Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Finalista do Southwood Prize 2022 Este post também está disponível em inglês aqui. Douglas Cirino discute o artigo dele e de colegas de pesquisa que explora como as paisagens urbanas são mais saudáveis aquelas que compartilham o espaço da cidade com a vegetação. São Paulo Ao chegar pela primeira vez em São Paulo, a maior metrópole do mundo fora da Ásia, fiquei chocado com a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: A distribuição espacial equilibrada das áreas verdes cria paisagens urbanas mais saudáveis

Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Shortlisted for the Southwood Prize 2022 This post is also available in Brazilian Portuguese here. Douglas Cirino discusses his and research colleagues’ article which explores how healthier urban landscapes are those that share city space with greenery. São Paulo Upon arriving in São Paulo, the largest metropolis in the world outside of Asia, I was shocked by the amount of concrete used to build the city. As a … Continue reading Douglas Cirino: Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Urban wetland conservation may unintentionally benefit mosquitoes

As urban wetlands become more prevalent, Jayne Hanford and colleagues look into how other species, not just those of conservation focus, might benefit from our management efforts. What happens when those additional species could be problematic for nearby human populations? Wetlands are one of the world’s most valuable but also most threatened ecosystems. The services they provide include biodiversity conservation, flood mitigation, water purification, and … Continue reading Urban wetland conservation may unintentionally benefit mosquitoes

Why ecology matters

This week, the British Ecological Society are attending New Scientist Live to showcase Incredible Creatures and bring ecological research to a wider audience. Focused across four zones; jungle, water, nocturnal, and people and nature, we’re excited to share the value of ecology in tackling the biggest challenges faced by our natural world. To celebrate this, we’ve brought together Why Ecology Matters; a selection of articles … Continue reading Why ecology matters

Green infrastructure: greenwashing or a tangible contribution to urban biodiversity?

What impact does green infrastructure really have on biodiversity in our cities? Associate Editor, Margaret Stanley looks at the recent synthesis and meta-analysis on this topic from Alessandro Filazzola and colleagues. Given the impact of urbanisation on biodiversity, there’s been growing momentum around the world for putting green infrastructure into cities. It’s often designed to support ecosystem services, such as stormwater regulation, but with implied … Continue reading Green infrastructure: greenwashing or a tangible contribution to urban biodiversity?

Spotlight: management of wide-ranging species

In issue 56:8 we showcase the research, technology and mitigation efforts going into the management of wide-ranging species today. Join Associate Editor, Johan du Toit in exploring this selection of work, free to read in the journal for a limited time. The ability to range widely across our planet conveys a game-changing advantage to certain animals, as was realised by humans when they discovered that … Continue reading Spotlight: management of wide-ranging species

Measuring the ‘urbanness’ of a bird community

Harnessing the power of global citizen science data sets to improve local understanding, Corey T. Callaghan (Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney) introduces the Urban Greenspace Integrity Index as a means to track restoration efforts in urban areas. Restoring urban biodiversity has many benefits (for examples, see here, here, or here), but what should we actually be focusing on in our restoration efforts? If we … Continue reading Measuring the ‘urbanness’ of a bird community

Virtual Issue: Urban Ecosystems

An increasingly prevalent part of applied ecology, urban ecosystems provide us with both new challenges and opportunities to make the most of the natural resources around us. In a new Virtual Issue, Executive Editor Marc Cadotte brings together some of the recent research published in the journal that aims to bring environmental benefits to our cities’ inhabitants. The articles are free to read for a … Continue reading Virtual Issue: Urban Ecosystems

Integrating ecosystem services into environmental decision making

How can institutions and decision makers better work with practitioners to deliver an effective ecosystem services approach in a world of competing priorities? Read the questions posed by Alina Congreve and Iain Cross, and share your thoughts in the comments below. The related challenges of climate change and biodiversity conservation require decision makers to develop an effective range of policy solutions. One approach is to … Continue reading Integrating ecosystem services into environmental decision making

How to manage city trees in a changing climate?

Without sufficient water, urban trees are susceptible to other stressors, including insect pests. Associate Editor, Pieter De Frenne (Ghent University, Belgium) explains how Meineke and Frank’s recent paper, Water availability drives urban tree growth responses to herbivory and warming, provides key research into the management of a vital ecosystem service. Cities are hot. Not only to taste the best latte macchiato in the fanciest coffee … Continue reading How to manage city trees in a changing climate?