Biodiversity impacts and conservation implications of urban land expansion projected to 2050

Simkin, Rohan; Seto, Karen C.; McDonald, Robert I.; Jetz, Walter

doi:10.1073/pnas.2117297119

Cited by 417 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

125

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…It may, therefore, be preferable to prioritise development, including heat mitigation strategies, of partially urbanised land where UHIs have already developed. Reducing urban sprawl not only limits the spatial expansion of UHIs but also has positive effects for biodiversity by reducing habitat loss (Simkin et al . 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal development of the urban heat island in a socioeconomically diverse tropical city

Ramsay

Duffy

Burge

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban heat islands, where temperatures are elevated relative to non-urban surrounds, are near-ubiquitous in cities globally. Yet, the magnitude and form of urban heat islands in the tropics, where heat has a large morbidity and mortality burden, is less well understood, especially for socioeconomically diverse communities such as those living in urban informal settlements. We utilised 29 years of Landsat satellite-derived surface temperature, corroborated by in situ measurements, to provide a detailed spatial and temporal assessment of urban heat islands in Makassar, Indonesia, a city that is representative of rapidly growing urban settlements across the tropics. We did so with explicit consideration of vulnerable communities living informally. Our analysis identified surface urban heat islands of up to 9.2 C in long-urbanised parts of the city and 6.3 C in informal settlements, the seasonal patterns of which were driven by change in non-urban areas rather than in urban areas themselves. In recently urbanised areas, the majority of urban heat island increase occurred before areas became 50% urbanised. As tropical cities continue to expand we expect that urban heat islands will develop quickly as land is urbanised, whereas the established heat island in long-urbanised areas will remain stable in response to city expansion. Green and blue space protect some informal settlements from the worst urban heat islands and maintenance of such space will be essential to mitigate the growing heat burden from urban expansion and anthropogenic climate change. We advocate for green space to be prioritised in urban planning, redevelopment and informal settlement upgrading programs, with consideration of the unique environmental and socioeconomic context of tropical cities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal development of the urban heat island in a socioeconomically diverse tropical city

Ramsay

Duffy

Burge

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In comparison with cultivated lands and areas used by livestock grazing (close to 25%), cities and other infrastructures only cover around 2%. And yet, population growth will occur mainly in an urban context and biodiversity loss has been actually shown to be tied to urban land conversions [ 42 ]. Projected impacts to 2050 predict that unmitigated urbanization will jeopardize the survival of thousands of species whose habitats will be affected.…”

Section: Humans Defaunation and Extinctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years

Solé

Levin

2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global warming, habitat loss and overexploitation of limited resources are leading to alarming biodiversity declines. Ecosystems are complex adaptive systems that display multiple alternative states and can shift from one to another in abrupt ways. Some of these tipping points have been identified and predicted by mathematical and computational models. Moreover, multiple scales are involved and potential mitigation or intervention scenarios are tied to particular levels of complexity, from cells to human–environment coupled systems. In dealing with a biosphere where humans are part of a complex, endangered ecological network, novel theoretical and engineering approaches need to be considered. At the centre of most research efforts is biodiversity, which is essential to maintain community resilience and ecosystem services. What can be done to mitigate, counterbalance or prevent tipping points? Using a 30-year window, we explore recent approaches to sense, preserve and restore ecosystem resilience as well as a number of proposed interventions (from afforestation to bioengineering) directed to mitigate or reverse ecosystem collapse. The year 2050 is taken as a representative future horizon that combines a time scale where deep ecological changes will occur and proposed solutions might be effective. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years’.

show abstract

“…Cities are complex territories, nodes of accelerated fluxes of capital, people, information, matter, and energy [1] that strongly influence the environmental dynamics of close and distant territories [2][3][4]. In the context of global environmental change, cities' sustainability constitutes a growing concern, as they are expected to host 68% of the world population by 2050 [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Agroecological Food Production, Ecological Restoration, Peasants’ Wellbeing, and Agri-Food Biocultural Heritage in Xochimilco, Mexico City

Figueroa

Puente-Uribe²,

Arteaga-Ledesma

et al. 2022

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chinampería, a jeopardized precolonial agricultural practice, persists in the Xochimilco wetland, Mexico City. Agroecological chinampa production is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contributes to the sustainability of both the urban wetland and the city. The ‘chinampa-refuge’ model (CRM) is a transdisciplinary effort to strengthen traditional agroecological practices and ecological restoration. Through an inter/transdisciplinary research framework, we addressed the model’s role in the sustainability of this socio-ecosystem concerning four significant drivers of the wetland’s transformation. The CRM has improved water quality locally, increased the suitable habitat for native aquatic biodiversity, and supported traditional agroecological practices, thus improving the quality and safety of food products. However, there are clear challenges regarding production and commercialization, some of which may be addressed through the strengthening of the social organization and collective action. However, other challenges are beyond the reach of chinampa producers’ efforts and the CRM, but are decisive in changing the degradation trends. In order to address these challenges, urgent and participatory government actions are needed based on the recognition of the causes of wetland degradation and the role of traditional chinampa production in its sustainability.

show abstract

Biodiversity impacts and conservation implications of urban land expansion projected to 2050

Cited by 417 publications

References 43 publications

Spatio-temporal development of the urban heat island in a socioeconomically diverse tropical city

Spatio-temporal development of the urban heat island in a socioeconomically diverse tropical city

Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years

Integrating Agroecological Food Production, Ecological Restoration, Peasants’ Wellbeing, and Agri-Food Biocultural Heritage in Xochimilco, Mexico City

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About