Public Investment Policy as a Driver of Changes in the Ecosystem Services Delivery by an Urban Green Infrastructure

AbstractThe presented study considers the impact of public expenditure related to land development on the potential of an urban green infrastructure to provide ecosystem services (ES). The study site (Szachty) is located in Poznań, the fifth largest city in Poland. In the article, we recognised the type of expenditure (permanent infrastructure and ongoing maintenance), the costs and the influence on ES (stimulating, weakening or no relevant). The study shows that the financial policy concerning the study area is focused on creating an infrastructure that enhances cultural ecosystem services (CES). However, the creation of recreational facilities weakens the potential of the area for supplying regulating services concerning maintaining nursery populations and habitats. The results highlight the need for scientific support for policymakers in understanding the synergies and trade-offs between ES, resulting from financial decisions. This is particularly important in the decision-making process in the areas of high natural value, in which full, long-term effects of the decisions may be barely visible and incomprehensible for the society. Showing the impact of financial decisions on the structure and level of ES may provide arguments supporting a more complex and high-quality social dialogue, including balancing the interests of various stakeholders.

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Regulating and Cultural Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Nordic Countries: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18031219 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1219

Author(s):

Jorge H. Amorim ◽

Magnuz Engardt ◽

Christer Johansson ◽

Isabel Ribeiro ◽

Magnus Sannebro

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Plant Traits ◽

Well Being ◽

Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

Nordic Countries ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Urban Green ◽

Holistic Understanding ◽

Urban Green Infrastructure

In the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) has been traditionally targeted at reducing flood risk. However, other Ecosystem Services (ES) became increasingly relevant in response to the challenges of urbanization and climate change. In total, 90 scientific articles addressing ES considered crucial contributions to the quality of life in cities are reviewed. These are classified as (1) regulating ES that minimize hazards such as heat, floods, air pollution and noise, and (2) cultural ES that promote well-being and health. We conclude that the planning and design of UGI should balance both the provision of ES and their side effects and disservices, aspects that seem to have been only marginally investigated. Climate-sensitive planning practices are critical to guarantee that seasonal climate variability is accounted for at high-latitude regions. Nevertheless, diverging and seemingly inconsistent findings, together with gaps in the understanding of long-term effects, create obstacles for practitioners. Additionally, the limited involvement of end users points to a need of better engagement and communication, which in overall call for more collaborative research. Close relationships and interactions among different ES provided by urban greenery were found, yet few studies attempted an integrated evaluation. We argue that promoting interdisciplinary studies is fundamental to attain a holistic understanding of how plant traits affect the resulting ES; of the synergies between biophysical, physiological and psychological processes; and of the potential disservices of UGI, specifically in Nordic cities.

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A review of empirical studies of cultural ecosystem services in urban green infrastructure

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112895 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 293 ◽

pp. 112895

Author(s):

Xin Cheng ◽

Sylvie Van Damme ◽

Pieter Uyttenhove

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Infrastructure

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IoT Monitoring of Urban Tree Ecosystem Services: Possibilities and Challenges

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11070775 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 775 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Victor Matasov ◽

Luca Belelli Marchesini ◽

Alexey Yaroslavtsev ◽

Giovanna Sala ◽

Olga Fareeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Real Time ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Development Planning ◽

Sustainable Urban Development ◽

Anthropogenic Pressure ◽

Real Time Monitoring ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Infrastructure

Urban green infrastructure plays an increasingly significant role in sustainable urban development planning as it provides important regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Monitoring of such dynamic and complex systems requires technological solutions which provide easy data collection, processing, and utilization at affordable costs. To meet these challenges a pilot study was conducted using a network of wireless, low cost, and multiparameter monitoring devices, which operate using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, to provide real-time monitoring of regulatory ecosystem services in the form of meaningful indicators for both human health and environmental policies. The pilot study was set in a green area situated in the center of Moscow, which is exposed to the heat island effect as well as high levels of anthropogenic pressure. Sixteen IoT devices were installed on individual trees to monitor their ecophysiological parameters from 1 July to 31 November 2019 with a time resolution of 1.5 h. These parameters were used as input variables to quantify indicators of ecosystem services related to climate, air quality, and water regulation. Our results showed that the average tree in the study area during the investigated period reduced extreme heat by 2 °C via shading, cooled the surrounding area by transferring 2167 ± 181 KWh of incoming solar energy into latent heat, transpired 137 ± 49 mm of water, sequestered 8.61 ± 1.25 kg of atmospheric carbon, and removed 5.3 ± 0.8 kg of particulate matter (PM10). The values of the monitored processes varied spatially and temporally when considering different tree species (up to five to ten times), local environmental conditions, and seasonal weather. Thus, it is important to use real-time monitoring data to deepen understandings of the processes of urban forests. There is a new opportunity of applying IoT technology not only to measure trees functionality through fluxes of water and carbon, but also to establish a smart urban green infrastructure operational system for management.

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