A Preliminary Exploration of the Functional Value Assessment of Ecosystem Services in Aral City

Using the principles and methods of eco-economics as the research object, Aral City comprehensively expounds the ecological service functions such as ecosystem regulation of climate, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water conservation and purification environment, and evaluates its economic value.The total value of the estimated 2021 is 1303.65 million yuan. At the same time, the importance of ecological service functions of urban ecosystems, from large to small, is to sequester carbon and release oxygen, purify the environment, maintain soil, conserd water sources, regulate the climate. The ecosystem service function which needs to be paid attention to in the concept of ecological construction and restoration of the next stage of ecological construction in Aral City.

Urban Green Innovation Ecosystem to Improve the Environmental Sustainability

This chapter is aimed to analyze the relationships between environmental sustainability, urban ecosystems, and green innovation. The method employed is the critical analytical review of literature and further discussion on the issues focusing the city´s experience on managing the formulation, generation, development, implementation and evaluation of new behaviors and ideas in green innovation. It is concluded that the green innovation is directly related with the environmental sustainability and urban ecosystems. The interest of this analysis lies in providing support to urban settlements in managing the risks inherent in green area innovation, incremental or radical as a community’s management would experience in relation to the environmental sustainability in urban ecosystems.

Analysis of the contribution of urban Innovation Ecosystem to Environmental Sustainability

This paper is aimed to analyze the relationships between environmental sustainability, urban ecosystems and green innovation. The method employed is the critical analytical review of literature and further discussion on the issues focusing the city´s experience on managing the formulation, generation, development, implementation and evaluation of new behaviors and ideas in green innovation. It is concluded that the green innovation is directly related with the environmental sustainability and urban ecosystems. The interest of this analysis lies in providing support to urban settlements in managing the risks inherent in green area innovation, incremental or radical as a community’s management would experience in relation to the environmental sustainability in urban ecosystems.

Total carbon stock in Langsa Urban Forest, Langsa City, Aceh Province

The existence of forests as a life support system has provided benefits for human life, especially in the current era where environmental issues regarding climate change and global warming are starting to emerge. The existence of forest areas is called green open space or urban forest. The existence of urban forests is very important for the balance of the microclimate in urban areas. Langsa City Forest is an area with an area of about 10 hectares which functions for the preservation, harmony and balance of urban ecosystems which include environmental, social and cultural elements. Determination of the sample using purposive sampling method with random start. Sampling technique used 12 plots with an area of about 10 hectares, tree biomass calculation using allometric equations. Data obtained from the Langsa City Forest in the calculation of carbon in 12 plots, the plot that has the highest amount of carbon is 6 with a value of 225.74 tC/Ha and the plot that has the amount of carbon with the lowest value is 1 with a value of 16.54 tC/Ha. The average carbon value in Langsa City Forest is 119.07 tC/Ha. There are 5 plots that have the highest average value, namely plots 2, 6, 8, 9, and 10 also 7 plots have below the average value, namely plots 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 12. Total carbon plots in the forest Langsa City is 1428.84 tC/Ha with an average carbon in the area of 119.07 tC/Ha and a standard deviation of 65.35 tC/Ha. The information about carbon uptake on vegetation shows that the existence of urban forest is very important for the balance of the microclimate in urban areas of Langsa City.

Urban ecosystems assessment: An integrated approach to maintenance of habitats and their biodiversity

Natural habitats and their biodiversity are usually associated with protected areas, incompatible with direct anthropogenic influence. Is there a biodiversity in urban environment, what is the role of peri-urban areas to the provision of species richness and is their potential being properly utilized? These are current issues that deserve the attention of decision-makers because the human's need of natural environment in cities is expressed more intensely than in any previous period in history. Green and blue infrastructure elements, being part of the larger system of urban ecosystems, provide an essential and proven benefits to the city dwellers, like health improvement, opportunities for nature-based daily outdoor recreation, strengthening sense of place etc. The main objective of this research is to assess this part of the landscape elements in urban and peri-urban environment, which are most supportive to the maintenance of habitats and their biodiversity. Selected Functional urban area with center city of Burgas is choosen for a case study. The urban ecosystems are assessed in GIS environment with unified indicator (based on City Biodiversity Index approach) according to 5 criteria: hemeroby index, share of protected areas, fragmentation index, presence of water and species richness. The assessment is performed on two spatial levels: within Functional urban area by Urban Atlas spatial units and within urban core – by grid cells (local climate zones). The final higher scores identify areas that provide the greatest extent the maintenance of habitats and their biodiversity. The results could support the urban planning and help to optimize the link between the natural elements within the Functional urban areas, providing ecological, economic and social benefits to the regions through the enhancement of the urban ecosystem’s functions and their services.

A Novel Approach for the Assessment of Cities through Ecosystem Integrity

To tackle urban heterogeneity and complexity, several indices have been proposed, commonly aiming to provide information for decision-makers. In this study, we propose a novel and customizable procedure for quantifying urban ecosystem integrity. Based on a citywide approach, we developed an easy-to-use index that contrasts physical and biological variables of urban ecosystems with a given reference system. The Urban Ecosystem Integrity Index (UEII) is the sum of the averages from the variables that make up its intensity of urbanization and biological components. We applied the UEII in a Mexican tropical city using land surface temperature, built cover, and the richness of native plants and birds. The overall ecosystem integrity of the city, having montane cloud, tropical dry, and temperate forests as reference systems, was low (−0.34 ± SD 0.32), showing that, beyond its biodiverse greenspace network, the built-up structure highly differs from the ecosystems of reference. The UEII showed to be a flexible and easy-to-calculate tool to evaluate ecosystem integrity for cities, allowing for comparisons between or among cities, as well as the sectors/regions within cities. If used properly, the index could become a useful tool for decision making and resource allocation at a city level.

Integrating Quantity and Quality to Assess Urban Green Space Improvement in the Compact City

Urban green space (UGS) has gained much attention in terms of urban ecosystems and human health. Measures to improve green space in compact cities are important for urban sustainability. However, there is a knowledge gap between UGS improvement and planning management. Based on the integration of quantity and quality, this research aims to identify UGS changes during urban development and suggest ways to improve green space. We analyse land use changes, conduct a hotspot analysis of land surface temperature (LST) between 2005 and 2015 at the city scale, and examine the changes in small, medium and large patches at the neighbourhood scale to guide decision-makers in UGS management. The results show that (i) the redevelopment of urban brownfields is an effective method for increasing quantity, with differences depending on regional functions; (ii) small, medium and large patches of green space have significance in terms of improving the quality of temperature mitigation, with apparent coldspot clustering from 2005 to 2015; and (iii) the integration of UGS quality and quantity in planning management is beneficial to green space sustainability. Green space improvement needs to emphasize the integration of UGS quantity and quality to accommodate targeted planning for local conditions.