Using GIS and the Diversity Indices: A Combined Approach to Woody Plant Diversity in the Urban Landscape

Abstract

Thanks to their recreational and psychological functions as well as plant diversity, open and green spaces in a city improve the life quality of the urban inhabitants. Woody plant diversity has significant value in urban green systems. The main purpose of this study was to determine the biodiversity values and the potential of the urban green infrastructure via floristic and spatial analyses of woody plant diversity. To this aim, field studies were carried out on the open and green infrastructure in selected areas of Duzce, having different spatial characteristics. The contribution of the identified species to urban biodiversity was examined as well as the spatial characteristics of the species in terms of landscape architecture. In this study, both statistical analyses (alpha and beta diversity of the species) and GIS analyses (species density and spatial distribution) were carried out. According to the results of the research, the most common of the 173 plant species detected were Cupressocyparis leylandii and Tilia tomentosa, found in the open green areas. As a result of the study, it was found that using the floristic diversity indices and GIS jointly enabled the UFD (Urban Floristic Diversity) of the city to be defined both statistically and positionally.

WITHDRAWN: Urbanization and Plant Diversity in Residential Gardens: a Case Study in Rize, Turkey

“…Both native and non-native plant species are found in urban areas Klotz 2006, Wania et al, 2006), with the number of non-native species increasing in recent years (Kowarik, 2008). Urbanization can lead to the loss of native plant diversity, necessitating conservation and restoration efforts (McKinney 2008, Swan et.al., 2021, Doğan and Eroğlu 2021. Residential gardens are particularly important in urban environments as they support urban green spaces and contribute to urban biodiversity.…”