Understanding the ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces, in terms of their environmental, economic, and social benefits, is essential for a better management of area. Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (CU 100) was established to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially flood prevention. This study focused on quantifying the ecosystem services provided by the trees in the park in terms of regulating and provisioning services. A publicly available tool, the i-Tree Eco international software, was used with data obtained from a local weather station as proxies to determine the accuracy of the analysis. Services, quantified in terms of monetary value, included avoided runoff, carbon storage, carbon sequestration, pollution removal, and timber price. The total monetary benefits, obtained from 697 trees (56 species, 49 genera, and 22 families), were estimated at USD 101,400. Of the total services, provisioning services contributed 75% to the total monetary value. Among all regulating services, the avoided runoff contributed about 60%, which was considered as the goal achieved by the park design. Azadirachta indica A. Juss (USD 518.75/tree−1/year−1), Shorea roxburghii G. Don (USD 417.17/tree−1/year−1) and Millettia leucantha Kurz (USD 414.87/tree−1/year−1) provided the greatest benefit, as indicated by a high value of provisioning services in terms of a high timber quality. These results can be used when planning the composition of trees to be planted in urban areas to increase both green spaces and maximize ecosystem services to improve the vitality of human well-being.

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Plants' ecological niches are important to study, particularly for applying the knowledge to restoration programs. This study clarified the relationships of tree species composition and spatial distribution to environmental factors in a mountain ecosystem. A 3 ha permanent plot was established across the forest ecotone at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The spatial distributions of the 20 dominant tree species were analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM) combined with geographic information system (GIS) techniques. High species diversity was found, including 165 species representing 118 genera and 59 families. Elevation strongly influenced tree distribution, which could be divided into three groups: low-altitude species in deciduous dipterocarp forest (DDF), highaltitude species in lower montane forest (LMF) and coexisting DDF and LMF species. The GLM analysis revealed that soil texture, which ranged from sandy to clayey, influenced tree distribution. The results suggest that restoration programs should select suitable species based on their niches.

Abstract. Yarnvudhi A, Leksungnoen N, Siri S, Ponpithuk Y, Sukmasuang R, Duengkae P, Pongcharoen C, Sutummawong N, Marod D, Wachrinrat C, Premashthira A, Tor-ngern P, Poungcharean S, Hermuk S, Kachina P. 2022. Monetary evaluation of supporting ecosystem services as a habitat provider for birds in Thailand urban park. Biodiversitas 23: 4747-4758. Supporting services are important services to maintain ecosystems by providing habitats for organisms and genetic diversity. In this study, the monetary value of supporting services for bird habitats in urban parks was evaluated based on the price for nursing each bird species and market value. Bird diversity was conducted using point count observation. We found total of 53 bird species, 27 families and 8 orders in the park. Total monetary benefit for bird habitats in this park was estimated to be around USD60,354.12 per individual bird with an average value of USD1,138.76 per bird per species. The top three species with the highest monetary value were the Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans), and Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus). The species diversity index of the bird community (H') was 2.73 and the most abundant bird species were Eastern Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis), Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus), Eastern jungle crow (Corvus levaillantii), Oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis), and Coppersmith Barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus). Among 4 microhabitats, birds were found the most in the trees, followed by lawn, grassland, and wetland areas. The small urban parks should be designed with diverse microhabitats to provide various ecological functions to attract and ensure adequate resources for organisms.

We present the results of classifying plants at species level that can tolerate air pollution, provide cooling, and simultaneously survive and thrive in urban environments. For this purpose, we estimated the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API) of several species growing in a park located in central Bangkok, Thailand. The cooling effect was quantified by calculating the reduction in soil and air temperatures. Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) S.T. Blake, Albizia saman (Jacq.) Merr., Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss. had the highest API score and were able to substantially reduce the temperature and were in a group of highly recommended species which also included other species like A. saman, C. tabularis, Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) Bertero ex A. DC., Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre etc. Species from both evergreen and deciduous habitat were able to provide ambient cooling but were vulnerable to air pollution and included Elaeocarpus grandifloras Sm. and Bauhinia purpurea L. However, there were other species which had a high air pollution tolerance but failed to provide adequate cooling, such as Hopea odorata Roxb. and Millingtonia hortensis L.f. The results would be of interest to urban greenspace landscapers in such climates while selecting suitable species that can provide multiple ecosystem services ranging from air pollution tolerance to temperature reduction without reducing plant vitality.