Publications (FIS)

Understanding biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships in urban areas: A comprehensive literature review

authored by: Nina Schwarz, Marco Moretti, Miguel N. Bugalho, Zoe G. Davies, Dagmar Haase, Jochen Hack, Angela Hof, Yolanda Melero, Tristan J. Pett, Sonja Knapp
Abstract: Positive relationships between biodiversity and urban ecosystem services (UES) are widely implied within both the scientific and policy literatures, along with the tacit suggestion that enhancing urban green infrastructure will automatically improve both biodiversity and UES. However, it is unclear how much published empirical evidence exists to support these assumptions. We conducted a review of studies published between 1990 and May 2017 that examined urban biodiversity ecosystem service (BES) relationships. In total, we reviewed 317 publications and found biodiversity and UES metrics mentioned 944 times. Only 228 (24%) of the 944 mentions were empirically tested. Among these, 119 (52%) demonstrated a positive BES relationship. Our review showed that taxonomic metrics were used most often as proxies for biodiversity, with very little attention given to functional biodiversity metrics. Similarly, the role of particular species, including non-natives, and specific functional traits are understudied. Finally, we found a paucity of empirical evidence underpinning urban BES relationships. As urban planners increasingly incorporate UES delivery consideration to their decision-making, researchers need to address these substantial knowledge gaps to allow potential trade-offs and synergies between biodiversity conservation and the promotion of UES to be adequately accounted for.
External Organisation(s): University of Twente
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)
Technical University of Lisbon (UTL)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Italy
University of Kent
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Technische Universität Darmstadt
University of Salzburg
CREAF - Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Type: Article
Journal: Ecosystem Services
Volume: 27
Pages: 161-171
No. of pages: 11
ISSN: 2212-0416
Publication date: 01.10.2017
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Geography, Planning and Development, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Global and Planetary Change, Ecology
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.08.014 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{23515a807d524c6594366ecdbbc9f45f,
title = "Understanding biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships in urban areas: A comprehensive literature review",
abstract = "Positive relationships between biodiversity and urban ecosystem services (UES) are widely implied within both the scientific and policy literatures, along with the tacit suggestion that enhancing urban green infrastructure will automatically improve both biodiversity and UES. However, it is unclear how much published empirical evidence exists to support these assumptions. We conducted a review of studies published between 1990 and May 2017 that examined urban biodiversity ecosystem service (BES) relationships. In total, we reviewed 317 publications and found biodiversity and UES metrics mentioned 944 times. Only 228 (24%) of the 944 mentions were empirically tested. Among these, 119 (52%) demonstrated a positive BES relationship. Our review showed that taxonomic metrics were used most often as proxies for biodiversity, with very little attention given to functional biodiversity metrics. Similarly, the role of particular species, including non-natives, and specific functional traits are understudied. Finally, we found a paucity of empirical evidence underpinning urban BES relationships. As urban planners increasingly incorporate UES delivery consideration to their decision-making, researchers need to address these substantial knowledge gaps to allow potential trade-offs and synergies between biodiversity conservation and the promotion of UES to be adequately accounted for.",
author = "Nina Schwarz and Marco Moretti and Bugalho, {Miguel N.} and Davies, {Zoe G.} and Dagmar Haase and Jochen Hack and Angela Hof and Yolanda Melero and Pett, {Tristan J.} and Sonja Knapp",
note = "Funding information: This paper resulted from the workshop entitled {\textquoteleft}Urban biodiversity for the delivery of ecosystem services{\textquoteright} at the conference {\textquoteleft}Nature and Urban Wellbeing: Nature-Based Solutions to Societal Changes{\textquoteright} in Ghent, Belgium, 18-20 May 2015. The conference was organised by ALTER-Net (European Ecosystem Research Network) and European Commission. We thank {\AA}.A. Borg-Pedersen and GREEN SURGE team members for discussions and feedback. Financial support has been provided by the Helmholtz Foundation (Topic {\textquoteleft}Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services{\textquoteright}; N.S. and S.K.), Portuguese National Science Foundation (FCT Principal Investigator research contract IF/01171/2014; M.N.B.), EU FP7 collaborative project GREEN SURGE (FP7-ENV.2013.6.2-5-603567; D.H.), ENABLE (BiodivERsA COFUND 2015-2016 Joint Call), Swire Foundation (T.P.) and a Beatriu de Pinos – B grant (2013 BP-B 00168) from AGAUR (Y.M.). The authors would like to express their gratitude to two anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.",
year = "2017",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.08.014",
language = "English",
volume = "27",
pages = "161--171",
journal = "Ecosystem Services",
issn = "2212-0416",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
}