Woody plant species richness, composition and structure in urban sacred sites, Grahamstown, South Africa

Lacy, P. De; Shackleton, Charlie M.

doi:10.1007/s11252-017-0669-y

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, compared to the literature on rural sacred areas, there has been only limited consideration of urban sacred sites as green spaces that can offer a range of ecosystem services to urban residents. Indeed, the total area of green sacred sites in towns can be considerable [22] and hence they deserve to be included in broader debates and plans about urban ecosystem services and green infrastructure. This study sought to bring together the three dimensions of urban greening, ecosystem service provision, especially cultural and spiritual services, and sacred sites within the urban setting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high number of places of worship makes it an ideal setting for examination of the key questions posed, although the numbers of people regularly attending some places is quite small. It is also a relatively green city, with 13.9% of the area being public green spaces [45], and an additional 2.1% as urban sacred sites [22]. Although the majority of the population identify themselves as being isiXhosa, the city is culturally diverse with people of many different ethnicities, language and religious groups, reflecting broader South African society and a degree of internationalization due to the presence of a well-known university that attracts staff and scholars from around the world.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The area of each site was measured and the date of establishment was obtained from interviews with parish elders. A full inventory of shrubs and trees taller than 1.5 m was undertaken, along with soil analysis, as reported by De Lacy & Shackleton [22]. Forty-three percent of the gardens were less than 1000 m 2 , a similar percentage was between 1000 m 2 and 3000 m 2 and the balance (14%) were larger than 3000 m 2 [22].…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Lacy¹,

Shackleton

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:The range and use of ecosystem services provided by urban sacred sites has hardly been considered in studies of urban ecology, sustainability and human wellbeing. This paper examines the perceived ecosystem services supplied by green spaces or gardens associated with places of religious worship and appreciated by worshippers in a mid-sized town in South Africa. A questionnaire with open, closed and Likert scale questions was administered at 30 places of worship (25 with gardens and five without). Respondents identified a wide diversity of ecosystem services provided by gardens, with social ones being more recognized than ecological, and economic services the least. Approximately two-thirds of respondents visited a sacred site garden weekly or more often. The majority of respondents (96%) felt that a garden was necessary because it added to their feelings of connection with God, or helped them relax and so be better able to concentrate, and 54% stated that a garden enhanced their overall spiritual experience. Regression analysis revealed that aesthetic appreciation of a garden was significantly related to woody plant species richness, number and basal area in the garden. On the other hand, spiritual experience was positively related to woody plant basal area, but not species richness nor tree number. Neither size of the garden, nor number of years the respondents had been vising a particular sacred site had any influence on the rated spiritual or aesthetic experiences. These results reveal the widely appreciated ecosystem services provided by urban sacred spaces and their centrality in enhancing spiritual satisfaction for some.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Lacy¹,

Shackleton

2017

Sustainability

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“…; Attila Molnár et al . ; De Lacy & Shackleton ). Therefore, one must consider the benefit of conservation burials optimized to meet societal and conservation objectives, against this baseline, rather than against the elimination of cemeteries altogether.…”

Section: Biodiversity Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation from the Grave: Human Burials to Fund the Conservation of Threatened Species

Holden

McDonald‐Madden

2017

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Most conservation scientists and practitioners are unaware that their corpses can transform into protected areas after death. The practice is called a conservation burial, where burial fees fund the acquisition, protection, restoration, and management of new land to benefit human and environmental well‐being. If conservation burials became commonplace, then the revenue generated could exceed the amount of money required to fund the conservation of every threatened species on the planet. The additional human‐health benefits of increased urban greenspace could also be substantial. As Halloween, “the day of the dead,” approaches, we urge governments, NGOs, and the public to contemplate how death can support future life on earth through conservation burials.

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Turkish graveyards as refuges for orchids against tuber harvest

Molnár

Nagy

Löki

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Harvest of orchid tubers for salep production is widespread in southwestern Asia and the Balkans and constitutes a major conservation risk for wild orchid populations. Synanthropic habitats, such as graveyards, are important refuges for orchids and other organisms and could offer protection from salep harvesting because of their special cultural role. However, little is known about the occurrence and factors influencing harvesting of salep in graveyards. During field surveys of 474 graveyards throughout Turkey, we observed 333 graveyards with orchids, 311 graveyards with tuberous orchids, and salep harvest in 14 graveyards. Altogether, 530 individuals of 17 orchid species were collected, representing 9% of the individuals recorded. Harvesting intensity was relatively low, and populations were usually not wholly destroyed. However, some species were clearly more affected than others. Salep harvesting risk of orchid species was significantly associated with flowering time, with early‐flowering species being more affected. A marginally significant positive relationship between harvesting risk and species‐specific tuber size was also detected. Our data suggest that graveyards might offer some protection against salep harvesting in Turkey, but they also show that some orchid taxa are much more affected than others. Overall, our observations add more weight to the conservation value of these special habitats.

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Woody plant species richness, composition and structure in urban sacred sites, Grahamstown, South Africa

Cited by 35 publications

References 54 publications

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites

Conservation from the Grave: Human Burials to Fund the Conservation of Threatened Species

Turkish graveyards as refuges for orchids against tuber harvest

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