Tools to measure Biodiversity-Ecosystem Services relationships in urban ecosystems

Organizer

Pedro Pinho | Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa

Speakers

Marco Moretti | Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

Ana Luz | Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa

Cristiana Aleixo | Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa

Filipa Grilo | Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa

Abstract

Urban areas are increasingly important hubs for human development. However, urbanization causes multiple environmental problems, such as air pollution and urban heat island, that impact human wellbeing. Nature-based solutions, implemented in cities green and blue infrastructure, can provide ecosystem services to mitigate those effects. Ecosystem services provision of urban vegetation depend on its biodiversity. However, a lack of knowledge exists on the relationship between biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services in urban areas. This prevents the optimization of cities green infrastructure to provide ecosystem services. The aim of the symposia is to discuss the tools currently available to measure the relationship between cities biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services looking at the importance of trait-based ecology, the types of metrics available, the key importance of spatial resolution and of cities morphology, and also how citizens must be involved in these assessments. In a world under change, this can contribute to increase cities resilience and fulfill UN sustainable development goals in the XXI century.

Short Presentations

Trait-based approaches in urban ecology (provisional title)
Marco Moretti

Metrics to quantify Biodiversity-ES relationships with high spatial resolution (provisional title)
Pedro Pinho

Including citizens in biodiversity and ecosystem services studies (provisional title)
Ana Luz

Remote sensing tools to quantify ecosystem services and vegetation structure in urban areas (provisional title)
Cristiana Aleixo

Modeling the relation between urban morphology and microclimate regulation at a square level (provisional title)
Filipa Grilo