Monarch butterfly populations have declined by over 80% in the last 20 years. Conservation efforts focus on the creation of milkweed habitats to mitigate this decline. Previous research has found ...monarchs lay more eggs per milkweed stem in urban gardens than natural habitats and recent work identified specific garden designs that make urban gardens more attractive to monarchs. Increasing plant diversity can reduce specialist insect herbivore colonization via bottom-up (e.g., plant) and top-down (e.g., predation) regulatory factors. Although this is beneficial for pest management efforts, it contradicts conservation efforts. In this study, we explored if adding multiple flowering species to garden-sized milkweed plantings affected monarch oviposition or top-down regulation of larvae. We compared monarch egg abundance, natural enemy abundance and richness, and biological control of monarch larvae in milkweed monocultures and milkweed mixed with four additional wildflower species. We found that monarchs laid 22% more eggs on sentinel milkweed plants in mixed-species plots with no effect of plant diversity on monarch survival. We also found higher natural enemy richness, wasp, and predatory bug abundance in the mixed-species plots and this did not translate to higher biological control rates. Our results provide more evidence that plant selection and habitat design are important for monarch conservation.
•We quantified the availability of key habitat structures across an urban landscape.•Urban habitat structures were significantly reduced compared with semi-natural reserves.•Reductions in habitat ...structures jeopardises urban ecological sustainability.•Improvements to urban management policies and practices are urgently needed.•We recommend conservation reserves, spatial zoning and community engagement.
Over half the world's population resides in cities, with increasing trends towards urbanisation expected to continue globally over the next 50 years. Urban landscapes will be more ecologically sustainable where key habitat structures (e.g. trees, shrubs and woody debris) that support multiple taxa are maintained. Yet, there is little empirical data on the extent to which habitat structures have been modified in urban landscapes. Obtaining these data is a necessary first step towards reducing the ecological impacts of urbanisation. This is because urban practitioners can use this information to formulate more targeted management policies and conservation strategies that seek to better maintain and perpetuate habitat structures in urban landscapes. We compared the availability of multiple habitat structures in urban greenspace, agricultural land, and semi-natural reserves in Canberra, southeastern Australia. In urban greenspace, the density and/or probability of occurrence of trees, seedlings, dead trees, hollow-bearing trees, hollows, logs and native ground and mid-storey vegetation were significantly lower compared with reserves, but comparable with agricultural land. Our results highlight an urgent need for improved habitat protection policies, management strategies, and on-the-ground conservation actions that aim to retain and restore key habitat structures in urban landscapes. To achieve this requires innovative strategies that balance socio-economic priorities and biodiversity conservation. We propose three strategies that can be practically implemented in cities worldwide including: (1) establishing dedicated conservation areas; (2) spatially zoning habitat structures hazardous to humans within existing urban greenspaces, and (3) educating key stakeholders about the importance of habitat structures within urban environments.
Italy's policies for the protection of historical cities in the 1960s and early 1970s met with great praise from European countries and institutions at the time of their implementation. In the ...following decades, they became a model for architects and planners worldwide and particularly for large international organizations. This article focuses on the international dissemination of Leonardo Benevolo's work during the 1970s, identifying three defining moments: the 1976 UN Habitat Conference, the meetings organized in the framework of the 1975 European Year of Architectural Heritage, and, notably, the consulting work for UNDP/UNESCO carried out in Latin America by Benevolo and his younger colleague, Giorgio Lombardi. In this context, one specific facet of Benevolo's approach emerges: the idea that preserving historic districts constitutes an integral component of the modern city development. The article provides insights into how Benevolo's approach to the preservation of historical centres was received, manipulated, and used by international agencies, local experts, and institutions in Latin America.
This paper focuses on the dramatic transformation of the inherited historical urban and architectural characteristics of the city of Al-Najaf in Iraq, seeking new ways of seeing the possibilities of ...preserving and revitalizing the historical center of the city.
In addition to being one of the most sacred centers for Shia Muslims, Al-Najaf has a rich cultural and architectural heritage. Its architectural characteristics and urban structure not only reflect the history of the city but also stand as evidence of the most important junctures in Islamic history: the martyrdom of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, who is a central Islamic spiritual personality and the second most important figure after the Prophet Muhammad. Since its establishment in 750 AD, the formation of Al-Najaf has never separated from its sociopolitical context and Islamic principles, particularly Shia Muslims’ beliefs.
Today, the city is a destination for more than million Shia Muslim pilgrims each year, and the number is rapidly increasing. However, as the city continues to develop, its architecture and unique urban structure transform dramatically. The cultural and architectural heritage of the city is seriously threatened. Several factors played a crucial role in the formation and the transformation of the city's specific architectural and urban structures. The most influential factors were mainly related to religion, environment, and politics. This paper introduces the main forces behind the transformation of the deep organizational structures of the architecture and urban fabric in Al-Najaf. The question of whether it is still possible to protect and preserve the remaining parts and revitalize the Old City center is also examined. The goal is to identify the major preservation issues and provide possible insights based on successful preservation experiences that address similar issues in different contexts.
Many countries have witnessed experiments in various urban projects. The main objective of many of these projects has been the reconstruction and preservation of cities that have been subjected to ...natural or human disasters. This has led to the enhancement of expertise in this type of project in order to preserve the cultural and historical identity of the city, especially the old ones with specific architectural character, The Iraqi practice in the field of urban conservation and reconstruction has been characterized by a specificity resulting from the length of time that exceeded 50 years. The aim of the paper is to review and analyze a range of successful local Iraqi attempts in the fields of conservation, reconstruction, urban development and rehabilitation projects, which took place during the 1950s to the present in an order to draw a set of guidelines for this type of projects, and the adoption of the scientific basis and benefit from the experience accumulated from those experiences . These attempts can be grouped into four levels: the level of a single architectural building or landmark, the level of a group of adjacent buildings (complex or complexes), the level of urban fabric, and the overall level of the master plan, and the second level was selected for the study of the historic urban centre in Baghdad in the period after 1950.
Background and AimsAlthough urban gardens provide opportunities for pollinators in an otherwise inhospitable environment, most garden plants are not native to the recipient biogeographical region and ...their value to local pollinators is disputed. This study tested the hypothesis that bumblebees foraging in English urban gardens preferentially visited sympatric Palaearctic-range plants over species originating outside their native range.MethodsTwenty-seven surveys of flower availability and bumblebee visitation (Bombus spp.) were conducted over a 3-month summer period. Plants were categorized according to whether they were native British, Palaearctic or non-Palaearctic in origin. A phylogeny of the 119 plant species recorded was constructed and the relationship between floral abundance and the frequency of pollinator visits investigated by means of phylogenetically independent contrasts. Differentiation in utilization of plant species by the five bumblebee species encountered was investigated using niche overlap analyses.Key ResultsThere was conflicting evidence for preferential use of native-range Palaearctic plant species by bumblebees depending on which plants were included in the analysis. Evidence was also found for niche partitioning between species based on respective preferences for native and non-native biogeographical range plants. Two bumblebees (Bombus terrestris and B. pratorum) concentrated their foraging activity on non-Palaearctic plants, while two others (B. hortorum and B. pascourum) preferred Palaearctic species.ConclusionsThe long-running debate about the value of native and non-native garden plants to pollinators probably stems from a failure to properly consider biogeographical overlap between plant and pollinator ranges. Gardeners can encourage pollinators without consideration of plant origin or bias towards ‘local’ biogeographical species. However, dietary specialist bumblebees seem to prefer plants sympatric with their own biogeographical range and, in addition to the cultivation of these species in gardens, provision of native non-horticultural (‘weed’) species may also be important for pollinator conservation.
Conservation of historical buildings in an area becomes an attraction to see the past and present sustainability for a region. Purwodinatan urban village as one of the oldest kampong in Semarang city ...has important historical value for the development of settlement in Semarang city, therefore need to be preserved. This area has an important role with the economic activities that take place in it. The purpose of this study so that historical buildings in Purwodinatan Urban Semarang can be treated, protected and developed as an object of conservation and has value for the local community. The research method used is quantitative research. Analytical techniques using evaluative analysis include weighing and scoring techniques including aesthetics, plurality, scarcity, privileges, historical roles, strengthening of the surrounding area as well as the characteristics of the local community. The results of this study provide academic benefits for the conservation of buildings and the environment of history for a city. And the practical benefit is it can be used as guidance to determine the direction of conservation policy of building and historical environment in Semarang city.
A crucial element in the human search for well-being is achieving a sense of identity within, and belonging to, the landscape in which we live. Landscape should be understood as not only the visible ...environment but the affective values we attach to it and how we shape it in our mind’s eye. These inner reflections of our landscapes constitute one of our richest archives, in particular, in terms of creating and passing down to future generations our cultural memories. The current paper is a review of literature on the concepts of urban heritage conservation, and, in particular, the development of the historic urban landscape (HUL) approach, with reference to the role and contribution of cultural memory and its presence in the urban landscape. We also investigate how the notions of place attachment and identity interrelate with cultural memory to elucidate how such interrelations can contribute to human psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QOL). This review points to the neglected role of cultural memory in the maintenance of psychosocial well-being in HULs, a topic which requires further research to deepen our understanding about its importance in urban environments.
Biodiverse neighborhoods: an ex-situ conservation tool Ucella-Filho, João Gilberto Meza; Lucas, Fernanda Moura Fonseca; Almeida, Débora de Melo ...
Ornamental Horticulture (Campinas),
01/2022, Letnik:
28, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract Urban forests are responsible for a lot of benefits, and can be used as a tool to ex-situ conservation of native species. Our study investigated a public urban forest aiming to provide ...subside to management projects in order to allow the accurate fulfillment of social, aesthetic and ecological functions displayed by trees. Our survey was conducted in 6 public squares and 5 gardens in the Jardins neighborhood. We classified the trees according to their phytogeographic origins and seed dispersal habit. The Shannon-Weaver (H’) index, Simpson’s dominance (D’) and Pielou’s equability (J) were determined. A total of 507 individuals were sampled, located in 12 botanical families and 29 species, and 13 of them were classified as native and 16 as exotic. The family with higher species richness and number of species was Fabaceae (36%). Regarding the seed dispersal syndrome, the most representative was zoochory (52%). The ecological index showed medium species diversity (H’=2.2284), high dominance (D’=0.7899) and medium number of individuals (J) 0.6552. Although the Jardins neighborhood was planned, the urban forest in this area still needs improvement; such as incentive measures that can promote biodiversity and the application of ex-situ conservation.
Resumo As florestas urbanas apresentam infinidades de benefícios, podendo atuar como uma ferramenta para conservação ex-situ. O estudo teve como objetivo realizar o diagnóstico de uma floresta urbana pública, com o intuito de oferecer subsídios para o manejo e garantir que a arborização possa cumprir com funções sociais, estéticas e ecológicas. O levantamento foi desenvolvido em 6 praças e 5 canteiros centrais do Bairro Jardins. As espécies foram classificadas quanto a sua origem fitogeográfica e forma de dispersão de sementes. Foram determinados os índices de diversidade de Shannon-Weaver (H’), dominância de Simpson (D’) e equabilidade de Pielou (J). Ao todo foram identificados 507 indivíduos, pertencentes a 12 famílias e distribuídos em 29 espécies, sendo 13 nativas e 16 exóticas. A família que apresentou maior riqueza em número de espécies foi a Fabaceae (36%). Quanto à classificação da síndrome de dispersão, a mais ocorrente foi por zoocoria (52%). Os índices ecológicos calculados do bairro mostraram ocorrência de média diversidade de espécies (H’ = 2.2284), dominância elevada (D’ = 0.7899) e médio equilíbrio do número de indivíduos (J) de 0.6552. Embora o bairro Jardins tenha sido planejado, a floresta urbana nessa área ainda precisa de melhorias; tais como medidas de incentivo que podem promover a biodiversidade e a aplicação de conservação ex-situ.
This review paper explores approaches to sustaining the enduring connection between communities and heritage places in conservation planning. Amidst global overtourism, the gradual outmigration and ...sudden displacement of local communities from heritage places disrupt not only physical ties between people and places but also shared traditions, memories and emotional bonds. These intangible qualities constitute the social dimension of heritage and are pivotal to its cultural significance. However, existing conservation approaches to safeguarding this social dimension often rely on the continued presence of local communities, which may yield limited effectiveness in restoring people–place bonds amidst challenges posed by overtourism and displacement. This review unpacks the term ‘social value’ within the framework of value-based assessment and progresses towards a dynamic conception of ‘sense of place’. In response to the changing social composition of ‘local communities’ at heritage places, this review examines approaches for conserving the social dimension of heritage, aiming to sustain the enduring continuity of people–place bonding. It proposes a broader definition of ‘sense of place’ that transcends the preconceived notion of stakeholder groups as a geographically defined community and suggests leveraging digital social platforms to re-establish these bonds. The review concludes by advocating for the ‘glocal community’ approach, acknowledging the personal emotional connections that individuals form with a heritage place regardless of their places of residence. This approach has the potential to complement existing methods, such as value-based assessment and the living heritage approach, which are commonly practised in contemporary conservation efforts.
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