Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Ingo KowarikDepartment of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB)
www.researchgate.net/profile/Ingo_Kowarik
Opportunities for biodiversityagainst climate change in urban and non-urban areas
Traditional perspective:Climate change as a threat to biodiversity
Today: Opportunities for biodiversityas part of nature based solutions
Opportunities for biodiversityagainst climate change in urban and non-urban areas
Nature = biodiversity ?
Are nature based solutions automatically
biodiversity-friendly solutions?
No!
Many approaches cover biodiversityonly at a structural level
Opportunities to involve biodiversity innature based solutions in urban / ruralregions
1. Natural remnant ecosystems(e.g. forests, wetlands)
2. Agricultural ecosystems
3. Designed urban greenspaces (e.g. parks, gardens,tree plantings)
4. Novel urban ecosystems(e.g. roofs, wastelands)
1. Natural remnant ecosystems
Conservation / restoration of natural floodplain systems=> Water retention (ecosystem level)
=> Restoration of rare grassland types as added value
1. Natural remnant ecosystems
Conservation / restoration of natural floodplain systems=> Water retention (ecosystem level)
=> Biodiversity mostly on the backseat
2. Agricultural ecosystems
Maintaining grassland productivity in face of extremeclimate events
=> Biodiversity as driver of adaptation
Nature 2015
Increased resistanceof grassland for abroad range ofclimate eventswet / dry, moderate /extreme, brief / prolongedevents
3. Designed urban green spaces
Vulnerability of urban residents: Thermal pollution in Berlin (at night)today and in 2050 (Urban Development Plan on Climate, Berlin 2011)
3. Designed urban green spaces
Green spaces (parks, trees…)• Reduce heat island effects
• Support the retention of runoff
• Provide cultural ecosystem services
Few evidence of positive relationship between speciesrichness and appreciation / self-estimated wellbeing of urbanpeople – but controversiary results exist (e.g Dallimer et al. 2012)
Fuller et al. 2007 Lindemann-Matthies et al. 2010
3. Designed urban green spaces
Example: Urban grassland
a) species poor, homogeneous vs. species rich, heterogenous
3. Designed urban green spaces
Does biodiversity matter for cultural ecosystemservices?
http://greensurge.eu/
Green Surge Field study within WP2TU Berlin & partners from Urban Learning Labs in 4 European cities
Berlin
Bari
Edinburgh
Ljubljana
Malmö
Population groups
5 European cities
3 biodiversity levels
4 U
GIt
ypes
First results indicate:
• Higher levels of biodiversity are often (but not always) preferredover lower levels of biodiversity in grassland (parks), wastelands,forests and on roadsides.
Green Surge Field study within WP2TU Berlin & partners from Urban Learning Labs in 4 European cities
=> Higher species richness=> Enhanced cultural ecosystem services
Malmö
Green Surge Field study within WP2TU Berlin & partners from Urban Learning Labs in 4 European cities
4. Novel urban ecosystems
Green roofs, wastelands
Biol. Cons. 2013
Successful tests for novel approaches in urbanrestoration ecology
Urban people
ConclusionsManifold opportunities for integrating biodiversity into “nature basedsolutions”
• Enhance biodiversity within the existing green infrastructure
• Integrate biodiversity into bio-technical solutions(e.g. retention swales)
• Test for novel approaches in urban restoration ecology
• Allow adaptation of novel urban ecosystems with native and non-native species to changing conditions
• Enhance awareness of links between biodiversity at all levels & naturebased solutions in related policies
