Wildflowers: From conserving biodiversity to urban greening—A review

Bretzel, Francesca; Vannucchi, Francesca; Romano, Daniela; Malorgio, Fernando; Benvenuti, Stefano; Pezzarossa, B.

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.008

Cited by 90 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…Still, people in summer-dry cities were on average slightly more positive about lawn conversion but also more positive about (irrigated) shot-cut lawns than people from temperate cities were. This suggests that to improve the aesthetical appearance of tall-grass meadows and including flagship species could be a measure to increase overall rates of acceptance (Andersson & McPhearson, 2018;Bretzel et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public attitudes toward biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management in Europe

Fischer

Neuenkamp

Lampinen

et al. 2020

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Increasing urbanization worldwide calls for more sustainable urban development. Simultaneously, the global biodiversity crisis accentuates the need of fostering biodiversity within cities. Policies supporting urban nature conservation need to understand people's acceptance of biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. We surveyed more than 2,000 people in 19 European cities about their attitudes toward near‐natural urban grassland management in public greenspaces, and related their responses to nine sociocultural parameters. Results reveal that people across Europe can support urban biodiversity, yet within the frames of a generally tidy appearance of public greenery. Younger people and those using greenspaces for a greater variety of activities were more likely to favor biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. Additionally, people who were aware of the meaning of biodiversity and those stating responsibility for biodiversity conservation particularly supported biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. Our results point at explicit measures like environmental education to increase public acceptance of policies that facilitate nature conservation within cities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public attitudes toward biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management in Europe

Fischer

Neuenkamp

Lampinen

et al. 2020

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…Unfortunately, with regard to Mediterranean species, in terms of wildflower communities, little information is available on the germination requirements, which are reported to vary widely among populations (Baskin & Baskin ; Bretzel et al ). In our experiments, useful information on the germination of different Mediterranean species in relation to temperature and light was obtained.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing and modeling seed germination of Mediterranean wildflowers for low input landscape restoration

Toscano

Romano

Tribulato

et al. 2017

Restoration Ecology

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Native species are recommended for use in landscape restoration because they adapt well to the local pedo‐climatic conditions. Despite the high biodiversity in the Mediterranean, the use of native plants is hampered by the limited knowledge of their seed germination. This is particularly true for a number of plants which are appropriate for creating species‐rich herbaceous communities. In this study, seeds of 35 species were collected in different roadside and degraded sites in rural and urban areas. Two experiments were carried out to determine the influence of light and thermal conditions on seed germination. In the first experiment, seeds of 17 species were tested at different temperatures (5, 15, and 25°C). At 15°C, seed germination was tested under both dark and light conditions. In the second experiment, the germination of 30 species was tested under alternating temperatures (25/15°C) and dark/light conditions. The responses of the various species differed in relation to thermal levels and light conditions, e.g., Bartsia trixago did not germinate in the dark at constant temperatures (5, 15, and 25°C), while in the light (15°C) and at alternating temperatures (25/15°C) in light and dark conditions, germination was over 60%. In both experiments, Tragopogon porrifolius and Triticum ovatum showed the highest germination rate (≥88%). With the sole exception of Medicago orbicularis, all members of the Fabaceae showed no or low germination. The definition of the germination requirements of some Mediterranean species, highlighted in these experiments, provides useful information for the creation of low input green areas and environmental restoration using these species.

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“…Another management strategy that could be employed in fragmented natural areas is the collection of forb seeds from nearby natural areas and sowing it in degraded urban open spaces including along road verges and railway embankments [78]. Such a strategy could have several benefits in terms of improving the environment, recovering degraded areas with native vegetation, increasing biodiversity, creating "ecological continuity" between the inner city and surrounding natural areas, decreasing maintenance, and also increasing awareness and involvement amongst city residents in terms of the importance of protecting native grasslands [78]. However, not all researchers agree that seeding is the best strategy.…”

Section: Consequently How Will the Presence Of Time Lags And Potentimentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Long-Term Urban Grassland Dynamics: Biotic Homogenization and Extinction Debts

2020

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Sustainable urban nature conservation calls for a rethinking of conventional approaches. Traditionally, conservationists have not incorporated the history of the landscape in management strategies. This study shows that extant vegetation patterns are correlated to past landscapes indicating potential extinction debts. We calculated urban landscape measures for seven time periods (1938–2019) and correlated it to three vegetation sampling events (1995, 2012, 2019) using GLM models. We also tested whether urban vegetation was homogenizing. Our results indicated that urban vegetation in our study area is not currently homogenizing but that indigenous forb species richness is declining significantly. Furthermore, long-term studies are essential as the time lags identified for different vegetation sampling periods changed as well as the drivers best predicting these changes. Understanding these dynamics are critical to ensuring sustainable conservation of urban vegetation for future citizens.

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Wildflowers: From conserving biodiversity to urban greening—A review

Cited by 90 publications

References 134 publications

Public attitudes toward biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management in Europe

Public attitudes toward biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management in Europe

Assessing and modeling seed germination of Mediterranean wildflowers for low input landscape restoration

Quantifying Long-Term Urban Grassland Dynamics: Biotic Homogenization and Extinction Debts

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