Recommendations for Urban Biodiversity Conservation in the Context of Landscape Preference in Singapore

Effective urban biodiversity conservation requires that planners facilitate public acceptance towards biodiversity and its associated habitats within urban areas. This research quantifies the biodiversity conservation potential of landscapes of varying human interference in Singapore and functions under a backdrop that the general public has an aesthetically-driven preference for manicured landscapes. Biodiversity counts for conservation-targeted species from six biodiversity categories species [seed plants, ferns and fern allies, mammals, reptiles, birds and insects (excluding Lepidoptera)] across four landscape types show that naturalistic landscapes (primary and secondary vegetation) harbored at least eight times the number of conservation-target species than manicured landscapes and urban areas. To conserve a maximum number of threatened species while keeping in line with aesthetic landscape preferences, this research offers specific suggestions at modifying existing manicured landscapes to provide better habitats for conservation-target species which have shown recent adaptations to manicured landscapes and urban areas. The percentage of these species makes up as much as 50.39% of seed plants to a lowest of 17.86% of mammals. Taking these small initial steps in urban biodiversity conservation would not only serve to enhance public experience with native nature in urban areas but improve conservation potential of these areas in tangible and feasible means

都市における生物多様性保全の概念化 : ランドスケープ評価とハビタートの非代替性に着目して

学位の種別: 課程博士審査委員会委員 : （主査）東京大学教授 横張 真, 東京大学教授 山本 博一, 東京大学准教授 村山 顕人, 東京大学准教授 小貫 元治, 東京大学特任准教授 松田 浩敬, 東京大学特任講師 寺田 徹University of Tokyo(東京大学

Public Perception of Nature and Landscape Preference : Applications for Biodiversity Conservation in Singapore

報告番号: ; 学位授与年月日: 2013-03-25 ; 学位の種別: 修士 ; 学位の種類: 修士（サステイナビリティ学） ; 学位記番号: 修創域第4868号 ; 研究科・専攻: 新領域創成科学研究科環境学研究系サステイナビリティ学教育プログラ

Assessment of Downscaling Planetary Boundaries to Semi-Arid Ecosystems with a Local Perception: A Case Study in the Middle Reaches of Heihe River

The middle reaches of Heihe River are located in the oasis of the Gobi Desert where limited freshwater supply supports more than 1.5 million inhabitants. The intense agricultural activities are depleting the groundwater reserve. Consequently, natural landscapes and habitats are degraded. Though such development improves the livelihood of the local community, long-term sustainability of the ecosystem is at risk. Local authorities must be informed holistically to prepare for adapting to the changes and/or mitigating the impacts. The purpose of this study was to perform a regional sustainability assessment based on downscaling the planetary boundaries (PBs). We proposed a regional safe operating space framework that applied a top-down approach using the environmental monitoring data, and a bottom-up approach using knowledge from the local perception about environmental disaster. We conducted on-site samplings and interviews of residents to demonstrate the method. Overall, we showed that the middle reaches had transgressed the safe operating space, particularly on the freshwater use and biogeochemical flow dimensions. We found that the local perception acquired from interviews complemented the insufficiency of the monitoring data and provided the insightful social implications of transgressing the safe operating space, i.e., the anticipated impacts on local livelihood, for policy support