The role of green infrastructure quality for healthier and biodiverse cities : A One Health approach for reconciling people and wildlife needs

In the upcoming decades, urban areas are expected to undergo significant expansion and transformation in order to accommodate the growing proportion of the world's population living in cities. This challenge presents a unique opportunity to rethink our cities and to shift from development patterns that have resulted in urban environments associated with environmental degradation and disconnection to nature and instead embrace transformative changes that promote healthier and more resilient cities where people and nature thrive. Urban green infrastructure is one of the main strategies to achieve this goal, given the potential of various types of green spaces and structures for delivering several ecosystem services benefitting not only human health and wellbeing but also biodiversity conservation. However, limited knowledge remains on the quality necessary to effectively provide the range of benefits expected by green infrastructure and also on possible trade-offs among beneficiaries with different needs. This doctoral thesis addressed these research gaps through two main questions: a) which and how green spaces characteristics are associated with mental health and wellbeing and wildlife support outcomes, and b) what are the synergies and trade-offs between human health and wildlife dimensions in urban green spaces. Through a systematic review, green space features that reportedly affected human mental health or wildlife support in previous studies were compiled. Then, the holistic One Health approach was used as a basis for the development of a framework connecting quality attributes of green spaces with human mental health and wellbeing and wildlife support in the urban context. To apply this framework in a case study in Brazil, the first step required a cross-cultural adaptation of the selected psychometric scales for measuring psychological restoration in the target population. Specifically, the Perceived Restorativeness Scale and the Restoration Outcomes Scale were translated into Portuguese and validated using samples from Porto Alegre and São Paulo cities located in southern and southeastern Brazil. The psychometric properties of both scales presented adequate internal consistency and model fit indexes, which remained consistent across participants’ gender and city of residency. Besides the intended application in this doctoral study, the provision of these newly-validated versions of such measures creates opportunity for the expansion of research on restorative environments in the poorly studied Global South, particularly in Brazil. In São Paulo, Brazil, a case study was carried out utilizing indicators and metrics identified in the systematic review to analyze the relationships outlined in the developed framework. The primary factors affecting user restorativeness were perceived safety and naturalness of parks. These perceptions were associated with park characteristics such as tree canopy coverage, presence of water bodies, and signs of vandalism. The presence of natural water bodies presented a clear mutual benefit for psychological restoration and support to birds (as representative of wildlife species). In contrast, whereas parks with higher tree canopy coverage offered greater potential for restoration to users, outcomes for bird assemblages were distinct depending on the metric selected. Summing up, the findings point out the necessity of a heterogeneous network of green spaces that are purposely planned and managed considering the synergies and trade-offs between human and wildlife requirements. In conclusion, the results of this doctoral thesis confirm the important role of green space quality in providing benefits to humans and animals. It also stresses the advantage of applying the One Health approach also to the urban context and, more specifically, to green infrastructure, enabling the identification of mutually beneficial effects and potential trade-offs between the environment, humans, and animals, and ultimately the implementation of truly multifunctional spaces and solutions

El lagarto que nunca duerme: actividad del gecko del pampa Homonota uruguayensis

It is generally assumed that lizards are active whenever climatic conditions are favorable. Homonota uruguayensis (Vaz-Ferreira & Sierra de Soriano, 1961) is the only native gecko – and nocturnal lizard – living in the northern Pampa biome, and its ecology is poorly known. This study aimed at describing this species’ pattern of daily and annual activity and its relation with environmental temperatures. The study was conducted in the extreme south of Brazil (Rosário do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul), between May 2010 and January 2011 at a rocky outcrop located in the Pampa biome. The study was carried out in a total of four seasonal field trips, totalizing 1185 hours of field work. The data were collected, both during the day and the night in 6-hour shifts (duration of the sampling period). The area was randomly covered at each shift to record activity and microhabitat use by the lizards. In total 1541 specimens were recorded throughout the study. Homonota uruguayensis showed diurnal and nocturnal activity in the four seasons, with periods of daily activity varying significantly between all seasons in a cyclic and multimodal pattern, with no significant relation with environmental temperatures. There was no difference in activity related to sex and age classes. Most active lizards were found when air temperatures ranged from 14 °C to 32.9 °C (82% of active lizards) and substrate temperatures ranged from 10 °C to 32.9 °C (87% of active lizards).La suposición general ha sido que los lagartos son activos cuando las condiciones climáticas son favorables. Homonota uruguayensis (Vaz-Ferreira & Sierra de Soriano, 1961) es la única lagartija nativa – y la lagartija nocturna – que vive en el norte de bioma Pampa. La ecología de esta especie es poco conocida y este estudio tuvo como objetivo describir su patrón de actividad diaria y anual y su relación con las temperaturas ambientales. El estudio se llevó a cabo en el extremo sur de Brasil (Rosário do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul), a partir de mayo 2010 - enero 2011, en un afloramiento rocoso situado en el bioma Pampa. El estudio totalizó cuatro excursiones de campo estacionales y 1185 horas. Los datos fueron recogidos a lo largo de los turnos de 6 horas durante el día y la noche. El área fue recorrida aleatoriamente en cada turno siempre registrandose la actividad y el microhabitat utilizado por los lagartos. A lo largo del estudio, 1541 especímenes se registraron. Homonota uruguayensis presentó hábito diurno y nocturno en las cuatro estaciones, con períodos de actividad diaria variando significativamente entre todas las estaciones en forma cíclica y multimodal, no se observó relación significativa con las temperaturas ambientales. No fue constatada diferencia entre los sexos con relación a la actividad y las clases de edad. La mayoría de los lagartos activos fue encontrada a temperaturas del aire que variaron de 14 °C a 32,9 °C (82% de lagartos activos) y a temperaturas del sustrato entre 10 °C y 32,9 °C (87% de lagartos activos)

The role of green infrastructure quality for healthier and biodiverse cities : A One Health approach for reconciling people and wildlife needs

In the upcoming decades, urban areas are expected to undergo significant expansion and transformation in order to accommodate the growing proportion of the world's population living in cities. This challenge presents a unique opportunity to rethink our cities and to shift from development patterns that have resulted in urban environments associated with environmental degradation and disconnection to nature and instead embrace transformative changes that promote healthier and more resilient cities where people and nature thrive. Urban green infrastructure is one of the main strategies to achieve this goal, given the potential of various types of green spaces and structures for delivering several ecosystem services benefitting not only human health and wellbeing but also biodiversity conservation. However, limited knowledge remains on the quality necessary to effectively provide the range of benefits expected by green infrastructure and also on possible trade-offs among beneficiaries with different needs. This doctoral thesis addressed these research gaps through two main questions: a) which and how green spaces characteristics are associated with mental health and wellbeing and wildlife support outcomes, and b) what are the synergies and trade-offs between human health and wildlife dimensions in urban green spaces. Through a systematic review, green space features that reportedly affected human mental health or wildlife support in previous studies were compiled. Then, the holistic One Health approach was used as a basis for the development of a framework connecting quality attributes of green spaces with human mental health and wellbeing and wildlife support in the urban context. To apply this framework in a case study in Brazil, the first step required a cross-cultural adaptation of the selected psychometric scales for measuring psychological restoration in the target population. Specifically, the Perceived Restorativeness Scale and the Restoration Outcomes Scale were translated into Portuguese and validated using samples from Porto Alegre and São Paulo cities located in southern and southeastern Brazil. The psychometric properties of both scales presented adequate internal consistency and model fit indexes, which remained consistent across participants’ gender and city of residency. Besides the intended application in this doctoral study, the provision of these newly-validated versions of such measures creates opportunity for the expansion of research on restorative environments in the poorly studied Global South, particularly in Brazil. In São Paulo, Brazil, a case study was carried out utilizing indicators and metrics identified in the systematic review to analyze the relationships outlined in the developed framework. The primary factors affecting user restorativeness were perceived safety and naturalness of parks. These perceptions were associated with park characteristics such as tree canopy coverage, presence of water bodies, and signs of vandalism. The presence of natural water bodies presented a clear mutual benefit for psychological restoration and support to birds (as representative of wildlife species). In contrast, whereas parks with higher tree canopy coverage offered greater potential for restoration to users, outcomes for bird assemblages were distinct depending on the metric selected. Summing up, the findings point out the necessity of a heterogeneous network of green spaces that are purposely planned and managed considering the synergies and trade-offs between human and wildlife requirements. In conclusion, the results of this doctoral thesis confirm the important role of green space quality in providing benefits to humans and animals. It also stresses the advantage of applying the One Health approach also to the urban context and, more specifically, to green infrastructure, enabling the identification of mutually beneficial effects and potential trade-offs between the environment, humans, and animals, and ultimately the implementation of truly multifunctional spaces and solutions

Área de vida e ecologia termal do lagarto Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) na região dos Pampas do Rio Grande do Sul

A área de vida e a ecologia termal do lagarto Tropidurus torquatus foram estudadas em uma população saxícola no município de Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul, entre maio de 2008 e outubro de 2009. As saídas a campo foram mensais, de um dia de duração e com os dados sendo coletados entre as 08:00 e as 18:00h, percorrendo-se o afloramento rochoso. Para o estudo da área de vida foi utilizado o sistema de marcação e recaptura e o método do Mínimo Polígono Convexo. Dez áreas de vida e vinte e três deslocamentos foram estabelecidos. Indivíduos se mantiveram em áreas fixas por períodos de quase um ano. A área de vida média dos machos foi 117,84 ± 85,47 m² (N= 4) e das fêmeas 104,87 ± 132,0 m² (N= 2), não diferindo significativamente (t= 0,151, p= 0,887). O deslocamento médio dos indivíduos em geral foi de 82,71 ± 99,17 m, não havendo diferença estatística entre sexos e classes etárias. Foi encontrada uma alta sobreposição de áreas de vida na região do afloramento onde existe uma grande fenda, indicando que apesar de serem territorialistas, esses lagartos podem mostrar uma tolerância à presença de outros indivíduos do mesmo sexo durante a época não reprodutiva, quando as temperaturas são mais amenas e o nível de atividade é menor. A temperatura corpórea média de Tropidurus torquatus foi de 21,75 ± 7,71ºC (N= 143) com uma mínina de 7,4ºC e máxima de 36,2ºC. A temperatura média em atividade (temperatura ecrítica) foi 29,04 ± 3,84ºC (N= 61) com uma mínima de 20ºC. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas temperaturas ecríticas entre sexos e classes etárias. A maior parte dos indivíduos ativos capturados possuía temperaturas entre 28,1 e 30ºC (N= 17), seguido do intervalo de 32,1 a 34ºC (N= 12). As temperaturas corporais dos lagartos diferiram entre as estações acompanhando o padrão de variação da temperatura do ar que se mostrou ser a variável do microhabitat mais importante para a temperatura corporal de T. torquatus. A temperatura ecrítica da população de Alegrete foi significativamente mais baixa do que as demais populações estudadas da espécie em outras regiões do Brasil. Este fato reflete a adaptação desta população ao clima temperado desta latitude, possibilitando a atividade em meses de temperaturas baixas como no outono e inverno.Home range and thermal ecology of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus were studied in a saxicolous population at Alegrete municipality, Rio Grande do Sul, between May, 2008 and October, 2009. Fieldwork was conducted monthly, lasting a whole day with data collection between 08:00 and 18:00h through transects in the rocky outcrop. Home range study accomplished by mark-recapture system and the Minimun Convex Polygon. Individuals stayed in fixed areas for a period of almost one year. Ten home ranges and twenty three displacements were established. The mean home range was 117,84 ± 85,47 m² (N=4) for males and 104,87 ± 132,0 m² (N= 2) for females, althought they were not significantly different (t= 0,151, p= 0,887. The mean displacement of all individuals was 82,71 ± 99,17 m, not differing significantly between gender and age. The high home range sobreposition found in a region of the rocky outcrop, where exists a large crevice indicates that despite being territorialists, these lizards can tolerate the presence of others individuals of the same sex during the nonbreeding season, when temperatures are low and the activity level decreases. The mean body temperature of Tropidurus torquatus was 21,75 ± 7,71ºC (N= 143) with a range 7,4ºC – 36,2ºC. The mean activity body temperature (ecritic temperature) was 29,04 ± 3,84ºC (N= 61) with a minimum of 20ºC. There was no significantly differences in ecritic temperature between sexes and age. Most captured individuals presented body temperatures between 28,1 and 30ºC (N= 17), followed by an interval of 32,1 - 34ºC (N= 12). Lizard body temperature was significantly different between seasons, following the air temperature variation pattern that demonstrated to be the more important microhabitat variable for the body temperature of T. torquatus. The ecritic temperature of Alegrete’s population was significantly lower than other populations of the species from different regions of Brazil. This reflect the population’s adaptation for the temperate climate of this latitude, allowing activity in colder seasons like fall and winter

Área de vida e ecologia termal do lagarto Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) na região dos Pampas do Rio Grande do Sul

A área de vida e a ecologia termal do lagarto Tropidurus torquatus foram estudadas em uma população saxícola no município de Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul, entre maio de 2008 e outubro de 2009. As saídas a campo foram mensais, de um dia de duração e com os dados sendo coletados entre as 08:00 e as 18:00h, percorrendo-se o afloramento rochoso. Para o estudo da área de vida foi utilizado o sistema de marcação e recaptura e o método do Mínimo Polígono Convexo. Dez áreas de vida e vinte e três deslocamentos foram estabelecidos. Indivíduos se mantiveram em áreas fixas por períodos de quase um ano. A área de vida média dos machos foi 117,84 ± 85,47 m² (N= 4) e das fêmeas 104,87 ± 132,0 m² (N= 2), não diferindo significativamente (t= 0,151, p= 0,887). O deslocamento médio dos indivíduos em geral foi de 82,71 ± 99,17 m, não havendo diferença estatística entre sexos e classes etárias. Foi encontrada uma alta sobreposição de áreas de vida na região do afloramento onde existe uma grande fenda, indicando que apesar de serem territorialistas, esses lagartos podem mostrar uma tolerância à presença de outros indivíduos do mesmo sexo durante a época não reprodutiva, quando as temperaturas são mais amenas e o nível de atividade é menor. A temperatura corpórea média de Tropidurus torquatus foi de 21,75 ± 7,71ºC (N= 143) com uma mínina de 7,4ºC e máxima de 36,2ºC. A temperatura média em atividade (temperatura ecrítica) foi 29,04 ± 3,84ºC (N= 61) com uma mínima de 20ºC. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas temperaturas ecríticas entre sexos e classes etárias. A maior parte dos indivíduos ativos capturados possuía temperaturas entre 28,1 e 30ºC (N= 17), seguido do intervalo de 32,1 a 34ºC (N= 12). As temperaturas corporais dos lagartos diferiram entre as estações acompanhando o padrão de variação da temperatura do ar que se mostrou ser a variável do microhabitat mais importante para a temperatura corporal de T. torquatus. A temperatura ecrítica da população de Alegrete foi significativamente mais baixa do que as demais populações estudadas da espécie em outras regiões do Brasil. Este fato reflete a adaptação desta população ao clima temperado desta latitude, possibilitando a atividade em meses de temperaturas baixas como no outono e inverno.Home range and thermal ecology of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus were studied in a saxicolous population at Alegrete municipality, Rio Grande do Sul, between May, 2008 and October, 2009. Fieldwork was conducted monthly, lasting a whole day with data collection between 08:00 and 18:00h through transects in the rocky outcrop. Home range study accomplished by mark-recapture system and the Minimun Convex Polygon. Individuals stayed in fixed areas for a period of almost one year. Ten home ranges and twenty three displacements were established. The mean home range was 117,84 ± 85,47 m² (N=4) for males and 104,87 ± 132,0 m² (N= 2) for females, althought they were not significantly different (t= 0,151, p= 0,887. The mean displacement of all individuals was 82,71 ± 99,17 m, not differing significantly between gender and age. The high home range sobreposition found in a region of the rocky outcrop, where exists a large crevice indicates that despite being territorialists, these lizards can tolerate the presence of others individuals of the same sex during the nonbreeding season, when temperatures are low and the activity level decreases. The mean body temperature of Tropidurus torquatus was 21,75 ± 7,71ºC (N= 143) with a range 7,4ºC – 36,2ºC. The mean activity body temperature (ecritic temperature) was 29,04 ± 3,84ºC (N= 61) with a minimum of 20ºC. There was no significantly differences in ecritic temperature between sexes and age. Most captured individuals presented body temperatures between 28,1 and 30ºC (N= 17), followed by an interval of 32,1 - 34ºC (N= 12). Lizard body temperature was significantly different between seasons, following the air temperature variation pattern that demonstrated to be the more important microhabitat variable for the body temperature of T. torquatus. The ecritic temperature of Alegrete’s population was significantly lower than other populations of the species from different regions of Brazil. This reflect the population’s adaptation for the temperate climate of this latitude, allowing activity in colder seasons like fall and winter

Dimorfismo sexual em Homonota uruguayensis, lagarto dos campos sulinos do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brasil (Sauria: Gekkonidae)

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Dimorfismo sexual em Homonota uruguayensis, lagarto dos campos sulinos do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brasil (Sauria: Gekkonidae)

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