The assessment and monitoring of biodiversity in urban areas has been performed until now through dedicated on site studies and a small number of studies using online digital biodiversity databases. The question remains as to what extent an efficient and effective monitoring scheme could be implemented, one that not only facilitates comparisons across time and space, but also serves as an early change detection tool that complement local studies. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has been promoted for its central role, gathering and harmonizing biodiversity data worldwide, thereby facilitating the assessment and monitoring of biodiversity in multiple ecosystems. While GBIF data has been investigated for its potential at large scales (national, global) and in natural ecosystems, the question remains as to what extent, and in which context, is GBIF data applicable to urban biodiversity assessment and monitoring. In this study we have shown that the type of organisms surveyed -as well as its ecology and the spatial scale(s) of the assessments are critical to identify the effect of urban and green infrastructure in cities.

The assessment and monitoring of biodiversity in urban areas has been shown to have enormous potential to inform integrative urban planning in cities. In this context, digital biodiversity repositories such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has been promoted for its central role in gathering and harmonizing biodiversity data worldwide, thereby facilitating these assessments and monitoring efforts. While GBIF data has been investigated for its potential at a large scale and in natural ecosystems, the question remains as to what extent, and in which context, is GBIF data applicable to urban biodiversity assessment and monitoring? In this study, we assessed the spatial patterns of biodiversity, by exploring species richness patterns in relation to land use types for three taxonomic groups (birds, mammals and arthropods) in three cities in The Netherlands (Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Groningen) at multiple spatial scales. We found significant variation in the effect of land uses on the species richness patterns, in terms of taxonomic group, spatial configuration and land cover type, and across spatial scales. Our study demonstrates the potential of GBIF data while highlighting the importance of the careful selection of one or multiple spatial scales, especially in relation to the taxonomic group characteristics and ecology and the spatial configuration of the cities studied.