Impacts of a herring gull colony on runoff water quality from an urban green roof.

Green infrastructure (GI) strategies, including green roofs, have become a common, decentralized, nature-based strategy for reducing urban runoff and restoring ecosystem services to the urban environment. In this study, we examined the water quality of incident rainfall and runoff from a green roof installed on top of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Since the 2014 installation of this green roof, one of the largest in North America, a colony of nesting herring gulls grew to approximately 100 nesting pairs in 2018 and 150 nesting pairs in 2019. Water quality monitoring took place between September 2018 and October 2019. Except for phosphorus on some occasions, we found concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, chlorine, sulfate to be below federal drinking water standards. Levels of the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), total coliform, E. coli, and Enterococcus, were consistently higher in runoff samples than rainwater, ranging from 150 to over 20,000 CFU/100 mL for E. coli and 100 to over 140,000 CFU/100 mL for total coliform. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods were used to search for potential opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella spp., Mycobacterium spp., Campylobacter spp., and Salmonella spp. Discovery of the presence of Catellicoccus marimammalium, a gull-associated marker in runoff water indicates that herring gulls are the likely source of contamination. Due to habitat loss, herring gulls, and other Larus gull species are increasingly nesting on urban roofs, both green (such as at the Javits Center) and conventional (such as on Rikers and Governors Islands). Habitat creation is one of the target ecosystem services desired from GI systems. Although the discharge from the green roof of the Javits Center is directed to the city's sewer system, this study demonstrates the need to treat runoff from green roofs with nesting gull populations if its intended use involves reuse or human contact.

The shift in the spatiotemporal relationship between supply and demand of ecosystem services and its drivers in China.

In China, over 65% of human activities are concentrated in cities, resulting in a conflict between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs). To alleviate this problem, many cities have adopted eco-friendly development modes, however, the effectiveness of these models in reducing ESs supply-demand conflicts has not been comprehensively reviewed, and the human and natural drivers behind these relationship shifts remain unclear. To bridge this gap, this study analyzed the shifts in the relationships between supply and demand of ESs across China from 2010 to 2020 at a city level, as well as identified the human and natural drivers behind them. Firstly, the InVEST models were integrated with socioeconomic data to evaluate the supply and demand distribution for three pivotal ESs: water yield (WY), habitat quality (HQ), and soil retention (SR). Then, a four-quadrant diagram approach was proposed to enhance the analysis of their spatiotemporal relationships. Furthermore, random forest models were employed to examine the drivers of the shifts in these relationships. The results showed that WY and SR services witnessed growth until 2015, and then receded, while HQ saw a modest decline from 2010 to 2020. Spatial synergies in the supply and demand of ESs were primarily observed in the southern cities, with a significant northward extension by 2020. From a temporal perspective, the percentage of cities achieving coordination in WY and SR services increased from 32.6% to 57.3%, respectively, in the 2010-2015 period to 42.4% and 63.3% between 2015 and 2020, meanwhile, HQ service conflicts diminished from 58.7% to 53.5%. The changes in socioeconomic and land use factors contributed to 64.3%, 36.1%, and 33.3% of the shifts in the supply-demand relationship for HQ, WY, and SR services, respectively. Our analysis highlights the potential of human-driven ecological management to enhance the balance of this relationship. It can support the design of city-specific policies that foster a balance between ecological processes and socio-economic development.

¿El área verde o el humedal afectan el precio de la vivienda, en un sector de Bogotá?

Diferencias en las características de la infraestructura verde pueden variar la relación entre los espacios verdes urbanos y el precio de la vivienda (PV). El objetivo de este estudio es estimar el efecto de la proximidad de áreas verdes con diseño antrópico (AVDA) y de un humedal, sobre los valores del mercado de vivienda. Mediante uso de sistemas de información geográfica se determinó el tamaño de áreas verdes próximas al humedal y otros atributos de localización de las viviendas; los precios de los inmuebles se obtuvieron en el mercado de finca raíz en Bogotá. Con mínimos cuadrados ordinarios se relacionó el PV con atributos ambientales, de localización y socioeconómicos; el Índice de Moran, modelos de contigüidad y error espaciales permitieron analizar la dependencia espacial de los datos. El AVDA y no el humedal, estuvo significativamente asociada con el PV Las regresiones realizadas mostraron la ausencia de dependencia espacial entre los datos, así como una asociación positiva del PV con las AVDA, el área del inmueble y el número de alcobas. Mientras que la edad de las viviendas y la distancia al Comando de Atención Inmediata (CAI) tuvieron una asociación negativa con el PV. Estos resultados muestran que los residentes locales pagan más por vivir cerca a áreas con AVDA y tienen implicaciones para la planificación urbana de estratos socioeconómicos altos. Los valores estimados en este trabajo pueden ser utilizados para alimentar un análisis costo-beneficio en evaluaciones para la construcción, ampliación y rehabilitación de espacios verdes urbanos. Se recomienda realizar un estudio semejante, en vecindarios de menores ingresos económicos que permitan definir también la tipología de AVDA factible de pagar y que al mismo tiempo proporcione servicios ecosistémicos culturales.

Differences in the characteristics of green infrastructure can vary the relationship between urban green spaces and housing prices. The objective of this study is to estimate the effect of the proximity of anthropically designed green areas and a wetland on housing market values. Using geographic information systems, the size of green areas near the wetland and other attributes of housing location were determined; property prices were obtained from the real estate market in Bogota. Ordinary least squares was used to relate the housing prices to environmental, location and socioeconomic attributes; the Moran Index, contiguity models and spatial error models were used to analyze the spatial dependence of the data. The anthropically designed green areas, and not the wetland, was significantly associated with the housing prices. The regressions performed showed the absence of spatial dependence among the data, as well as a positive association of housing prices with anthropically designed green areas, property area and number of alcoves. While the age of the dwellings and the distance to the Immediate Attention Command had a negative association with housing prices. These results show that local residents pay more to live near areas with anthropically designed green areas and have implications for urban planning for high socioeconomic strata. The values estimated in this work can be used to feed a cost-benefit analysis in evaluations for the construction, expansion, and rehabilitation of urban green spaces. It is recommended that a similar study be conducted in lower income neighborhoods to define the type of anthropically designed green areas that can be afforded and at the same time provide cultural ecosystem services.

As diferenças nas características da infra-estrutura verde podem variar a relação entre o espaço verde urbano e os preços da habitação (PH). O objetivo deste estudo é estimar o efeito da proximidade de áreas verdes antropogenicamente projetadas (AVAP) e de um pântano sobre os valores do mercado imobiliário. Usando sistemas de informação geográfica, foi determinado o tamanho das áreas verdes próximas ao pântano e outros atributos de localização habitacional; os preços dos imóveis foram obtidos do mercado imobiliário em Bogotá. Os mínimos quadrados comuns foram usados para relacionar a PV aos atributos ambientais, de localização e sócio-econômicos; os modelos do Índice Moran, contiguidade e erro espacial foram usados para analisar a dependência espacial dos dados. A AVAP e não a zona úmida, foi significativamente associada à PV. As regressões mostraram a ausência de dependência espacial entre os dados, bem como uma associação positiva de PH com AVAP, área da propriedade e número de alcovas. Enquanto a idade das moradias e a distância até o Comando de Atenção Imediata (CAI) tinham uma associação negativa com o PV Estes resultados mostram que os residentes locais pagam mais para viver perto de áreas com AVAP e têm implicações no planejamento urbano para altos estratos sócio-econômicos. Os valores estimados neste trabalho podem ser usados para alimentar uma análise de custo-benefício em avaliações para a construção, extensão e reabilitação de espaços verdes urbanos. Recomenda-se que seja realizado um estudo semelhante nos bairros de menor renda para também definir o tipo de AVAP que pode ser oferecido ao mesmo tempo em que fornece serviços culturais ecossistêmicos.

Quantifying heterogeneity in ecohydrological partitioning in urban green spaces through the integration of empirical and modelling approaches.

Urban green spaces (UGS) can help mitigate hydrological impacts of urbanisation and climate change through precipitation infiltration, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. However, there is a need to understand how precipitation is partitioned by contrasting vegetation types in order to target UGS management for specific ecosystem services. We monitored, over one growing season, hydrometeorology, soil moisture, sapflux and isotopic variability of soil water under contrasting vegetation (evergreen shrub, evergreen conifer, grassland, larger and smaller deciduous trees), focussed around a 150-m transect of UGS in northern Scotland. We further used the data to develop a one-dimensional model, calibrated to soil moisture observations (KGE's generally > 0.65), to estimate evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. Our results evidenced clear inter-site differences, with grassland soils experiencing rapid drying at the start of summer, resulting in more fractionated soil water isotopes. Contrastingly, the larger deciduous site saw gradual drying, whilst deeper sandy upslope soils beneath the evergreen shrub drained rapidly. Soils beneath the denser canopied evergreen conifer were overall least responsive to precipitation. Modelled ecohydrological fluxes showed similar diversity, with median evapotranspiration estimates increasing in the order grassland (193 mm) < evergreen shrub (214 mm) < larger deciduous tree (224 mm) < evergreen conifer tree (265 mm). The evergreen shrub had similar estimated median transpiration totals as the larger deciduous tree (155 mm and 128 mm, respectively), though timing of water uptake was different. Median groundwater recharge was greatest beneath grassland (232 mm) and lowest beneath the evergreen conifer (128 mm). The study showed how integrating observational data and simple modelling can quantify heterogeneities in ecohydrological partitioning and help guide UGS management.

Convergence in Perceptions of Ecosystem Services Supports Green Infrastructure Decision-making in a Semi-arid City.

Effective management of cities using ecosystem services from green infrastructure (GI) requires explicit consideration of the linkages between provision of services and ecosystem service demands (i.e., governance priorities). Identification of stakeholder knowledge and objectives in GI decision-making contexts with respect to ecosystem services may improve urban planning; yet this information is rarely explicit in local contexts and cases. We address this gap by surveying environmental stakeholders and practitioners to investigate how perceptions of ecosystem services influence GI practice in Tucson, AZ. Results indicate that the semi-arid environment and urban design led to prioritizations that focus on water sustainability and urban heat mitigation. We found strong agreement in environmental perceptions between different management sectors. We observed matches (as well as mismatches) between the ecosystem service priorities and important environmental issues. Ecosystem services prioritization revealed a unique classification of ecosystem services that reflects stakeholder priorities. Our findings suggest the study of ecosystem services supply and demand can inform local urban management. These findings from a semi-arid city further suggest that understanding stakeholder knowledge, perceptions, and priorities should be important for cities in other regions where GI is being implemented as an environmental solution to provide ecosystem services.

Identification of Priority Implementation Areas and Configuration Types for Green Infrastructure Based on Ecosystem Service Demands in Metropolitan City.

During urbanization in developing countries, fragmentation of green infrastructure due to increasing populations and the expansion of construction land leads to an extremely serious imbalance between the supply and demand for urban ecosystem services. In this study, the central city of Zhengzhou, a central city in central China, was selected as the study area and the excessive demand for six ecosystem services, namely, air purification, flood regulation, heat regulation, hydrological regulation, CO2 sequestration and recreational services, was quantitatively evaluated. The entropy method was used to calculate the weights of various ecosystem services, and spatial overlay analysis was performed to obtain the comprehensive ecosystem service excessive demand. Finally, bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to explore the response of population density to comprehensive excessive demand for ESs. The results of this study indicate that: (1) The most prevalent need is for more CO2 regulation service throughout the study area. (2) Except for hydrological regulation service, the spatial distribution of the remaining highly excessive ecosystem service demands are mostly concentrated in old neighborhoods. (3) Of the six excessively demanded economic services, rainwater regulation obtained the greatest weight, reflecting the poor urban infrastructure configuration for countering the rapidly increasing threat of flooding caused by climate change in the city. (4) The comprehensive ecosystem service excessive demand results show that there are eight priority green infrastructure implementation blocks in the central city of Zhengzhou. (5) There were three agglomeration types between population density and comprehensive excessive demand for ESs: high-high type, low-high type and low-low type. The spatial distribution characteristics of population density and comprehensive ES demand are positively correlated. The results of this study could help to provide information for decision making when delineating the priority areas and types of green infrastructure implementation in developing cities.

Mapping supply of and demand for ecosystem services to assess environmental justice in New York City.

Livability, resilience, and justice in cities are challenged by climate change and the historical legacies that together create disproportionate impacts on human communities. Urban green infrastructure has emerged as an important tool for climate change adaptation and resilience given their capacity to provide ecosystem services such as local temperature regulation, stormwater mitigation, and air purification. However, realizing the benefits of ecosystem services for climate adaptation depend on where they are locally supplied. Few studies have examined the potential spatial mismatches in supply and demand of urban ecosystem services, and even fewer have examined supply-demand mismatches as a potential environmental justice issue, such as when supply-demand mismatches disproportionately overlap with certain socio-demographic groups. We spatially analyzed demand for ecosystem services relevant for climate change adaptation and combined results with recent analysis of the supply of ecosystem services in New York City (NYC). By quantifying the relative mismatch between supply and demand of ecosystem services across the city we were able to identify spatial hot- and coldspots of supply-demand mismatch. Hotspots are spatial clusters of census blocks with a higher mismatch and coldspots are clusters with lower mismatch values than their surrounding blocks. The distribution of mismatch hot- and coldspots was then compared to the spatial distribution of socio-demographic groups. Results reveal distributional environmental injustice of access to the climate-regulating benefits of ecosystem services provided by urban green infrastructure in NYC. Analyses show that areas with lower supply-demand mismatch tend to be populated by a larger proportion of white residents with higher median incomes, and areas with high mismatch values have lower incomes and a higher proportion of people of color. We suggest that urban policy and planning should ensure that investments in "nature-based" solutions such as through urban green infrastructure for climate change adaptation do not reinforce or exacerbate potentially existing environmental injustices.

Prioritizing the provision of urban ecosystem services in deprived areas, a question of environmental justice.

The distribution of urban ecosystem services (UES) is often uneven across socioeconomic groups, leading to environmental justice issues. Understanding the distribution of UES across a landscape can help managers ensure an equitable distribution of services. While many past studies have focused on the distribution of green spaces in relation to socioeconomic variables, this research analyzes the distribution of UES provided by these green spaces. This research quantified air pollution removal, atmospheric carbon reduction, and surface runoff mitigation provided by urban trees in Strasbourg city (France). The provision of these three UES was studied at the census block scale by creating an index of UES delivery, which was contrasted with a constructed social deprivation index. Our results show that there is no significant association between the delivery of UES and social deprivation. Some deprived populations benefit from high UES delivery. Results also suggest that mapping associations between UES delivery and social deprivation should be integrated with future development plans to enhance the equitable distribution of UES. This study provides insights into the French context where studies about the distribution of UES at a small-area level remain lacking.

Assessing pollination disservices of urban street-trees: The case of London-plane tree (Platanus x hispanica Mill. ex Münchh).

Platanusx hispanica (London plane) is a tree species widely used in urban areas due to the diversity of ecosystem services it provides. However, its functions also have some negative effects or associated disservices, such as the emission of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) and allergens. This work aims to analyze the effect that urban environmental conditions and air pollutants have on pollen emissions of plane tree. The study has been carried out in Granada, in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, a city with a Mediterranean climate and one of the most polluted in Spain. Granada is also one of the Mediterranean cities in which the increase in the percentage of the population affected by allergy to Platanus pollen in recent decades has been most significant. The 1992-2019 Platanus pollen data series has been considered to establish the main aerobiological parameters, trends and correlations with meteorological variables and particulate and gaseous atmospheric pollutants, both before and during the flowering period. The average Seasonal Pollen Integral (SPIn) of about 2700 pollen grains has shown a significant increase throughout the series. This increase in allergen emissions could be related to the increase in crown volume associated with tree growth, but also to other environmental factors. Precipitation and minimum temperatures of the winter prior to flowering were the parameters that have shown the most influence with SPIn, while O3 and NOx are the pollutants that have the most effect on the peak value. Due to the good adaptation that London plane has to changing climatic conditions in urban environments, its hegemonic presence as an element of Urban Green infrastructure must be reviewed so that the net balance of ecosystem services is not diminished by the disservices.

Residents' awareness of the role of informal green spaces in a post-industrial city, with a focus on regulating services and urban adaptation potential.

Urban green spaces (UGS) and the ecosystem services they provide are essential for the health and wellbeing of city dwellers. UGS are increasingly seen as a potential solution for sustainable urban planning and development. Informal green spaces (IGS), even though they may make up a large share of UGS, are often overlooked in this regard. This study examines residents' awareness of the ecosystem services provided by IGS and their need for redevelopment. The data were collected through structured interviews in the immediate vicinity of selected IGS in the Polish city of Lódz. Lódz is typical of post-industrial European cities struggling with environmental (heatwaves, cloudbursts), social (aging, depopulation) and spatial (a neglected and dense city center) issues. Our results show that residents saw IGS as places able to provide a range of services, mostly of the regulating type, and even minor design interventions can improve the attractiveness of IGS. Taking this into account, we conclude that IGS are important vegetated areas in the city, which can be complementary to formal greenery.

Discrete choice experiment data for street-level urban greening in Berlin.

The data presented in this DiB article are the outcome of a survey implemented in a Berlin neighborhood from January to March 2018. The data consist of socio-demographic, attitudinal and perception questions, and, most importantly, a discrete choice experiment. This dataset is complementary to the full research article, "Economic valuation of street-level urban greening: A case study from an evolving mixed-use area in Berlin" [1]. The analysis of the discrete choice experiment provided in the full article could be used to guide policy- and project-level decision-making for green building practices and urban green initiatives, while the dataset available here can be used to provide insight about how our sample population responded to the remaining parts of the questionnaire and how the experiment could be replicated in context or elsewhere in Berlin.

Towards nationally harmonized mapping and quantification of ecosystem services.

The EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy requests EU Member States to map and assess ecosystem services within national territories, and to promote and integrate these values into policy-making. This calls for standardized and harmonized data, indicators, and methods to assess ecosystem services within national boundaries. Current approaches for assessing ecosystem services often oversimplify cross-scale heterogeneity, sacrificing the spatial and thematic detail required to support the needs and expectations of decision-makers at different levels. Hence, nationally harmonized models for mapping and quantifying ecosystem services are needed. This paper presents the Natural Capital Model (NC-Model), a spatially-explicit set of models for quantifying and mapping ecosystem services within the Netherlands. Its aim is to support the integration of ecosystem services within spatial planning and policy-making at the national level, contributing to the fulfilment of national and international environmental policy targets. Models introduce previously unexplored combinations of explanatory variables for modelling ecosystem functions and the socioeconomic benefits they accrue, making use of publicly-available and high-resolution spatial data. To capture spatial and thematic heterogeneity across the urban-rural gradient, the NC-Model comprises a subset of ecosystem service models tailored to the urban environment. To demonstrate the model's application, we expand on six urban ecosystem service models and implement them to quantify and map ecosystem services for Municipality of Amsterdam. High-resolution ecosystem supply and use maps provide detailed spatial information useful for supporting spatial planners and decision-makers who wish to optimize the allocation of natural elements while supporting the needs of citizens. They paint a picture on the interlinkages that exist between natural elements, ecological functions, and socioeconomic well-being in a friendly manner, tailored to various audiences with differing priorities. Their open-access nature enables their customization, supporting the sharing of knowledge and data to endorse ecosystem service modelling efforts by external parties within and outside the Netherlands.

Under one canopy? Assessing the distributional environmental justice implications of street tree benefits in Barcelona.

Street trees are an important component of green infrastructure in cities, providing multiple ecosystem services (ES) and hence contributing to urban resilience, sustainability and livability. Still, access to these benefits may display an uneven distribution across the urban fabric, potentially leading to socio-environmental inequalities. Some studies have analyzed the distributional justice implications of street tree spatial patterns, but generally without quantifying the associated ES provision. This research estimated the amount of air purification, runoff mitigation and temperature regulation provided by circa 200,000 street trees in Barcelona, Spain, using the i-Tree Eco tool. Results were aggregated at neighborhood (n = 73) and census tract (n = 1068) levels to detect associations with the distribution of five demographic variables indicating social vulnerability, namely: income, residents from the Global South, residents with low educational attainment, elderly residents, and children. Associations were evaluated using bivariate, multivariate and cluster analyses, including a spatial autoregressive model. Unlike previous studies, we found no evidence of a significant and positive association between the distribution of low income or Global South residents and a lower amount of street tree benefits in Barcelona. Rather, higher ES provision by street trees was associated with certain types of vulnerable populations, especially elderly citizens. Our results also suggest that street trees can play an important redistributive role in relation to the local provision of regulating ES due to the generally uneven and patchy distribution of other urban green infrastructure components such as urban forests, parks or gardens in compact cities such as Barcelona. In the light of these findings, we contend that just green infrastructure planning should carefully consider the distributive implications associated with street tree benefits.

Litter decomposition driven by soil fauna, plant diversity and soil management in urban gardens.

In the face of growing urban densification, green spaces in cities, such as gardens, are increasingly important for biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, the influences of urban green space management on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships is poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between soil fauna and litter decomposition in 170 urban garden sites along a gradient of urbanisation intensity in the city of Zurich, CH. We used litter bags of 1 and 4 mm mesh size to evaluate the contribution of soil meso- and macrofauna on litter decomposition. By using multilevel structural equation models (SEM), we investigated direct and indirect environmental effects and management practices on litter decomposition and litter residue quality. We evaluated the role of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of soil fauna species on litter decomposition, based on a sample of 120 species (81,007 individuals; 39 collembola, 18 earthworm, 16 isopod, 47 gastropod species). We found highest litter decomposition rates using 4 mm mesh size litter bags, highlighting the importance of soil macrofauna. Urban warming, a proxy for urbanisation intensity, covaried positively, whereas soil disturbances, such as intensive soil and crop management, were negatively correlated with decomposition rates. Interestingly, soil fauna species richness decreased, with the exception of gastropods, and soil fauna abundance increased with urban warming. Our data also show that plant species richness positively affected litter decomposition by increasing soil fauna species richness and microbial activity. A multivariate analysis of organic compounds in litter residues confirmed the importance of soil fauna species richness and garden management on litter decomposition processes. Overall, we showed, that also in intensively managed urban green spaces, such as gardens, biodiversity of plants and soil fauna drives key ecosystem processes. Urban planning strategies that integrate soil protecting management practices may help to maintain important ecosystem services in this heavily used urban environment.

Urban ecosystem services delivered by green open spaces: an example from Nicosia City in North Cyprus.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the major urban ecosystem services (UESs) delivered by a number of green open spaces (GOSs) and their contributions to the human wellbeing (HWB) in four selected sites located in the city of Nicosia of North Cyprus. The objectives of the study were to map the dominant GOSs in the selected sites, to identify the plant species cultivated in the GOSs, and to evaluate the major UESs delivered by the GOSs and their contributions to the components of HWB. The conceptual framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was adopted to evaluate the linkages between the different types/components of GOSs, UESs, and HWB. The relevant data were collected by combining quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews and field surveys) research tools. The collected data were evaluated on a 1-5 Likert scale. Overall, 31 UESs and 14 components of HWB were evaluated. The results of the evaluation revealed that 229 plant species are cultivated in the GOSs. The total average relative value of the UESs delivered by the dominant GOSs was estimated to be very low with 2.43 points. The total average relative contribution of the UESs to the HWB seems to be low with 3.56 points. Plant diversity was identified as the main criterion that influences the degree of UESs. We hope that the results of this study can help policy-makers and planners to design more effective policies in terms of building resilient cities and societies in the city of Nicosia and elsewhere.

Índice de diversidad biológica urbana de la ciudad de la antigua Guatemala / Index of urban biological diversity in the city of la antigua Guatemala L

La urbanización es un fenómeno global cuyo pronóstico prevé que para el 2050 hasta el 70% de la poblaciónmundial vivirá en ciudades. Esto tendrá un impacto sobre la diversidad biológica, lo que podría generar pérdidade especies y de los servicios ecosistémicos relacionados. Las administraciones municipales deben contemplareste componente para la planificación y desempeño ambiental de sus ciudades y áreas urbanas. El Convenio sobrela Diversidad Biológica (CDB) ha planteado una nueva herramienta para estimar la diversidad biológica enciudades: el índice de diversidad biológica urbana. En este proyecto se evaluó este índice para la ciudad de LaAntigua Guatemala. De un máximo de 72 puntos, el resultado para la ciudad de La Antigua Guatemala fue de33 puntos. Se midieron 18 indicadores de tres componentes: (1) biodiversidad urbana con un desempeño alto,(2) servicios ecosistémicos con un desempeño bajo y (3) gobernanza y manejo de la diversidad biológica con undesempeño medio. Los registros para la línea base de la biodiversidad son: 99 especies de aves, 148 especies deplantas vasculares, 46 especies de mariposas y 11 especies de murciélagos. Se recomienda a las autoridades dela ciudad de La Antigua Guatemala y actores involucrados, elaborar de urgencia la estrategia local de diversidadbiológica y su plan de acción.

The global process of urbanization predicts a 70% of all world citizens living in cities by the year 2050. Theresult will be a high impact on biological diversity like species loss and degradation of ecosystem services.Local governments have to introduce this component in the environmental planning and performance of their cities.The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has proposed a new tool to evaluate the biological diversityin cities: The City Biodiversity Index (CBI). In this project the CBI for the city of La Antigua Guatemala wasassessed. The city scores 33 points out of 72. The indicators measured were related to three main components: (1)biological diversity with high value, (2) ecosystem services with low value and (3) governance and managementof biological diversity with medium value. Biodiversity base line records were: 99 bird species, 148 plant species,46 butterfly species and 11 bat species. The project recommends the urgent elaboration of Antigua Guatemala’sCity Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (LBSAP).