Emerging Urban Forests: Opportunities for Promoting the Wild Side of the Urban Green Infrastructure

Ingo Kowarik, Anne Hiller, Greg Planchuelo, Birgit Seitz, Moritz von der Lippe and Sascha Buchholz
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Ingo Kowarik: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany
Anne Hiller: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany
Greg Planchuelo: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany
Birgit Seitz: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany
Moritz von der Lippe: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany
Sascha Buchholz: Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Ecology, D-12165 Berlin, Germany

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-27

Abstract: Many cities aim to increase urban forest cover to benefit residents through the provision of ecosystem services and to promote biodiversity. As a complement to traditional forest plantings, we address opportunities associated with “emerging urban forests” (i.e., spontaneously developing forests in cities) for urban biodiversity conservation. We quantified the area of successional forests and analyzed the species richness of native and alien plants and of invertebrates (carabid beetles, spiders) in emerging forests dominated by alien or native trees, including Robinia pseudoacacia , Acer platanoides , and Betula pendula . Emerging urban forests were revealed as shared habitats of native and alien species. Native species richness was not profoundly affected by the alien (co-)dominance of the canopy. Instead, native and alien plant species richnesses were positively related. Numbers of endangered plants and invertebrates did not differ between native- and alien-dominated forest patches. Patterns of tree regeneration indicate different successional trajectories for novel forest types. We conclude that these forests (i) provide habitats for native and alien species, including some endangered species, (ii) allow city dwellers to experience wild urban nature, and (iii) support arguments for adapting forests to dynamic urban environments. Integrating emerging urban forests into the urban green infrastructure is a promising pathway to sustainable cities and can complement traditional restoration or greening approaches.

Keywords: biodiversity conservation; cemeteries; endangered species; invasive tree species; plant invasions; passive restoration; rewilding; secondary succession; urban woodland; urban wilderness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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