Maximizing regional biodiversity requires a mosaic of protection levels.

Protected areas are the flagship management tools to secure biodiversity from anthropogenic impacts. However, the extent to which adjacent areas with distinct protection levels host different species numbers and compositions remains uncertain. Here, using reef fishes, European alpine plants, and North American birds, we show that the composition of species in adjacent Strictly Protected, Restricted, and Non-Protected areas is highly dissimilar, whereas the number of species is similar, after controlling for environmental conditions, sample size, and rarity. We find that between 12% and 15% of species are only recorded in Non-Protected areas, suggesting that a non-negligible part of regional biodiversity occurs where human activities are less regulated. For imperiled species, the proportion only recorded in Strictly Protected areas reaches 58% for fishes, 11% for birds, and 7% for plants, highlighting the fundamental and unique role of protected areas and their environmental conditions in biodiversity conservation.

O que funciona nas fases laranja e vermelha?

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Parques reabertos aos finais de semana: Plano SP

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Evaluation of the winter landscape of the plant community of urban park green spaces based on the scenic beauty esitimation method in Yangzhou, China.

Plant landscapes are fundamental components of the green space of urban parks and are often dynamic, changing throughout the year. Winter is a season with poor plant landscape effects in urban park green spaces. However, plant community landscapes in the winter in urban park green spaces could be further optimized. Here, we conducted scenic beauty estimation (SBE) of the landscape factors in 29 winter plant communities in four typical urban parks in Yangzhou, China using partial correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. The standard SBE values of the 29 plant communities ranged from -0.981 to 1.209. Complex plant community landscapes with abundant plant species, beautiful plant community morphology and obvious seasonal changes generally received high scenic beauty scores. Six landscape factors, including the diversity of plant species, the proportion of evergreen tree species, the morphological characteristics of plants, the ground cover rate, the overall sense of harmony and the color composition, greatly influenced the scenic beauty of the plant landscape in the winter. Generally, the results of this study provide insight into how the plant community landscape in urban parks could be improved.

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncios do Governo SP - 13/07/2020

O Governador João Doria anunciou nesta segunda-feira (13) a arrecadação total de R$ 816,4 milhões em doações da iniciativa privada. O montante foi obtido junto a 408 membros do Grupo Empresarial Solidário de São Paulo, que já contou com doações de mais de 190 empresas. Todos os recursos e serviços doados serão aplicados integralmente nas estratégias de contenção dos efeitos da pandemia do novo coronavírus no estado. “O comitê empresarial solidário se reuniu nesta manhã e arrecadou mais R$ 40,7 milhões em produtos, recursos e serviços para o combate ao coronavírus e a pobreza. É o estado solidário. São empresas privadas, empresários, dirigentes de corporações que aceitaram o convite do Estado de São Paulo para ajudar a quem mais precisa”, destacou Doria. “Muito obrigado a esses 408 integrantes do Comitê Empresarial Solidário, que é um exemplo, um modelo para o Brasil, de orientação voluntária dedicada a salvar vidas e proteger os mais pobres”, agradeceu o Governador. As reuniões do Grupo Empresarial Solidário de São Paulo são realizadas semanalmente e a desta segunda-feira foi a 14ª. Todo o processo de recebimento das doações, entrega e aplicação dos recursos está sendo auditado pela Pricewaterhouse Coopers Brasil, com apoio da Deloitte na organização dos processos. “Esse recurso pode vir diretamente ao Governo do Estado ou através de organizações sociais. O nosso maior objetivo é que ele chegue na ponta para ajudar a quem mais precisa, seja por meio de insumos para a saúde, seja em apoio para o fundo social como doações de cestas básicas, de higiene, e todo trabalho que está sendo feito inclusive de distribuição de máscaras”, listou Patricia Ellen, Secretária de Desenvolvimento Econômico. Saiba mais em: www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/coronavirus/planosp

Coletiva de imprensa: anúncio da atualização das Fases do Plano SP 10/07/2020

O Governador João Doria anunciou nesta sexta-feira (10) a sexta atualização de fases da retomada econômica do Plano São Paulo, com quarentena prorrogada até o próximo dia 30 de julho. A estratégia do Estado de SP tem sido bem-sucedida e permitiu melhora gradual de indicadores de controle da pandemia e capacidade hospitalar, levando ao avanço controlado da flexibilização de atividades na maior parte do interior, litoral e Grande São Paulo. Nenhuma região regrediu de fase. “O Plano São Paulo é uma ferramenta de abertura consciente da economia, a prioridade é o controle da doença e a obediência à saúde e à medicina. Preservar vidas é, foi e continuará a ser prioridade do Governo de São Paulo e de todos que têm responsabilidade em nosso estado. Iniciamos uma nova fase na luta contra a pandemia, que marca gradualmente e de forma segura o retorno à normalidade. Uma fase que resgata nossa esperança e alimenta nosso otimismo”, afirmou Doria. A nova classificação vale a partir da próxima segunda-feira (13). Em relação à semana anterior, somente municípios abrangidos por quatro das 17 regiões de DRSs (Departamentos Regionais de Saúde) permanecem na fase vermelha de restrição total de atividades não essenciais: Araçatuba, Campinas, Franca e Ribeirão Preto. Saiba mais em: www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/coronavirus/planosp

Coletiva de Imprensa: Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de São Paulo e Centro de Contingência 07/07/2020

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Coronavírus: quais protocolos estão sendo analisados para os parques?

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Coletiva de imprensa: anúncios do Governo SP - 08/07/2020

O Governador João Doria confirmou nesta quarta-feira (8) que as partidas oficiais de futebol poderão ser retomadas em São Paulo a partir do próximo dia 22. Os jogos não poderão receber torcedores e só serão realizados em cidades que estão na fase amarela do Plano São Paulo de enfrentamento ao coronavírus. “Nosso Comitê de Saúde aprovou em conjunto com a Federação Paulista de Futebol o novo protocolo de retomada do Campeonato Paulista”, disse o Governador. “Quero registrar que a FPF agiu de forma correta e plena, atendendo integralmente às recomendações do Centro de Contingência da COVID-19. Ainda que sem a presença de torcida, todos poderão assistir pela televisão e torcer para seus clubes”, acrescentou Doria. Atualmente, somente a capital e outras 15 cidades da Região Metropolitana estão na etapa intermediária do Plano São Paulo. Ainda haverá duas reclassificações das 17 regiões de saúde do estado antes da retomada do Paulistão, com possibilidade de autorização de partidas em outras cidades do interior e litoral. Além dos portões fechados ao público e restrições territoriais de acordo com a evolução da pandemia, a FPF terá que cumprir um rigoroso protocolo sanitário para organizar os jogos. O Campeonato Paulista ainda possui duas rodadas de classificação e outras quatro de eliminatórias a cumprir, com previsão de disputa da decisão no dia 8 de agosto. No mês passado, o Governo de São Paulo determinou protocolos para que as equipes de futebol voltassem a treinar. Há exigência de testagem regular e medição de temperatura de jogadores e demais profissionais, limitação de pessoas nos treinamentos e uso obrigatório de máscaras, exceto quando a proteção limita ou prejudica atividades dos atletas. Na retomada das partidas, o Centro de Contingência do coronavírus exigiu a testagem de todas as pessoas envolvidas em cada partida. Se qualquer atleta ou profissional testar positivo, haverá o afastamento imediato da pessoa infectada e a reavaliação clínica de todos os demais com quem houve contato direto. Haverá limitação de acesso de profissionais – incluindo atletas, comissões técnicas, corpo médico, equipes de arbitragem, funcionários operacionais, seguranças e jornalistas – em todas as partidas. O uso de máscaras será obrigatório, com exceção de jogadores e arbitragem durante os jogos. Também haverá normas específicas de distanciamento social no acesso aos estádios e dependências como vestiários, cabines de imprensa e campo de jogo. “Em nenhum momento faltou atenção, diálogo ou harmonia entre o futebol de São Paulo e as autoridades do Estado. O futebol de São Paulo vai continuar respeitando vidas e cumprindo rigorosamente os protocolos aprovados pelos médicos”, disse o Presidente da FPF, Reinaldo Bastos. Saiba mais em: www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/coronavirus/planosp

Coronavírus: há previsão de quando os parques públicos serão reabertos?

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The Influence of Urban Park Attributes on User Preferences: Evaluation of Virtual Parks in an Online Stated-Choice Experiment.

Urban green areas, such as parks, are becoming increasingly important in densifying cities. Urban parks encourage physical and social activity, recreation and relaxation, and thus eventually promote people's well-being. The aim of the current study is to examine which urban park attributes influence the preferences of park users, in order to offer recommendations regarding how urban parks of quality can be designed. To elicit the preferences of park visitors we designed an online stated-choice experiment. Seven park attributes, in particular the number and composition of trees and the presence of benches, side paths, a playground, litter, and flowers, were manipulated in a virtual park. In an online stated-choice task, videos of these park alternatives were presented and the preferences of 697 participants were measured. It is found that especially the number of trees and the presence of flowerbeds, particularly with a diversity of flowers, influenced participants' preferences. The presence of many benches and a playground were valued as well, but to a lesser extent. The presence of litter was found to be less troublesome than expected. Alternatives with all trees placed in one cluster were disliked. Moreover, significant standard deviations were found for the presence of side paths, a playground, and the absence of litter, which indicates that preference heterogeneity for these attributes exist. In a latent class analysis, two groups were identified, namely a Nature-loving group, who mainly valued the trees and the flowers, and an Amenity-appreciating group, who valued almost all attributes. It can be concluded that natural elements and a variety of flower species are important in an urban park, while facilities are evaluated differently by different groups of people. These findings may support park designers and policymakers in decision-making. Moreover, it illustrates the usefulness of creating a virtual park in environmental preference research.

A systematic review of multi-dimensional quality assessment tools for urban green spaces.

We conducted a systematic review of quality assessment tools for urban green spaces to evaluate their replicability, comparability and validity. We assessed the characteristics of 15 published, multi-dimensional, direct observation tools regarding: publication, development, features and included dimensions. Even though all tools show acceptable inter-rater variability, there is a notable variability in their characteristics, from required time to conduct the assessment to the number of included items. Additionally, some specific dimensions are underrepresented, and the study units' definitions are feeble. We showcased the need for new tools that are more comprehensive and include more consistent reporting measures.

How community resources mitigate the association between household poverty and the incidence of adverse childhood experiences.

OBJECTIVES: To assess what proportion of the association between household low income and incidence of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) would be eliminated if all households had access to housing, transportation and childcare services, breastfeeding counselling, and parks. METHODS: Using Growing Up in Scotland birth cohort data (N = 2816), an inverse probability-weighted regression-based mediation technique was applied to assess associations between low-income status (< £11,000 in 2004/5), resource access, and cumulative 8-year ACE incidence (≥ 1, ≥ 3 ACEs). Resource access was measured based on households' self-reported difficulties (yes/no) in accessing housing, transportation, childcare, and breastfeeding counselling, and park proximity (within 10 min from the residence). RESULTS: The protective effects of resources were heterogeneous. Only access to transportation was associated with lower ACE incidence in both low- and higher-income households. If all had access to transportation, 21% (95% CI 3%, 41%) of the income-based inequality in incidence of 3 or more ACEs could be eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: While second best to the elimination of child poverty, measures to improve families' access to community resources such as transportation may mitigate the effects of poverty on ACE incidence.

Combining Eye-tracking Data with an Analysis of Video Content from Free-viewing a Video of a Walk in an Urban Park Environment.

As individuals increasingly live in cities, methods to study their everyday movements and the data that can be collected becomes important and valuable. Eye-tracking informatics are known to connect to a range of feelings, health conditions, mental states and actions. But because vision is the result of constant eye-movements, teasing out what is important from what is noise is complex and data intensive. Furthermore, a significant challenge is controlling for what people look at compared to what is presented to them. The following presents a methodology for combining and analyzing eye-tracking on a video of a natural and complex scene with a machine learning technique for analyzing the content of the video. In the protocol we focus on analyzing data from filmed videos, how a video can be best used to record participants' eye-tracking data, and importantly how the content of the video can be analyzed and combined with the eye-tracking data. We present a brief summary of the results and a discussion of the potential of the method for further studies in complex environments.

Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future.

The impact of allergens emitted by urban green spaces on health is one of the main disservices of ecosystems. The objective of this work is to establish the potential allergenic value of some tree species in urban environments, so that the allergenicity of green spaces can be estimated through application of the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (IUGZA). Multiple types of green spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of IUGZ. The results show that some of the ornamental species native to the Mediterranean are among the main causative agents of allergy in the population; in particular, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, and Platanus hispanica. Variables of the strongest impact on IUGZA were the bioclimatic characteristics of the territory and design aspects, such as the density of trees and the number of species. We concluded that the methodology to assess the allergenicity associated with urban trees and urban areas presented in this work opens new perspectives in the design and planning of urban green spaces, pointing out the need to consider the potential allergenicity of a species when selecting plant material to be used in cities. Only then can urban green areas be inclusive spaces, in terms of public health.

Assessment of Town and Park Characteristics Related to Physical Activity in the Lower Mississippi Delta.

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to determine aspects of the built environment that may have contributed to the low levels of physical activity reported in both the gestational and postnatal periods by women participating in a diet and physical activity intervention in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta. METHODS: The built environments of 12 towns were measured by using the Rural Active Living Assessment tools and the Community Park Audit Tool. Correlations between town assessment scores and town size variables were computed by using Kendall τ coefficient. The street distance from a participant's home address to the nearest park was computed by using network analysis in ArcGIS. RESULTS: Rural Active Living Assessment scores were low with mean values between 0% (town policy) and 68% (parks and playgrounds) of the highest possible scores. The mean (standard deviation) number of parks per town was 2.6 (3.2), and 55% of the 31 parks were in the 2 largest towns. Most parks (87%) had a single amenity while 1 park had more than 4 amenities. Distance from a participant's home to the nearest park ranged from less than 0.1 to 8.8 miles (mean [standard deviation], 1.2 [1.8]). CONCLUSION: These 12 Lower Mississippi Delta towns scored low on assessments of physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, and programs and policies associated with physical activity in rural communities. To increase the physical activity levels of rural residents, it may be necessary to first improve the built environment in which they live.

Which visibility indicators best represent a population's preference for a level of visual air quality?

Several studies have been carried out over the past 20 or so years to assess the level of visual air quality that is judged to be acceptable in urban settings. Groups of individuals were shown slides or computer-projected scenes under a variety of haze conditions and asked to judge whether each image represented acceptable visual air quality. The goal was to assess the level of haziness found to be acceptable for purposes of setting an urban visibility regulatory standard. More recently, similar studies were carried out in Beijing, China, and the more pristine Grand Canyon National Park and Great Gulf Wilderness. The studies clearly showed that when preference ratings were compared to measures of atmospheric haze such as atmospheric extinction, visual range, or deciview (dv), there was not a single indicator that represented acceptable levels of visual air quality for the varied urban or more remote settings. For instance, using a Washington, D.C., setting, 50% of the observers rated the landscape feature as not having acceptable visual air quality at an extinction of 0.19 km-1 (21 km visual range, 29 dv), while the 50% acceptability point for a Denver, Colorado, setting was 0.075 km-1 (52 km visual range, 20 dv) and for the Grand Canyon it was 0.023 km-1 (170 km visual range, 7 dv). Over the past three or four decades, many scene-specific visibility indices have been put forth as potential indicators of visibility levels as perceived by human observers. They include, but are not limited to, color and achromatic contrast of single landscape features, average and equivalent contrast of the entire image, edge detection algorithms such as the Sobel index, and just-noticeable difference or change indexes. This paper explores various scene-specific visual air quality indices and examines their applicability for use in quantifying visibility preference levels and judgments of visual air quality. Implications: Visibility acceptability studies clearly show that visibility become more unacceptable as haze increases. However, there are large variations in the preference levels for different scenes when universal haze indicators, such as atmospheric extinction, are used. This variability is significantly reduced when the sky-landscape contrast of the more distant landscape features in the observed scene is used. Analysis suggest that about 50% of individuals would find the visibility unacceptable if at any time the more distant landscape features nearly disappear, that is, they are at the visual range. This common metric could form the basis for setting an urban visibility standard.

Spatial distribution of lead contamination in soil and equipment dust at children's playgrounds in Beijing, China.

Lead contamination is widespread across China, posing a serious public health concern. In quantifying child lead exposure, established health risk assessment (HRA) approaches often take into account residential soil lead levels. However, this may not constitute a significant exposure source for children in urban mainland China, where the population mainly dwell in high-rise buildings without back or front yards. In this setting, children's playgrounds may represent a more probable exposure source. The present study analyzed lead levels in settled dust on playground equipment and in surficial soils at 71 playgrounds in Beijing, China. Our results reveal that the average playground dust lead concentration was 80.5 mg/kg, more than twice the average soil lead concentration of 36.2 mg/kg. It was found that there are differences in statistical and spatial distributions for lead in playground dust and soils. Lead levels in equipment dust were largely consistent across Beijing, with elevated levels detected at locations in the main city area, the newly developed Tongzhou District, and the rural counties. Whereas average soil lead concentrations were higher at playgrounds in the main city area than other areas of Beijing. Statistical analysis suggests that the lead content in dust and soil may derive from different natural and anthropogenic sources. Equipment dust lead may be associated with long-distance atmospheric transportation and deposition. Whereas lead in soil is more likely to be associated with local traffic. This study also found that, in certain areas of Beijing, the risk of blood lead levels (BLLs) exceeding safe levels was up to 6 times higher when based on dust exposure than when based on playground soil exposure. The results of this study suggests that HRA undertaken for children in urban mainland China should pay closer attention to children's playgrounds as a lead exposure source, and, in particular, playground equipment dust.