Linking green infrastructure deployment needs and agroecosystem conditions for the improvement of the Natura2000 network. Preliminary investigations in W Mediterranean Europe

Reconnecting natural habitats and improving agroecosystem conditions are strategic targets set by several European policies. In order to combine both of these needs, the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has triggered new investments in Green Infrastructure (GI), which actually represents a valuable tool to increase ecological connectivity across natural and semi-natural habitats. In particular, GI may benefit the Natura2000 (N2K) network (i.e., the network of protected sites under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives) by reinforcing the node/site number, extent, and distribution and by improving connections between often small and isolated habitat patches. However, there is a lack of knowledge on what the actual needs of GI deployment are for improving the current Natura2000 network, on the distribution of these needs across Europe and on the potential role of agricultural areas in the improvement of the network functionality. Concurrently, especially in SW Europe, there is an ongoing trend toward the homogenisation and intensification of agricultural systems and the combined loss of associated landscape elements, such as natural and semi-natural Small Woody Features (SWF). Although a well-planned network of such elements could support biodiversity and landscape connectivity, thus effectively complementing the Natura2000 network, little evidence is available on their abundance and residual distribution, especially in agricultural areas and at continental/bioregional scales. Therefore, the present work is aimed at (i) identifying different types of territorial units (NUTS3) in W Mediterranean Europe according to current N2K network features, the overall composition of the actual landscape mosaic and the potential natural heterogeneity of the environment and (ii) identifying and spatialising N2K-related GI deployment needs according to a more specific network analysis in terms of nodes (extent of the total protected area) and links (density of residual woody elements in arable land) within the different types of NUTS3. By means of this wide-scale investigation, four different types of GI deployment needs were generalised across the W Mediterranean Europe NUTS3. Overall, the need for connection restoration prevails, followed by the need for the consolidation of node and link conservation, for the creation of new protected sites and for the enlargement of existing N2K sites. Although useful for a preliminary setting, the shortcomings related to summary data at the European level were also highlighted when compared to local-scale information, with the latter being more suitable for identifying and prioritising truly effective GI conservation and restoration actions

Local scale prioritisation of green infrastructure for enhancing biodiversity in peri-urban agroecosystems. A multi-step process applied in the Metropolitan City of Rome (Italy)

Urban-rural interfaces represent complex systems that require complex solutions for sustainable development and resilience against pollution, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and impaired flux of ecosystem services (ES). Green infrastructure (GI) is increasingly recognised as an effective tool for addressing such a complexity, but needs priority setting to maximise benefits and minimise drawbacks of implementation. Therefore, a prioritisation approach focused on biodiversity and ES in peri-urban areas is required. In the present work, a systematic and hierarchical framework is proposed for setting priority GI objectives, location and actions aimed at enhancing local biodiversity, ES flux and farming sustainability in urban peripheries. By means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome, the framework allowed identification of the main demand for ES and biodiversity; the most suitable location for GI implementation; and the best cost-effective actions. The GI implementation showed an improvement in terms of wooded hedgerow density, an increase regarding the ecological connectivity of riparian ecosystems, and an increment of agroecosystems designated to enhance the ecological network and wildlife support. Finally, the prioritisation framework contributes to fostering environmental benefits while complying with regulations and management practices from the regional to the farm/field decision level

Urban and rural green infrastructure.Two projects for the metropolitan city of Rome

Create synergies between green infrastructure, urban and rural areas

A Dirichlet process model for change‐point detection with multivariate bioclimatic data

Motivated by real-world data of monthly values of precipitation, minimum, and maximum temperature recorded at 360 monitoring stations covering the Italian territory for 60 years (12 × 60 months), in this work we propose a change-point model for multiple multivariate time series, inspired by the hierarchical Dirichlet process. We assume that each station has its change-point structure and, as main novelties, we allow unknown subsets of the parameters in the data likelihood to stay unchanged before and after a change-point, that stations possibly share values of the same parameters and that the unknown number of weather regimes is estimated as a random quantity. Owing to the richness of the formalization, our proposal enables us to identify clusters of spatial units for each parameter, evaluate which parameters are more likely to change simultaneously, and distinguish between abrupt changes and smooth ones. The proposed model provides useful benchmarks to focus monitoring programs regarding ecosystem responses. Results are shown for the whole data, and a detailed description is given for three monitoring stations. Evidence of local behaviors includes highlighting differences in the potential vulnerability to climate change of the Mediterranean ecosystems from the Temperate ones and locating change trends distinguishing between continental plains and mountain ranges

Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services. Urban ecosystems

Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 requires member states to Map and Assess the state of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES). This report provides guidance for mapping and assessment of urban ecosystems. The MAES urban pilot is a collaboration between the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, volunteering Member States and cities, and stakeholders. Its ultimate goal is to deliver a knowledge base for policy and management of urban ecosystems by analysing urban green infrastructure, condition of urban ecosystems and ecosystem services. This report presents guidance for mapping urban ecosystems and includes an indicator framework to assess the condition of urban ecosystems and urban ecosystem services. The scientific framework of mapping and assessment is designed to support in particular urban planning policy and policy on green infrastructure at urban, metropolitan and regional scales. The results are based on the following different sources of information: a literature survey of 54 scientific articles, an online-survey (on urban ecosystems, related policies and planning instruments and with participation of 42 cities), ten case studies (Portugal: Cascais, Oeiras, Lisbon; Italy: Padua, Trento, Rome; The Netherlands: Utrecht; Poland: Poznań; Spain: Barcelona; Norway: Oslo), and a two-day expert workshop. The case studies constituted the core of the MAES urban pilot. They provided real examples and applications of how mapping and assessment can be organized to support policy; on top, they provided the necessary expertise to select a set of final indicators for condition and ecosystem services. Urban ecosystems or cities are defined here as socio-ecological systems which are composed of green infrastructure and built infrastructure. Urban green infrastructure (GI) is understood in this report as the multi-functional network of urban green spaces situated within the boundary of the urban ecosystem. Urban green spaces are the structural components of urban GI. This study has shown that there is a large scope for urban ecosystem assessments. Firstly, urban policies increasingly use urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in their planning process. Secondly, an increasing amount of data at multiple spatial scales is becoming available to support these policies, to provide a baseline, and to compare or benchmark cities with respect to the extent and management of the urban ecosystem. Concrete examples are given on how to delineate urban ecosystems, how to choose an appropriate spatial scale, and how to map urban ecosystems based on a combination of national or European datasets (including Urban Atlas) and locally collected information (e.g., location of trees). Also examples of typologies for urban green spaces are presented. This report presents an indicator framework which is composed of indicators to assess for urban ecosystem condition and for urban ecosystem services. These are the result of a rigorous selection process and ensure consistent mapping and assessment across Europe. The MAES urban pilot will continue with work on the interface between research and policy. The framework presented in this report needs to be tested and validated across Europe, e.g. on its applicability at city scale, on how far the methodology for measuring ecosystem condition and ecosystem service delivery in urban areas can be used to assess urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #83 to #101

New Italian data on the distribution of 17 Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 11 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany

Setting Priorities for Urban Forest Planning. A Comprehensive Response to Ecological and Social Needs for the Metropolitan Area of Rome (Italy)

Urban forests represent key elements of green infrastructure and provide essential ecosystem services in both the ecological and social spheres. Therefore, forestation planning plays a decisive role in the sustainable development strategies of metropolitan areas and addresses the challenge of maintaining biodiversity while improving human health and well-being. The aim of this work is to present a methodological approach that can be used to identify priorities in urban forest planning and can provide comprehensive responses to ecological and social needs in any metropolitan context. The approach, which is based on interdisciplinary principles of landscape ecology, ecosystem geography and dynamic plant sociology, has been adopted in the Municipality of Rome (Italy). The first step entails defining an ecological framework for forestation plans by means of the ecological land classification and assessment of landscape conservation status. The second step entails setting forestation priorities according to both ecological and social criteria. The application of the method proved to effectively select limited areas requiring intervention within an extensive metropolitan area. Furthermore, it provided responses to sustainability issues such as long-term maintenance of restored habitats, landscape perspective of planning, greening of urban agriculture, improvement in urban resilience, and cost-effective improvement in ecosystem services provision

La biodiversità nelle aree urbane

Dal 21 al 24 Maggio 2008 si è tenuta in Erfurt, Germania centro-orientale, la conferenza internazionale “Urban Biodiversity & Design. Implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity in towns and cities” (www.urbio2008.com). L’evento è stato organizzato dal CONTUREC, organo di connessione tra diverse competenze in ecologia urbana, nato in Germania nel 2005 e fin dalla sua fondazione attivo a livello internazionale soprattutto per l’implementazione della Convenzione sulla Diversità Biologica (CBD) nelle aree urbane. La comunità scientifica internazionale ha risposto all’invito con numerosi contributi di diverso taglio disciplinare ai temi di: i) Indagine e valutazione della biodiversità nelle aree urbane-industriali; ii) Aspetti culturali della biodiversità urbana; iii) Aspetti sociali della biodiversità urbana; iv) Biodiversità urbana e cambiamenti climatici; v) Progettazione e futuro della biodiversità urbana

Infrastrutture verdi e benefici ambientali. Come integrare conservazione e recupero della biodiversità nella pianificazione territoriale delle aree metropolitane Green infrastructure and environmental benefits. How to combine biodiversity conservation and restoration with territorial planning in metropolitan areas

Le infrastrutture verdi (IV) urbane rappresentano un valido strumento per sostenere lo sviluppo sostenibile delle città, obiettivo strategico globale. Grazie ad una Strategia dedicata alle IV, derivata da quella per la Biodiversità al 2020, in Europa si dispone di un chiaro riferimento per il miglioramento della sostenibilità urbana e peri-urbana, in grado di stimolare l’effettiva inclusione di biodiversità e servizi ecosistemici nella pianificazione territoriale. Il contributo intende esplicitare la necessità di questa inclusione e fornire alcuni spunti per migliorane l’efficacia, a partire dall’importanza della qualità – oltre che della quantità- di specie e di ecosistemi e della connettività ecologica paesaggistica. Viene inoltre evidenziata l’importanza degli approcci interdisciplinari, in grado di esaltare le sinergie tra conservazione di specie ed ecosistemi e capacità di fornitura di molteplici servizi, risolvere eventuali conflitti e limitare compromessi dannosi per la biodiversità.Urban Green Infrastructure (GI) represents an effective tool for supporting sustainable development of cities, that is a strategic objective at the global level. Thanks to a GI Strategy, arising from that on Biodiversity to 2020, European countries dispose of a clear reference framework for addressing sustainability in urban and peri-urban areas, which is also useful for triggering the inclusion of biodiversity and ecosystem services into territorial planning. The need for such an inclusion, and some hints for enhancing its effectiveness, are delineated. In particular, the importance of species and ecosystem quality, besides quantity, and of landscape ecological connectivity is outlined. Moreover, the usefulness of multiple disciplinary skills to be involved in the planning and design processes is highlighted, in order to increase synergies between conservation targets and ecosystem service provision, to avoid and solve potential conflicts, and to reduce trade-offs impairing biodiversity