Urban green roofs promote metropolitan biodiversity: A comparative case study

Wooster, Eamonn I. F.; Fleck, R.; Torpy, Fraser R.; Ramp, Daniel; Irga, Peter J.

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108458

Cited by 70 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Even small areas of habitat may be important in promoting species diversity (Riva and Fahrig, 2022). Green roofs can harbor surprising arthropod diversity (Kadas, 2006;Petremand et al, 2018;Wooster et al, 2022), although the factors that contribute to being an effective biodiversity reservoir are still under debate (Jones and Leather, 2012;Williams et al, 2014;Lepczyk et al, 2017). Green roofs may provide critical connections among urban green spaces, depending on the surrounding landscape matrix and the dispersal ability of colonizing organisms (Braaker et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban green roofs can support a diversity of parasitoid wasps

Diethelm

Masta

2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Green roofs are often installed atop buildings to provide ecological services such as mitigating storm water runoff and cooling air within urban heat islands. We found that green roofs in Portland, Oregon, also can support biodiversity, including a diverse assemblage of parasitoid wasps, with 20 morphospecies from 10 families present on the four roofs we surveyed. The roofs with greater plant diversity and structural complexity harbored comparatively more parasitoid morphospecies than the structurally simpler Sedum-dominated roofs. The oldest green roof supported much greater diversity than the younger roofs, including a comparably planted roof three times its size. Parasitoid wasps from the Hymenopteran families we found are high-trophic-level organisms known to feed on a variety of arthropods, including many insects commonly considered to be pests in urban areas. We suggest that green roofs have the potential to provide an often-overlooked ecological service by supporting parasitoid wasps that can act as natural biological control agents.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban green roofs can support a diversity of parasitoid wasps

Diethelm

Masta

2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…Particularly for the potential to increase biodiversity, the patch sizes are really small compared to the desired sizes of multiple hectares [52]. However, according to Wooster et al [131] and Pfoser et al [37], relatively small green building surfaces can considerably support urban fauna. Limitations arise for measures that include PV.…”

Section: Implications For the Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Namares—A Surface Inventory and Intervention Assessment Model for Urban Resource Management

et al. 2022

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Densely built-up areas are challenged by reduced biodiversity, high volumes of runoff water, reduced evaporation, and heat accumulation. Such phenomena are associated with imperviousness and low, unsustainable utilisation of land and exterior building surfaces. Local authorities have multiple objectives when (re-)developing future-proof districts. Hence, exploiting local potentials to mitigate adverse anthropogenic effects and managing the resource of urban land/surfaces have become key priorities. Accordingly, a five-level hierarchy for a land-sensitive urban development strategy was derived. To support the operationalisation of the hierarchy, we present the model Namares, a highly resolved GIS-based approach to enable spatially explicit identification and techno-economic and environmental assessment of intervention measures for advantageous utilisation of available surfaces per land parcel. It uses existing data and covers the management of economic, natural, and technical resources. Nine intervention measures are implemented to identify potentials, estimate investments and annual costs, and assess the appeal of existing subsidies. The approach was applied to a case study redevelopment area in a large city in Germany. The results provide spatially explicit information on greening potentials, estimated investments, subsidy demand, and other quantified benefits. The case study results show the limited potential for additional unsealing of impervious surfaces by transforming ca. 10% of sealed ground surface area into new urban gardens. At the same time, up to 47% of roof and 30% of facade surfaces could be utilised for greening and energy harvesting. The approach enables a comprehensive localisation and quantitative assessment of intervention potentials to enhance decision support in land-sensitive urban development strategies.

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“…Increasingly, professional urban nature-based communities of practice such as arborists, horticulturalists and landscape architects, as well as ecological restoration practitioners, conservationists and residents are innovating to create nature-positive cities. Urban areas allow techniques such as green roofs (Fleck et al 2022 ; Wooster et al 2022 ), wildlife gardening (Mumaw and Mata in press), chainsaw tree-hollows, ‘planting’ native mistletoe on non-native Plane Trees and detailed modelling of expanded or under-threat habitat areas in cities to be used to support a myriad of urban natures (Griffiths et al 2018 ) and renature spaces in the cities.…”

Section: A Transformative Mission For Nature In Australian Citiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A transformative mission for prioritising nature in Australian cities

Frantzeskaki

Oke

Barnett

et al. 2022

Ambio

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Australia is experiencing mounting pressures related to processes of urbanisation, biodiversity loss and climate change felt at large in cities. At the same time, it is cities that can take the leading role in pioneering approaches and solutions to respond to those coupling emergencies. In this perspective piece we respond to the following question: What are the required transformations for prioritising, valuing, maintaining and embracing nature in cities in Australia? We adopt the mission framework as an organising framework to present proposed pathways to transform Australian cities as nature-positive places of the future. We propose three interconnected pathways as starting actions to steer urban planning, policy and governance in Australian cities: First, cities need to establish evidence-based planning for nature in cities and mainstream new planning tools that safeguard and foreground urban nature. Second, collaborative planning needs to become a standard practice in cities and inclusive governance for nature in cities needs to prioritise Aboriginal knowledge systems and practices as well as look beyond what local governments can do. Third, for progressing to nature-positive cities, it is paramount to empower communities to innovate with nature across Australian cities. Whilst we focus on Australian cities, the lessons and pathways are broadly applicably globally and can inspire science-policy debates for the post COP15 biodiversity and COP26 climate change implementation processes.

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Urban green roofs promote metropolitan biodiversity: A comparative case study

Cited by 70 publications

References 23 publications

Urban green roofs can support a diversity of parasitoid wasps

Urban green roofs can support a diversity of parasitoid wasps

Namares—A Surface Inventory and Intervention Assessment Model for Urban Resource Management

A transformative mission for prioritising nature in Australian cities

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