Scaling-Up the Management and Conservation of Urban Biodiversity

Susannah B. Lerman, Josep Padullés Cubino, Mark A. Goddard

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Urban landscapes constitute a complex mosaic of vegetation or green spaces that serve as habitat patches. These relatively small, fragmented, and often isolated habitat patches within the urban matrix support the persistence of many species. Yet the quality, composition, and size of habitat patches varies tremendously, depending on a myriad of social and ecological factors. In this chapter, we focus on how these factors, which operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales, influence urban biodiversity patterns and the composition and configuration of habitat patches. We use residential yards as a focal point given that their spatial coverage and connection throughout the urban matrix represents a significant opportunity for biodiversity conservation. We highlight how scaling informs urban planning and how a holistic multi-scale approach to urban biodiversity management, policy, and planning can address potential scale mismatches. We conclude that future studies include multiple scales, cities, and taxon within an interdisciplinary framework. This approach can increase our understanding of how human decisions interact with environmental and spatial heterogeneity at multiple scales and how these decisions scale up and shape urban biodiversity.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRoutledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity
EditorsCharles H. Nilon, Myla F.J. Aronson
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Chapter10
Pages127-140
Number of pages14
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9781003016120
ISBN (Print)9780367444549
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 16 Oct 2023

Publication series

NameRoutledge Environment and Sustainability Handbooks
PublisherRoutledge

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