Evaluating green infrastructure in urban environments using a multi-taxa and functional diversity approach

Area of Science:

• Urban Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Ecosystem Services

Background:

• Urban forests support significant biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services.
• Biodiversity in urban green spaces is threatened by human disturbances like pollution and urban heat islands.
• Current strategies often assume all green cover equally benefits species, overlooking nuanced ecological needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate that not all urban forests are equally important for biodiversity.
• To utilize a multi-taxa and functional diversity approach to value urban green infrastructure.
• To inform better management of urban green spaces for enhanced ecosystem services.

Main Methods:

• Assessed biodiversity across lichens, butterflies, other arthropods, birds, and mammals in 31 Mediterranean urban forests.
• Identified bird and lichen functional groups sensitive to urbanization.
• Analyzed forest characteristics, surrounding matrix (urban areas), and functional diversity.

Main Results:

• Observed a community shift from sensitive to tolerant species along urbanization gradients.
• Found that vegetation density and the extent of surrounding urban areas (matrix) were more critical for biodiversity than forest size alone.
• Developed an index of forest functional diversity for sampled areas.

Conclusions:

• Urban forest importance for biodiversity varies, challenging the assumption of uniform value.
• The surrounding urban matrix significantly impacts biodiversity within urban forests.
• The forest functional diversity index can guide urban green infrastructure management for improved ecosystem services.