Biodiversity is a key motivation for European urban green space planning and management
Abstract
Abstract Many urban green spaces are ecologically degraded. Yet, when designed and managed using ecologically motivated practices, green spaces can support biodiversity. However, many municipalities have not yet adopted strategies to enhance biodiversity. To better understand the importance assigned to biodiversity in public urban green spaces, we interviewed 574 municipalities across 18 European countries. Using a standardized questionnaire, we examined the underlying motivations, management goals and the measures municipalities used to support the public acceptance of biodiverse green spaces. Most municipalities (85%) reported biodiversity as a key motivation in green space planning and management. Many provided staff training (82%) and took action to increase public acceptance (75%) of biodiversity-promoting management. The reported perceptions of municipalities’ ecological condition were mostly positive, but 19% reported declines in the last decade. Differences between municipalities could be linked to regional and structural factors such as the sealed surface of the municipality, highlighting the need for locally adaptable policies for urban biodiversity.
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Authors: Ellen De Vrieze, Ann Solveig Krouthén, Lander Baeten, Balázs Déak, Orsolya Valkó, Simon S. Moesch, Sébastien Barot, Nina Drejerska, Leonie Katharina Fischer, Oriol García‐Antúnez, Lene Gernow, Paula Gonçalves, Filipa Grilo, Monika Kamenečki, Daniel Krstonošić, Jussi Lampinen, Jean‐Christophe Lata, Ondřej Mudrák, Lena Neuenkamp, Anton Stahl Olafsson, Pedro Pinho, Nataša Pipenbaher, Klára Řehounková, Solvita Rūsiņa, Liliana Scapucci, Leonie M. Schürmann, Daria Sikorska, Piotr Sikorski, Sonja Škornik, Madara Ūdre, Domas Uogintas, Magdalena Valcheva, Francesca Zuffa, Valentin H. Klaus
Institutions: University of Helsinki, Ghent University, University of Copenhagen, Charles University, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Münster, Swiss Finance Institute, ETH Zurich, Ruhr University Bochum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, University of Stuttgart, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institute of Geography, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Bielefeld University, University of Zagreb, University of Latvia, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris, Sustainability Institute, University of Maribor, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Nature Research Centre, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research