Many landscape architects develop green spaces in or near urban areas. Two goals of this type project are to increase biodiversity and bioremediation functionality. How are these parameters measured in landscape architecture? Is it best to assess green space biological goals (or habitat restoration for that fact) in terms of guild richness/diversity, trophic species richness/diversity, or functional group richness/diversity?
I must ask, are these metrics important in the field of landscape architecture?
Urban green spaces have to be supersmart and multifunctional. See master thesis projects at Wageningen University
Species richness may not be the best measure of biodiversity for urban green spaces, as it can include non-native species that displace native ones. Increasingly, urban green spaces will need to serve many functions, not just recreational services, as the world becomes more urbanised and biodiversity declines. Connectivity of green space is an important measure of biodiversity in that it will indicate potential impacts. Habitat surveys are also important to determine loss of biodiversity and to guide landscape management and design. Landscape architects need to consider if they are simplifying ecosystems through their designs or if they are taking into account the natural landscape history and ecology of the city they are working in.
When you stated, "Connectivity of green space is an important measure of biodiversity in that it will indicate potential impacts," do you mean physical habitat connectivity? With more frequency, biologist are learning that the degree of connectivity (ambiguously defined) is not always restricted to physical habitat (e.g. population genetics, community metrics, metacommunity connections, etc.). All this has to do with resiliency, dispersal strategies, life history strategies, and many more factors.
I guess I should be more specific in asking. When species or biodiversity conservation is a goal of a defined green space, do LAs concern themselves which species to conserve for? Is it total increase in alpha or beta diversity or targeting functional, keystone species, or sentinel species?
The big question is, how do you know these green systems are indeed improving the overall system (through a biological lens)?
There can be varying goals, and it would be important to understand policy and legislation in place. Keystone species may be difficult to know until they disappear and ecosystem change becomes evident. The rare or threatened species will be of conservation concern. There is a difference between physical connectivity in land use planning and functional connectivity in landscape ecology, they may not be the same. Some species are more mobile than others, and this may be important in design terms. Biodiversity exists across all levels, so at a landscape level the assessment may be different than at a population level - depends on what you want to assess.
The increase of the spare time, of urban resident’s and pressure of work and study enhances their demand for open green space. Generally, the determining of necessary work time and to have more time make the leisure activities, which help people engage in self-creation activity and relaxation of body and soul, possible. People’s desire for fresh air, natural views and natural attractions, which reflects people’s natural perception; the latter reflects their social behavior. During the long historical time period, human has used a kind of ability to appreciate nature, to get the flavor of life and formed some psychological processes dependency on nature.
Luis, perhaps you could be more exhaustive? Are the local residents and potential users you are considering human only? Can there be conflict between perceived needs, such that cultural, societal, and/or ecological needs are at odds?
Perhaps you answered the "title question" without reading the details. I narrow the questions scope so that it focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by greenspaces.
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