Citizen science data on urban forageable plants: a case study in Brazil.

This paper presents two key data sets derived from the Pomar Urbano project. The first data set is a comprehensive catalog of edible fruit-bearing plant species, native or introduced to Brazil. The second data set, sourced from the iNaturalist platform, tracks the distribution and monitoring of these plants within urban landscapes across Brazil. The study includes data from the capitals of all 27 federative units of Brazil, focusing on the ten cities that contributed the most observations as of August 2023. The research emphasizes the significance of citizen science in urban biodiversity monitoring and its potential to contribute to various fields, including food and nutrition, creative industry, study of plant phenology, and machine learning applications. We expect the data sets presented in this paper to serve as resources for further studies in urban foraging, food security, cultural ecosystem services, and environmental sustainability.

Leveraging citizen science for monitoring urban forageable plants.

Urbanization brings forth social challenges in emerging countries such as Brazil, encompassing food scarcity, health deterioration, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. Despite this, urban areas like the city of São Paulo still boast ample green spaces, offering opportunities for nature appreciation and conservation, enhancing city resilience and livability. Citizen science is a collaborative endeavor between professional scientists and nonprofessional scientists in scientific research that may help to understand the dynamics of urban ecosystems. We believe citizen science has the potential to promote human and nature connection in urban areas and provide useful data on urban biodiversity.

Urban expansion in the Atlantic Forest: applying the Nature Futures Framework to develop a conceptual model and future scenarios / Expansão urbana na Mata Atlântica: aplicando o Nature Futures Framework para desenvolver um modelo conceitual e cenários futuros

Abstract: The Atlantic Forest is an important hotspot of biodiversity and ecosystem services that contributes to the well-being of its 125 million human inhabitants, about three quarters of the Brazilian population. In the coming decades, forecasts show that urban areas in the Atlantic Forest will grow at the expense of natural ecosystems, leading to increasing pressure on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We used the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) for envisioning positive scenarios for cities in the Atlantic Forest. First, we developed a conceptual model based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach to describe consequences of urban growth for the three NFF perspectives: Nature for Society, Nature for Nature and Nature as Culture. Second, we proposed scenario storylines that encompass multiple social-ecological values of nature and could be used by policy makers to plan desirable futures for the Atlantic Forest. Then, we discussed the impact of distinct policies on these values, identifying the different ways in which the management of urban green and blue spaces, natural ecosystems, and urban densities can lead to different social-ecological outcomes. We further detail the complexity, trade-offs, and synergies regarding city development, nature conservation, and human well-being in this tropical hotspot. Applying NFF can contribute to the ongoing debate regarding urban sustainability, by providing an interdisciplinary and integrative approach that explicitly incorporates multiple values of nature and the visualization of positive futures.

Resumo: A Mata Atlântica é um importante hotspot de biodiversidade e serviços ecossistêmicos que contribui para o bem-estar de seus 125 milhões de habitantes, cerca de três quartos da população brasileira. Nas próximas décadas, a previsão é de que as áreas urbanas na Mata Atlântica crescerão às custas de ecossistemas naturais, conduzindo a um aumento na pressão sobre a biodiversidade e os serviços ecossistêmicos. Nós usamos a perspectiva do Nature Futures Framework (NFF) para visualizar cenários positivos para as cidades na Mata Atlântica. Em primeiro lugar, desenvolvemos um modelo conceitual baseado na abordagem Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) para descrever as consequências do crescimento urbano para as três perspectivas do NFF: Natureza para a Sociedade, Natureza para a Natureza, e Natureza como Cultura. Em seguida, propusemos cenários na forma de narrativas que abrangem múltiplos valores socioecológicos para a natureza, e que pudessem ser usados por tomadores de decisão para planejar futuros desejáveis para a Mata Atlântica. Posteriormente, discutimos os impactos de distintas políticas sob esses valores, identificando como diferentes maneiras de gerenciar os espaços urbanos verdes e azuis, os ecossistemas naturais, e as densidades urbanas podem conduzir a diferentes contextos socioecológicos. Ainda, nós detalhamos a complexidade, os trade-offs e as sinergias relacionados ao desenvolvimento de cidades, conservação da natureza e bem-estar humano neste hotspot tropical. A aplicação do NFF pode contribuir para o debate em andamento sobre sustentabilidade urbana, por meio do fornecimento de uma abordagem interdisciplinar e integrativa que explicitamente incorpora múltiplos valores da natureza e a visualização de futuros positivos.