Questing tick abundance in urban and peri-urban parks in the French city of Lyon

Abstract Background In Europe, ticks are responsible for the transmission of several pathogens of medical importance, including bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) complex, the agents of Lyme borreliosis. In France, the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region is considered a hot spot for human tick-borne pathogen infections, with an estimated annual rate of 156 cases of Lyme borreliosis per 100,000 inhabitants. Although several studies have assessed the abundance of ticks in rural areas, little consideration has been given thus far to urban green spaces in France. Methods This study aimed to estimate tick abundance in three parks, two urban (U1, U2) and one peri-urban (PU), in and around the city of Lyon (France). A forest in a rural area was used as a control (C). Tick sampling campaigns were performed in each site in April, May, June, July, and October 2019 using the dragging method. One hundred transects of 10 m2 each were randomly chosen in each park in places frequented by humans. The sampling sessions were carried out under semi-controlled abiotic conditions. Ticks were stored in 70% ethanol and identified to species and developmental stage under a light microscope using morphological keys. Results A total of seven ticks (nymphs and adults) were collected in the two urban parks (six in U1 and one in U2), while 499 ticks were sampled in the peri-urban park. Of the 506 ticks collected, 504 were identified as Ixodes ricinus, one as Dermacentor marginatus, and one as Ixodes frontalis. In the peri-urban park, ticks were mainly collected under the forest cover and at forest edges. Tick density under forest cover was 7.1 times higher in the control site than in the peri-urban park throughout the survey period. Conclusions This study confirmed the presence of ticks in all of the parks surveyed, although their occurrence in the urban parks was very rare compared to the peri-urban park and the control site. These results should serve as a basis for the implementation of preventive measures.

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Effects of sea urchin and herbivorous gastropod removal, coupled with transplantation, on seaweed forest restoration

Botanica Marina ◽

10.1515/bot-2021-0043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Seokwoo Hong ◽

Junsu Kim ◽

Young Wook Ko ◽

Kwon Mo Yang ◽

Daniela Macias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Restoration ◽

Control Site ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

First Year ◽

Survey Period ◽

Red Algal ◽

Rapid Restoration ◽

Experimental Treatments ◽

And Control ◽

Herbivorous Gastropods

Abstract This study aims to investigate the relative effects of urchin removal, non-urchin gastropod herbivores removal, and transplantation on macroalgal forest restoration using an additive manipulation design. A field experiment was conducted in subtidal urchin barren rocks in the eastern coast of South Korea from August 2017 to June 2020 with three experimental treatments: no urchins (NU), NU plus no herbivorous gastropods (NH), NH plus Ecklonia bicyclis transplant (NHT). Six months after experiment initiation, seaweed abundance rapidly increased in all three experimental treatments. The highest peak was found in the spring season of the first year (2018). The year-to-year variations became smaller throughout the survey period. The results of comparing NU and control site indicated that urchin removal had an exclusive effect on algal recovery while additional removal of herbivorous gastropods did not affect algal recovery quantitatively. With the successful establishment of E. bicyclis, the community assemblages of the three treatments became more distinct in the subsequent years, showing diverse dominance in NU, red algal dominance in NH, and dominance of E. bicyclis canopy and understory groups in NHT. This study provides evidence that urchin removal on its own from barren grounds can lead to rapid restoration of seaweed forest in subtidal habitats.

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Community Perceptions about Participating in Urban Park Establishment in Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia

Land ◽

10.3390/land10111268 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1268

Author(s):

Bayarmaa Enkhbold ◽

Kenichi Matsui

Keyword(s):

Community Participation ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Urban Park ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

Housing Type ◽

Community Based ◽

Socio Demographic Factors ◽

Land Size

Urban parks are essential for communities to maintain and improve health, culture, and quality of life. However, Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, faces a shortage of urban parks due to overpopulation and unplanned land use. A good community-based strategy can help urban park planners and decision-makers understand residents’ needs. It can also improve livability and the urban environmental conditions at large. This paper attempts to understand residents’ perceptions about participating in urban park establishment and maintenance. As the past studies showed a lack of community participation in urban planning in Ulaanbaatar, it attempts to determine the extent to which residents perceive urban park benefits, the importance of community participation, preferred types of contribution, and willingness to contribution land in establishing urban parks in their neighborhood. In doing so, it identifies socio-demographic factors that influence their willingness to participate and contribute. A total of 600 paper-based questionnaires were randomly distributed among ger and apartment residents, and only 535 were analyzed. The result shows that approximately 73% of the respondents considered community participation very important for establishing urban parks in their neighborhood. Most respondents perceived urban park benefits as playgrounds for children, and relaxation and recreation. Respondents’ education and housing type were found significant in overall willingness to participate in park establishment and maintenance, whereas marital status and land size were observed statistically significant in the willingness of sharing some portions of their lands for park establishment in the ger area.

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Condition of urban park infrastructure in the context of perceived security of park users

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/900/1/012036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 900 (1) ◽

pp. 012036

Author(s):

P Polko ◽

K Kimic

Keyword(s):

Urban Parks ◽

Likert Scale ◽

High Impact ◽

Urban Park ◽

Personal Security ◽

Urban Greenery ◽

Sense Of Security ◽

Different Types ◽

Perceived Security ◽

Key Aspects

Abstract Personal security is one of the key aspects affected by the perception of urban greenery, which plays an important role for city dwellers. The survey conducted in Poland in 2020 (N=394) aimed to check how important for park users in context of perceived security are selected factors related to maintenance of different types of park infrastructure (condition of equipment and pavement, also condition of greenery), level of park cleanliness (filling of the rubbish bins, litter on the ground, and graffiti on different types of facilities), and elements related to the use of park space (paths, varied topography, functional aids, and water). The condition of equipment was assessed as a factor of high impact (average of 4.13 in 5-point Likert scale), as well as the presence of park paths (4.02). The results indicate that all 10 of the examined factors are recognized as important (3 and higher). They also show that both women (compared to men) and older respondents (compared to those under 60) assessed higher the importance of factors related to the condition of elements of infrastructure and pavement, as well as the level of cleanliness in urban parks in shaping their personal sense of security.

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Spatial Model Approach for Deforestation

Geographic Information Systems ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2038-4.ch113 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 1901-1912

Author(s):

Lilik B. Prasetyo ◽

Chandra Irawadi Wijaya ◽

Yudi Setiawan

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Forest Loss ◽

Road Density ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Explanatory Variables ◽

The Government ◽

Negative Impacts

Java is very densely populated since it is inhabited by more than 60% of the total population of Indonesia. Based on data from the Ministry of Forestry, forest loss between 2000-2005 in Java was about 800,000 hectares. Regardless of the debate on whether the different methodologies of forest inventory applied in 2005 have resulted in an underestimation of the figure of forest loss or not, the decrease of forest cover in Java is obvious and needs immediate response. Spatial modeling of the deforestation will assist the policy makers in understanding this process and in taking it into consideration, when decisions are made on the issue. Moreover, the results can be used as data input to solve environmental problems resulting from deforestation. The authors of this chapter modeled the deforestation in Java by using logistic regression. Percentage of deforested area was considered as the response variable, whilst biophysical and socioeconomic factors, that explain the current spatial pattern in deforestation, were assigned as explanatory variables. Furthermore, the authors predicted the future deforestation process, and then, for the case of Java, it was validated with the actual deforestation derived from MODIS satellite imageries from 2000 to 2008. Results of the study showed that the impacts of population density, road density, and slope are significant. Population density and road density have negative impacts on deforestation, while slope has positive impact. Deforestation on Java Island tends to occur in remote areas with limited access, low density population and relatively steep slopes. Implication of the model is that the government should pay more attention to remote rural areas and develop good access to accelerate and create alternative non agricultural jobs in order to reduce pressure on the forest.

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Spatial Model Approach for Deforestation

Land Use, Climate Change and Biodiversity Modeling ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-619-0.ch018 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 376-387 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lilik B. Prasetyo ◽

Chandra Irawadi Wijaya ◽

Yudi Setiawan

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Forest Loss ◽

Road Density ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Explanatory Variables ◽

The Government ◽

Negative Impacts

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Allergenic fungal spores in the air of urban parks

Aerobiologia ◽

10.1007/s10453-020-09671-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Idalia Kasprzyk ◽

Agnieszka Grinn-Gofroń ◽

Agata Ćwik ◽

Katarzyna Kluska ◽

Paloma Cariñanos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fungal Spores ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Volumetric Method ◽

Green Spaces ◽

Seasonal Occurrence ◽

Aerobiological Monitoring ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Airborne Fungal Spores ◽

Burkard Sampler

Abstract Urban green spaces, especially urban parks, are essential for the proper functioning of cities, but they can be a serious source of airborne fungal spores. Aerobiological monitoring was carried out in urban parks of different typology to estimate the risk associated with fungal spores for citizens. Volumetric method was applied with the use of portable Burkard Sampler. In the air of the studied parks, the most dominant spores are strong allergenic or considered as potentially allergenic. Cladosporium spores were found in enormous concentrations in all studied parks, and it affected the low biodiversity of fungal spores in the parks. Compared to Cladosporium, concentrations of Alternaria spores in the air were several dozen times lower, but still a risk for people who are allergic. The fungal spores spectra and their seasonal occurrence in each park were similar. The highest similarities in the patterns of the season were found in the case of Cladosporium, Alternaria, Epicoccum, and the lowest in the case of Torula and Drechslera type. Due to the fact that allergy sufferers are most often polysensitized, the period when they should limit long visits in the urban parks is July–August, when the concentration of allergenic fungal spores of many taxa is the highest.

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Physiological and Psychological Effects of Walking in Urban Parks and Its Imagery in Different Seasons in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from Matsudo City, Japan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12104003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 4003 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Prita Indah Pratiwi ◽

Qiongying Xiang ◽

Katsunori Furuya

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Older Adults ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Early Summer ◽

Psychological Effects ◽

Urban Park ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Total Mood Disturbance ◽

Different Seasons ◽

The City

The benefits of park therapy have been investigated in young adults, but rarely for middle-aged and older adults. This study evaluates the physiological and psychological effects of walking in urban parks and park therapy images in winter, spring, and early summer. The experiments were implemented in two walking courses in the urban park in Japan and involved 12 middle-aged and older adults. Participants walked on walking courses in an urban park and city street for 11–15 min. Their heart rate and blood pressure were evaluated to determine physiological responses. The Profile of Mood States (POMS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Landscape Image Sketching Technique (LIST) were used to determine psychological responses and spatial conditions. Walking in an urban park exhibited lower heart rates and blood pressure as compared to walking in the city. It was congruent with lowered negative moods, total mood disturbance (TMD) scores, and state anxiety, while the higher positive mood was observed in the urban parks as compared to the city. Images in winter displayed trees, relaxation, and comfort; in spring, water, activity, people, surrounding place, and recreational space; and in early summer, greenery, lawn, and broadness. In conclusion, walking in urban parks leads to physiological, psychological relaxation, and varied landscape appreciation.

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An Assessment of Urban Park Access Using House-Level Data in Urban China: Through the Lens of Social Equity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17072349 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 2349 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Siqi Yu ◽

Xigang Zhu ◽

Qian He

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Local Governments ◽

Green Space ◽

Housing Prices ◽

Social Equity ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Urban China ◽

Walking Distance ◽

Urban Park ◽

Level Data

The various benefits of urban green space are gaining increasing attention nowadays. Hence, the distribution of green space has become a scrutinized concern for spatial equity among local governments and the planning scholars. This study is the first quantitative evaluation of urban park accessibility using house-level data in urban China, from the perspective of social equity. We chose Nanjing as the empirical case and examined 2709 real estate units and 79 parks within the city. Accessibility is measured by the 10-min walking distance from homes to the adjacent urban parks. Using the Street Network Analysis model in ArcGIS and the statistical methods in SPSS, the result shows that 60.5% of the real estates in Nanjing are located within a 10-min walk to access urban parks. However, this accessibility is positively correlated with housing prices, and negatively correlated with the age of the buildings, holding all other factors constant. While affluent homeowners capture a high-quality green amenity, newly-built low-income communities, where most residents are classified as a vulnerable population, have the lowest percentage of accessible green space. This study reveals the existing spatial disparities of urban park accessibility among different socio-economic groups in Nanjing, China. Additionally, we found that urban redevelopment projects with greening and the large-scale affordable housing construction are pricing out the urban poor and rural immigrants from the inner city to the urban peripheral areas. This will reduce the accessibility to urban parks and other public service facilities among the lower income families, and exacerbate the inequality among the rich and the poor in terms of their quality of life. Main findings of this study can inform policy decisions regarding equitable park provision in the construction of the green city and the sustainable development in urban China and other developing countries.

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Older Adults’ Preference for Landscape Features Along Urban Park Walkways in Nanjing, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16203808 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (20) ◽

pp. 3808

Author(s):

Xinxin Wang ◽

Susan Rodiek

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Urban Park ◽

Comparison Study ◽

Chinese Sample ◽

Future Design ◽

Visual Preferences ◽

Research And Design ◽

Multiple Health

Evidence shows that walking in urban parks has multiple health benefits for older adults, but little research is available on their preference for specific walkway features. This study explored a range of common landscape and hardscape features to learn which were preferred by park users over age 60. This photo comparison study hypothesized that older adults would prefer certain features of urban park walkways, with each feature represented by four different paired images (28 pairs in all). Within each pair of photos, both were identical except for the specific feature being tested in that comparison, where the image was digitally modified to depict the hypothesized feature. A total of 283 older adults (mean age 71 years) completed the survey by selecting the images they preferred. In this Chinese sample, older park users significantly favored all seven hypothesized walkway features, providing empirical support for the existing research and design-based literature on green space for older adults. This study found minor gender differences in visual preferences for walkway features and increasing preference for access to seating with advancing age. By helping to confirm which walkway features are preferred by older adults, these findings can be used to improve the future design and management of urban parks in China, which are an important source of exercise and recreation for nearby elderly residents.

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The Distribution and Accessibility of Urban Parks in Beijing, China: Implications of Social Equity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16244894 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (24) ◽

pp. 4894 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Shu Feng ◽

Liding Chen ◽

Ranhao Sun ◽

Zhiqiang Feng ◽

Junran Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Green Space ◽

Population Distribution ◽

Social Equity ◽

Urban Parks ◽

The Elderly ◽

Urban Park ◽

Location Quotient ◽

The Social ◽

Public Green Space ◽

Beijing China

As public service facilities, urban parks offer many benefits for daily life and social activities for residents. However, the accessibility of public parks to urban residents is often unevenly distributed in spaces that cannot be utilized fully. Here, we used the urban parks in Beijing, China as a case study and examined the relationship between urban park accessibility and population distribution at different administrative levels. Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve were used to evaluate the social equity of urban park accessibility, and the location quotient was used to identify the spatial difference between urban parks and resident population. The results of our study show that the urban park accessibility varies at district and subdistrict levels and that places with more urban parks usually have higher accessibility. Very importantly, the spatial equity is different from the social equity, a mismatch exists between the spatial distribution of urban parks and population, particularly for the elderly residents. These results generate valuable insights, as, in China and many developing countries, current urban public green space planning only uses the ratio of public green space to urban construction land and the per capita public green area.

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