Urban Ecosystem Services in South America: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Nature within cities provides benefits for people known as urban ecosystem services. An assessment of urban ecosystem services is growing in South America, a biodiverse and highly urbanized region. To synthesize this growing body of knowledge in South America, we performed a systematic review identifying patterns in the literature and knowledge gaps. Our review shows that Brazil, Chile, and Colombia contribute the greatest number of studies. More than 80% of the studies were published in the last five years, revealing this as an emerging research topic in the region. More than half of the studies had an environmental perspective and focused on services provided by green spaces. Nearly all studies involved regulating services, followed by cultural services. We found clear knowledge gaps, including a paucity of assessments on supporting and provisioning services, as well as the lack of studies in several countries, evaluations concerning land cover other than parks, and large-scale assessments. Comparing ecosystem services in different planning scenarios is urgently needed to make informed decisions, aid nature conservation, and provide ecosystem services for all urban dwellers. This knowledge will contribute to achieving sustainable cities and equitable access to ecosystem services in South America.

Servicios ecosistémicos en la Costa Caribe Colombiana antes y después del acuerdo de paz: una revisión

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Socioeconomic Urban Environment in Latin America: Towards a Typology of Cities

“…As one of the most urbanised developing regions in the world, Latin America has 80% of the 500 million people living in cities [19]. Well-managed urbanisation can maximise the benefits of high levels of population density, minimising environmental degradation and increasing sustainability [20,21]. Understanding whether cities can be clustered into types based on social and economic indicators may help understanding of the historical dynamics shaping city social and economic development and can also be useful in relating city features to health and environmental outcomes including sustainability outcomes.…”

Inclusion of ecosystem services in the management of municipal natural open space systems

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