In order to attain a better quality of life - The urban ecosystems
Increasing biodiversity loss and rapid urbanisation are two key ingredients of today’s global development pattern. At no other point in world history has biodiversity been lost at such an alarming rate, and neither have cities grown as large and as quickly as today
Biodiversity and ecosystem services are the critical foundation upon which humankind ultimately depends in order to attain a better quality of life.
This is true for cities worldwide, in which access to nature is seldom adequate, whilst demand for natural goods and services to satisfy urban lifestyles continues to increase rapidly. Ascertaining the positive and negative influences between cities and biodiversity, and understanding the role that urban nature plays in sustainability and well-being—both within and beyond city boundaries—is a complex endeavour, yet a much-needed one in our time.
It is not often well understood that urban ecosystems provide many essential ecosystem services for the city and that planning for, conserving, and managing urban and periurban biodiversity can provide many positive benefits for city dwellers.
First, it is important to highlight that urban biodiversity is crucial not only for the proper functioning of ecological processes but for the capacity of the urban area to absorb changing conditions as well. Urban health, as much as ecological health, refers to the capacity of a system to recover and self-renew. Healthy urban biodiversity can significantly add to a city's resilience to the impacts of climate change. Ecosystem services provided by urban nature include air pollution regulation, microclimate regulation, noise reduction, rainwater drainage, sewage treatment and numerous recreational/cultural services. In the same manner, food and other ecosystem services (e.g. sanitation, nutrient recycling) can be provided through urban agricultural activities.
In addition, the projected impacts of climate change—which is predicted to be one of the greatest threats to biodiversity—will pose additional challenges for urban areas, and therefore to the continued provision of ecosystem services as well. At the same time, maintaining healthy biodiversity contributes significantly to the resilience of a city in the face of climate change, as intact ecosystems can both reduce the impacts of extreme weather events and improve food and water security. Urban biodiversity can also play a role in sequestering carbon, thus managing greenhouse gas emissions.
Local culture and traditions in the management of natural resources (e.g. urban forestry and agriculture) can be key for cities to transition towards more biodiversity-friendly practices within their boundaries and beyond. The discussion on how to better integrate biodiversity in urban planning is relatively recent.
In the upcoming months, we will show you some examples, of how cities and municipalities are aiming to create a healthy environment and biodiversity in urban areas.
Stay tuned!
Readings:
https://www.x-studio.tv/projects/landscape-city/urban-biodiversity-budapest/
https://www.archdaily.com/974707/biodiversity-in-urban-environments