors:Md Tousif Tanzir et al. Abstract: Rapid unplanned development, a primary cause of urban change, endangers ecosystems greatly. Quantifying ecosystem services helps portray the declining ecological functions caused by the urban land cover change. Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, exerts little effort toward sustainability; affecting both the inner city and the outer periphery (peri-urban area) called extend Dhaka (5 km buffer from the city's border). This study examines Dhaka's urban growth impact on ecosystem service values (ESV) from 2004-2020 and projects these impacts to 2050, considering three scenarios: business as usual (BAU), conservation, and development. We employed Landsat images, different image classification techniques, the CA-Markov model for future simulation, and the global value coefficient for ESV. The research shows water bodies and tree covering change forecasting up to 2050. Due to fast urban growth in the expanding Dhaka city during 2004-2020, the total ESV declined (a decrease ESV of 211.92 million US dollars). If this pattern continues, the ESV will further drop $ 156 million by 2050. Consequently, ESV loss will be severe in outlying extended Dhaka city, and among the three forecasted scenarios, the development will lose most of its ESV. This study also suggests that for every one percent increase in total GDP, approximately 2 million dollars of ecosystem service loss results. In addition, significant changes in ecological functions, such as waste treatment, raw materials, habitat/ refugia, and water supply, caused the ESV to decline most. This concludes that appropriate planning and regulations to safeguard natural ecosystems will avoid future deterioration. PubDate: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 08:29:25 PDT
Authors:James G. Duncan Abstract: Public interactions with urban forests can be a contentious issue and, in many cases, the protection of resources takes a backseat to stakeholders’ desire to use areas in ways that diminish the capability to manage resources and causes unintended consequences or direct impacts to sensitive resources. The assessment of impacts to sensitive forested areas located in parks was part of a Miami-Dade County legislative directive to provide enhanced guidelines for the protection of natural habitats. The assessment detailed historical and current issues at 18 environmental preserves located in or adjacent to the County’s park system and an implementation strategy for the County Mayor’s recommended “do no harm” framework that sensitive habitat comes first. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:09:12 PDT
Authors:Paul Sutton et al. Abstract: The Roslindale Wetlands “Urban Wild,” a 10-acre forested wetland in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is the backdrop for a compelling story of land preservation and habitat restoration as primary drivers for sustained community engagement. Originally identified for residential development, this patchwork of City and private land was long neglected and degraded by incompatible adjacent development and illegal dumping. In 2005, the community group Roslindale Wetlands Task Force (RWTF) was formed to start the long, gradual process of cleaning up and advocating for full preservation of the site. However, between 2019 and 2023, an alignment of several strategic joint planning ventures between the RWTF, the City of Boston, and Mass Audubon accelerated efforts and culminated in a giant leap forward. By 2023, the majority of the site was permanently protected and was ecologically restored through a $1 million City capital renovation investment. These milestone achievements, in turn, have recharged long-term community organizing and site stewardship efforts and contributed to a wider embrace of this nature park by Bostonians. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:09:03 PDT
Authors:Kevin Tungesvick et al. Abstract: Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is an aggressive ephemeral perennial native to Europe and western Asia that invades floodplains and mesic forests. It has been recorded to escape from cultivation throughout the eastern deciduous forest and has become abundant in many riparian areas in the Mid Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley. It emerges earlier than most native vernal flora and forms a dense mat that replaces the less aggressive native spring ephemeral community. Control efforts on floodplains are often unsuccessful due to floodwater transport of upstream propagules. Eco Logic LLC, a local ecological restoration firm, worked with Indy Land Stewardship to set up a treatment and monitoring program to develop an effective strategy for confining the lesser celandine to the low floodplain terraces to prevent it from invading the adjacent uplands. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:55 PDT
Authors:Patrick R. Key Abstract: Portland, Oregon’s Parks & Recreation Bureau has developed a protocol to assess our managed natural areas using an asset management framework. We utilized traditional asset management best practices to create a rapid, actionable protocol that also establishes parity between natural asset assessments and our existing inventory of built asset assessments, such as playgrounds, bridges, and trails. The results of these natural area assessments will help inform resource allocation, planning for future fiscal needs, and prioritization of on-the-ground interventions. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:46 PDT
Authors:Christa von Behren Abstract: The Revegetation Program at the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services aims to use active adaptive management to steward natural areas in our portfolio, but we have lacked an adequate monitoring protocol to effectively implement this approach. We spent three years developing and testing a functional assessment protocol to assess progress toward management goals and to infer performance of different ecological functions. We completed our first data collection during the field season of 2022. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:38 PDT
Authors:Michael T. Yadrick Jr. et al. Abstract: Forests in cities, and the communities that steward and benefit from them, face significant disruption due to climate change. It is now time to build the capacity in our institutions and in forested natural areas to help navigate multiple overlapping crises and systems change. This case study from Seattle, Washington provides perspective on how to mitigate climate change beyond tree planting. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:30 PDT
Authors:Kelli Ondracek et al. Abstract: The City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) created a first-of-its-kind Nature Preserve Ordinance to protect existing natural habitat within 26 parks totaling 7,423 acres of land. The purpose of this ordinance is to preserve and protect, in perpetuity, city-owned natural areas by regulating public use and development of these lands. The policy protects threatened ecosystems, important water resources, and locally rare plant and wildlife populations. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:21 PDT
Authors:Sam W. Lawson et al. Abstract: In this second set of addenda to our first special issue, The Science and Practice of Managing Forests in Cities, we present seven new case studies documenting approaches to evaluating, managing, and protecting forested natural areas in cities across the U.S. These case studies were presented at the fourth gathering of the Forests in Cities network which took place in Miami-Dade County, Florida in February, 2024. PubDate: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:08:12 PDT
Authors:Anne H. Toomey et al. Abstract: Due to a combination of climate change-driven threats and economic opportunities, cities across the world are investing billions of dollars in waterfront infrastructure and coastal restoration. Urban planners and park managers are often tasked with designing and programming blue spaces to maximize ecosystem services (ES) for local users. However, it is not always clear which ES are most valued, and by whom. Thus, the design of urban waterfronts presents challenges in identifying how communities engage with these spaces and how new planning might alter such uses if not accounted for. This paper describes a Rapid Social Assessment (RSA) methodology that has been piloted in the NYC metropolitan area to successfully ground community engagement and planning in an understanding of how urban blue spaces are currently used. This methodology can be coupled with other types of data collection for a better characterization of the coupled human-natural dynamics of these spaces, and can be adapted to coastal, lake, and riparian waterfronts globally. PubDate: Thu, 21 Sep 2023 09:48:45 PDT
Authors:Edith B. de Guzman Abstract: As the planet warms, heat-vulnerable communities in cities face increased heat-related risks including lost productivity, reduced learning outcomes, illness, and death. Despite the growing threat of heat, effective approaches to alleviate urban heat are available. Tree planting has received investment in a growing number of cities around the world, but there are significant gaps in our understanding of the cooling potential of trees in the urban context, particularly the impacts on indoor spaces where urban dwellers spend most of their time. Our study engaged community scientists in Los Angeles County, USA to collect data on the impacts of trees on indoor and outdoor thermal conditions in residential sites. Participants created a thermal sensor network that contributed continuous readings for the study period. We mimicked an experimental research design using a difference-in-differences approach where “treehouses” with more trees and “non-treehouses” with fewer trees were compared on hot days (>90°F or 32°C) and non-hot days. We found that on hot days indoor temperatures in treehouses warm less than in non-treehouses, but that trees provide relatively less benefit at night. We also found that exposure to extreme heat reaches dangerous levels in older residences without trees or air conditioning. underscoring the need for swift action to cool heat-vulnerable communities. PubDate: Thu, 07 Sep 2023 07:48:36 PDT
Authors:Ayodeji Adeyemi Ogunwole et al. Abstract: This study assessed the response to irrigation rate and the minimum irrigation rate for optimum growth of seedlings of five tropical tree species used in urban landscaping in Ondo, Nigeria. The study also evaluated the effects of irrigation rate and sawdust biochar on growth attributes and biochemical constituents of the seedlings and the changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil on which the tree seedlings were grown. Seedlings of five tree species, Bauhinia monandra, Delonix regia, Terminalia catappa, Dypsis lutescens, and Veitchia merrillii, were subjected to six treatments as follows; The first three treatments comprised of seedlings grown in soil without biochar application and subjected to 80%, 60%, and 35% FC irrigation rates while the last three treatments were seedlings grown in the soil-biochar mixture and subjected to 80%, 60%, and 35% FC irrigation rates. Seedlings grown in soil irrigated at 80% FC served as control. Relative to 80% FC treatment, soil bulk density increased, moisture content decreased significantly, and plant available K, Ca, and Mg and percentage N decreased transiently in the soil subjected to 60% and 35% FC irrigation rates. There were no significant differences between the measured growth attributes and malondialdehyde content of the seedlings irrigated at 80% FC and those irrigated at 60% and 35% FC. In addition, seedlings in the 35% and 60% FC treatments deployed non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant machinery to overwhelm the oxidative burst in their chloroplasts. Conclusively, the minimum irrigation rate for optimum growth of the tree seedlings was 35% FC. The practice of a 60% and 35% FC irrigation rate for tree production in the nursery was a viable water-saving strategy, and a 35% FC watering rate was beneficial for enhancing the tolerance of the tested trees. Irrespective of irrigation rate, biochar application improved soil's physical and chemical properties, moisture content, and plant-available macronutrients. Biochar amendment also produced the most vigorous seedlings at an 80% FC irrigation rate, enhanced the measured attributes of seedlings irrigated at 60% FC, alleviated the adverse effects, and strengthened the tolerance of tree seedlings in the 35% FC watering rate. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:27 PDT
Authors:Josh Rosa Abstract: This article provides practice-informed advice, guided by and responsive to theory, for policymakers who seek to improve their environmental policies by generating their own informational value from their interactions with stakeholders. First, the article explains a self-reinforcing opaqueness of conventional environmental policymaking and how this opaqueness disproportionately and cumulatively impacts underrepresented communities. Drawing from the literature of social ecology, political economy, and political methodology, the article adumbrates opaqueness’ contributions to environmental injustice and identifies potential benefits of a more informative approach to stakeholder engagement. Next, the article explains specific methods that policymakers can use to convert stakeholder input into greater awareness of the costs, benefits, risks, and tradeoffs presented by a given environmental policymaking. By conducting stakeholder engagement as an interactive and investigative pursuit, oriented toward underrepresented constituencies as well as policymakers’ own problem statement, policymakers can better inform their policies while also improving relationships with the parties those policies affect. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:18 PDT
Authors:Sintha P.W. Gunawan et al. Abstract: Yogyakarta City and its peri urban areas have experienced a rapid land cover change in the last two decades from non-urban to urban areas. Understanding the driving factors and their level of influence will facilitate well-informed decisions in planning sustainable urbanization. This study formulated a hypothesis that the area hosting a university is most likely to have higher urban area and urbanization rate and verified it by using a land change model (LCM). The LCM which implemented a multi-layer perceptron algorithm using LANDSAT 5 TM in 1999 and 2005 successfully produced a robust land change model with accuracy rate of 81.24% and model’s skill measure 0.6248, and predicted the urban area in 2030, 2040, and 2050. The urban area between LCM and Statistics Indonesia showed strong positive correlation with R2 values of 0.73 and 0.83 in 2005 and 2010 to validate the model. The model showed that urbanization in Yogyakarta city was prominently triggered by the density of universities. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis on urban area percentage, urbanization rate and number of universities in each district corroborated the presence of universities has boosted the urbanization rate in the host and neighboring districts. The findings have guided local government not only to implement policies into actions pertain to educational area development strategies but also to address the potential sustainability issues affected by those implementations. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:05 PDT
Authors:Paige S. Warren et al. Abstract: People value urban green spaces for enjoying nature and socializing with friends, family, and other park users. However, overgrown urban forests without clear access points can be perceived as dark, dangerous, and wild places. As many cities experience reduced budgets, they struggle to maintain green spaces established in more prosperous times. We conducted a descriptive analysis of how constrained parks budgets and subsequent city decisions about maintenance are associated with patterns of forest use, place attachment, and social capital and their impacts on the potential for stewardship of forested parks. We selected Springfield, Massachusetts for our study because it is typical of former industrial cities with highly constrained budgets. We used both qualitative and quantitative analyses of field observations and interviews with park users and nearby residents. We found that access to forests and park use were the strongest predictors of place attachment, and that on-site services, access, and maintenance level were the strongest predictors of use rather than surrounding socioeconomic conditions. Users valued the ecology of the sites, even while park managers highlighted invasive plants as a major maintenance issue. Even though many sites had low levels of use, there remains a strong sense of ownership, community, and safety. Taken together, there is a great deal of untapped stewardship potential in the city, with few organized avenues for users and residents to engage in stewardship. The findings support the hypothesized ‘virtuous circle’ whereby higher levels of maintenance and access beget greater use and attachment, which motivates stewardship. Alternatively, the more neglected forested parks become, the less use they will have, and the more unknown and unloved they will become. In high use sites, some outreach may be all that is needed to move into the ‘virtuous circle,’ while greater interventions will be needed in low use sites with no facilities, and these sites are the ones at greatest risk. Since the long-term sustainability of urban forests requires that local residents appreciate, use, and steward them, Springfield and other post-industrial cities need to find creative models for supporting greater involvement of residents in park stewardship while recognizing these residents frequently inhabit communities under stress. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:59:50 PDT
Authors:Laura Marsh et al. Abstract: Many North American landbirds undergo biannual migrations, which are energetically costly. Quality stopover sites are crucial to avian survival, as they provide opportunities to quickly replenish fat stores, rest, and avoid predation. One component of habitat quality that is often overlooked is the level of pedestrian activity, which birds may interpret as a predatory threat. If intrusion levels are high, birds will flush repeatedly and may not adequately restore energy reserves, which hinders successful migration. We compared body mass index between birds at different intrusion levels, testing the hypothesis that birds near continuous intrusion will be in poorer condition. Results between migratory guilds indicate long-distance migrants were in poorer condition in areas with high pedestrian activity. In contrast, resident species captured in high activity areas were in better condition than those captured in areas with lower activity. Since Neotropical migrants show increased sensitivity to human presence, conservation measures should focus on reducing pedestrian activity for quality stopover habitats. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:59:40 PDT
Open Access journal
[4 journals]
