1,130 Results Found

Our main objective is to highlight the profound disconnect between natural and anthropic elements within urban areas, with particular reference to the morpho-functional dimensions of the urban and territorial pattern. Heterogeneity in the elements un...

With the rapid development of urbanization, it is an important goal for urban green space (UGS) to meet the needs of residents’ production and life using a supply–demand evaluation method of ecosystem service (ES). However, most studies h...

As urban areas expand worldwide, the importance of ecosystem services provided by urban and peri-urban areas (ESs) increases, especially those that mitigate the effects of ongoing climate change. We present a relatively simple method to assess the pe...

It is vital to conduct urban ecosystem service evaluations and demarcate ecological management zoning to preserve regional ecological security and the spatial optimization of urban functions. This study assessed and examined the spatial distribution...

Urban green infrastructure (UGI) is a network composed of natural and semi-natural areas, such as greenspaces, open areas, and water bodies, designed to enhance the provision of ecosystem services and to meet the needs and expectations of local commu...

Amidst rapid urbanization, balancing ecological protection with development demands has become a critical challenge for sustainable planning. This article collected data on the natural geography and socio-economic aspects of Fuzhou City and quantifie...

Amid the rapid socio-economic development of urban fringe areas, promoting the multi-functional supply of ecosystems and sustainable development is essential. Taking Jiangning District in Nanjing as a case study, this study explores the relationships...

The differentiation in the urbanization level’s impact on the supply–demand budgets of ecosystem services (ESs) from the perspective of the major function-oriented areas is of great significance for formulating sustainable development str...

Urban green planning is crucial in promoting sustainable urban ecosystems through the mindful use of vegetation, but few approaches are currently able to account for the ecosystem services provided by urban green planning in ex ante planning applicat...

Identifying ecological functional areas by clarifying the trade-off synergies of multiple ecosystem services to meet the practical needs of coordinating different ecosystem services in a specific region is highly important. Based on InVEST, RUSLE and...

Cities, as the quintessential socio-technological artifacts of human civilization, are seen to set us apart from nature. But an ecosystem view from nested scale-hierarchical process-function ecology shows us that cities are best seen as the emergent...

Vigorous emphasis has been placed on optimizing land spatial planning to protect carbon storage and enhance ecosystem resilience. What is the effectiveness of the Major Function-Oriented Zone (MFOZ) planning implemented to achieve this goal in China?...

Urban aquatic ecosystems are increasingly shaped by anthropogenic pressures that alter community structure and ecological functioning. This study investigates how the functional organization of zooplankton communities reflects ecosystem stability alo...

Urbanization results to a wide spread of Technosols. Various materials are used for Technosols’ construction with a limited attention to their ecosystem services or disservices. The research focuses on the integral assessment of soil-like materials u...

Between 2022 and 2023, the urban soils of Forlì (NE Italy) were surveyed, sampled, analyzed, and mapped over an area of ca. 5700 ha, of which 2820 were sealed. The outcomes of the survey allowed the integration of the existing knowledge about...

This article seeks to initiate research into traditional rural hedging techniques, hedge types, and hedgerow networks for the purpose of their potential adaptation as urban green systems (UGS). The research involves three scales: (1) the plant scale...

Urban expansion alters environmental conditions, influencing tree physiology and performance. Urban trees provide cooling, sequester carbon, support biodiversity, filter contaminants, and enhance human health. This study examines how two common urban...

Urban environmental monitoring increasingly requires methods that translate Earth observation (EO) data into spatial units relevant to ecosystem-service assessment and planning. This study develops a landscape-unit framework for smart monitoring of u...

Urban fringe areas are highly heterogeneous transition zones where rapid land-use change intensifies conflicts among food production, water regulation, and ecological functions. This study integrated remote-sensing products with meteorological, soil,...

Promotion of mental well-being is a desired goal of service in sustainable urban forest management. Microclimate is impacted by forest settings which makes ecosystem services perceived by users. Changes of regional meteorological factors drive respon...

Peri-urban rural system rehabilitation is pivotal to the socio-ecological balanced functioning of urban systems. In this paper, we investigate the performance of agroforestry participative practices in rehabilitating peri-urban belts (in-field produc...

Urban areas worldwide face significant pressure from population growth and urban expansion, resulting in habitat loss. Urban planners need to develop a comprehensive strategy for protecting, restoring and enhancing natural heritage (such as natural f...

Urban soils are subject to intense anthropogenic disturbance, often resulting in biodiversity loss and reduced ecosystem functionality. However, rhizospheric microbial communities help maintain critical soil-ecosystem services, supporting urban soil...

Due to urban expansion, economic development, and rapid population growth, land use/land cover (LULC) is changing in major cities around the globe. Quantitative analysis of LULC change is important for studying the corresponding impact on the ecosyst...

Urban small wetlands face eutrophication. Using 15 small wetlands in Jinan, China, we analyzed phytoplankton community and trait responses to eutrophication. Based on autumn TLI (2020–2022), wetlands were classified into oligotrophic (3), mesot...

By 2050, 68% of the world’s population will likely live in cities. Human settlements depend on resources, benefits, and services from ecosystems, but they also tend to deplete ecosystem health. To address this situation, a new urban design and...

Urban agglomerations have become a new geographical unit in China, breaking the administrative fortresses between cities, which means that the population and economic activities between cities will become more intensive in the future. Constructing an...

Urban construction land expansion damages natural ecological patches, changing the relationship between residents and ecological land. This is widespread due to global urbanization. Considering nature and society in urban planning, we have establishe...

This study evaluated nutrient flux (nitrate (NO₃⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺), phosphate (PO₄³⁻), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at the sediment-water interface and river ecosystem metabolism (REM) to investigate how these ecological functions...

Nowadays, the increasing rate of human population in urban areas and the importance of urban functions pose a number of ecological cross-boundary challenges. The scientific research of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries revealed dramatic conseq...

Urban expressway interchanges, though primarily engineered for traffic efficiency, also serve as crucial ecological nodes within urban landscapes. This study evaluates the ecological functions of arborous vegetation across four typical interchange co...

Long-term changes in land-use and water quality degradation are key pressures on riverine ecosystems, yet their effects on the functional structure of fish assemblages remain insufficiently quantified. We conducted a decadal assessment of fish assemb...

Introduced species of trees and shrubs used in landscaping of cities in the steppe zone are exposed to the combined negative impact of the ever-increasing load of various anthropogenic factors and unfavorable zonal natural and climatic conditions. In...

Urban expansion in Europe is accelerating, increasing impermeable surfaces and intensifying climate-related pressures, while reducing the capacity of natural and semi-natural habitats to regulate climate. Despite growing interest in ecosystem service...

Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are an important tool for sustainable urban stormwater management, controlling the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff in cities. Beyond their engineering purpose, SWMPs may hold ecological value that is ofte...

The biodiversity of urban and post-industrial ecosystems is a highly relevant and growing new frontier in ecological research. Even so, the functionality of these ecosystems may not always be successfully predicted based on prior biodiversity and eco...

Rivers and reservoirs in urban areas have been associated with environmental quality problems because of the discharge of domestic waste into water bodies. However, the key effects and the extent to which environmental factors can influence the integ...

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are multidimensional, resource-efficient, and sustainable growth approaches to cope with current challenges, including biodiversity and carbon loss, pollution, climate change and land degradation. Amongst NbS, urban fores...

Urban soils are the most vulnerable component of the current terrestrial ecosystem. Due to the anthropogenic influence, various pollutants can accumulate in the soils and have a negative effect on the health of citizens. As a result of the degradatio...

In recent times, the misleading belief that the indiscriminate planting of a million trees is the panacea to some of the most serious and urgent environmental problems of our planet (such as soil erosion, climate change, etc.) has gained increasing p...

Urban green spaces play a fundamental role in maintaining ecological stability, supporting biodiversity, regulating urban microclimates, and improving human wellbeing. Because photosynthetic activity is a key indicator of vegetation functionality and...

The UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) comprise core conservation areas supported by a buffer and transition zone of sustainable development. This zoning can help manage urbanisation around conservation areas. Although it is UNESCO policy to measure the...

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is emerging as a cost-effective approach for helping people adapt to climate and non-climate changes. Nowadays, climate change and urbanization have affected agricultural systems, but it is not clear how rural communi...

Dense urban areas are facing relevant issues related to their high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and ecosystem health. The study presents a case study of a regeneration project with Nature-based Solutions in the city of Genoa (Italy)...

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) of urban wetland parks (UWPs) can be priced according to monetary values. Urban green and blue spaces (UGS and UBS, respectively) provide stands of nature in UWPs, wherein visitors’ emotions related to the enjo...

The current awareness of the high importance of urban green leads to a stronger need for tools to comprehensively represent urban green and its benefits. A common scientific approach is the development of urban ecosystem services (UES) based on remot...

In the light of ongoing global urbanization and the high pace of resource consumption, there is an urgent need to foster compact cities. Currently, however, we lack integrative guidelines on how to manage trade-offs between urban densification and th...

For the first time, a mycological analysis of outdoor urban environment (air, leaves, sealed surfaces) was carried in the cities of subarctic (Murmansk) and temperate (Moscow) climatic zones. The chemical composition of dust deposited on leaves of do...

Green infrastructures deliver countless functions for counteracting climate change, air pollution, floods, and heat islands, contributing at the same time to water and carbon recycling as well as to renewable energies and feedstock provisioning. Prop...

With the widespread population growth in cities, anthropogenic influences inevitably lead to natural disturbances. The metropolitan area of Istanbul, with its rapid urbanization rate, has faced intense pressure regarding the sustainability of urban h...