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This handbook provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the expanding field of urban biodiversity.
The field of urban biodiversity has emerged from within the broad discipline of urban ecology in the past two decades and is now a significant field in its own right. In view of this, the Routledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity presents a thorough treatment of this field detailing the history of urban biodiversity, theoretical foundations, current state of knowledge, and application of that knowledge. The handbook is split into four parts:
- Part I: Setting the Stage for Urban Biodiversity Research and Practice
- Part II: Foundational Concepts and Theory in Urban Biodiversity Research
- Part III: Population and Community Ecology of Key Urban Taxa
- Part IV: Urban Biodiversity Practice: Management, Planning, and Design for Healthy Communities
This volume contains interdisciplinary and global contributions from established and early career academics as well as professionals and practitioners, addressing two key fields in urban biodiversity: fundamental research focused on answering questions about the mechanisms explaining the distribution of species among and within cities; and applied research and work by practitioners to address concerns about urban biodiversity conservation, restoration, planning, design, and public involvement.
This handbook is essential reading for students, academics, and professionals interested and working in the fields of urban biodiversity, ecology, nature conservation, urban planning, and landscape architecture.
Chapters 15 and 22 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
List of contents
- Introduction to the Routledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity
Charles H. Nilon and Myla F.J. Aronson
PART 1: Setting the stage for urban biodiversity research and practice
- History of urban biodiversity research and practice
Charles H. Nilon
- Comparative urban ecology and the gradient approach: extending knowledge by acknowledging the diversity of cities around the world
Amy K. Hahs
- Urban climate and the biophysical environment
Peter Ibsen, Dion Kucera, Stephanie Piper, and G. Darrel Jenerette
- Understanding land use, land cover, and landscape patterns of the world's cities for sustainable biodiversity planning
Cynnamon Dobbs, Dagmar Haase, and Ulla Mörtberg
PART 2: Foundational concepts and theory in urban biodiversity research
- The application of landscape ecology and biogeography in the study of urban biodiversity
Christopher A. Lepczyk and Frank A. La Sorte
- Community assembly and filtering of urban ecosystems
Myla F.J. Aronson, Christopher A. Lepczyk, and Karl L. Evans
- From filters to feedbacks: how do people influence biodiversity across scales?
Riley Andrade, Paige S. Warren, and Sarel S. Cilliers
- People's decisions shape urban habitats
Dave Kendal, Emily Minor, and Monika Egerer
- Scaling-up the management and conservation of urban biodiversity
Susannah B. Lerman, Josep Padullés Cubino, and Mark A. Goddard
- Connecting biodiversity and human wellbeing
Jessica C. Fisher, Maximilian Nawrath, Martin Dallimer, Katherine N. Irvine, and Zoe G. Davies
- Multidimensionality of biodiversity in urban social-ecological soil systems
Loren B. Byrne and Katalin Szlavecz
- Plant invasions in cities: patterns, processes, consequences, and management
Mirijam Gaertner and Ingo Kowarik
- The importance of citizen science for understanding urban biodiversity
Christopher A. Lepczyk and Timothy Vargo
PART 3: Population and community ecology of key urban taxa
- Patterns and drivers of plant biodiversity in urban and urbanizing landscapes
Sonja Knapp and Wayne Zipperer
- Urbanization shapes insect diversity
Emily K. Meineke, Elsa Youngsteadt, Mia K. Lippey, and Katherine C.R. Baldock
- Birds in an urban world: community patterns across cities
Christine Rega-Brodsky and Ian MacGregor-Fors
- A cross-continental synthesis of urban insectivorous bat research and future directions
Caragh G. Threlfall and Kirsten Jung
- Impacts of urbanization on amphibians and opportunities for their conservation in cities
Kirsten M. Parris
- Freshwater biodiversity in urban ecosystems
Augustin C. Engman and Allison H. Roy
PART 4: Urban biodiversity practice: management, planning, and design for healthy communities
- Urban green infrastructure, biodiversity, poverty, and equity
Charlie M. Shackleton
- Managing vegetation for urban biodiversity
Jun Yang, Sonja Knapp, and Wayne Zipperer
- The role of engineered green infrastructure in supporting urban biodiversity
J. Scott MacIvor, Nicholas S.G. Williams, and Jeremy Lundholm
- Global biodiversity requires integrating social and ecological goals for urban biodiversity: insights from ecological restoration
Lea R. Johnson
- Cities are planning for biodiversity: a global survey of city plans
Karen M. O'Neill, Myla F.J. Aronson, Charles H. Nilon, Sarel S. Cilliers, Cynnamon Dobbs, Laren J. Frazee, Mark A. Goddard, Debra Roberts, Emilie K. Stander, Peter Werner, and Ken P. Yocom
- Development and evolution of urban biodiversity indicators and assessment tools
Yuta Uchiyama and Ryo Kohsaka
- Urban biodiversity: opportunities and challenges in the Paris Region
Marc Barra
- Regeneration of urban nature: from planning to action
Diana Wiesner
- Design for urban biodiversity: applying research on biodiversity of urban lawns into landscape design practice
Maria Ignatieva
About the author
Charles H. Nilon is a professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. His research and teaching focus on urban wildlife conservation, urban ecology, and the human dimensions of wildlife conservation. Dr. Nilon is a co-director of three urban biodiversity synthesis projects, including the "Urban Biodiversity Research Coordination Network" (UrBioNet), and is co-president of the International Urban Biodiversity and Design Network (URBIO).
Myla F.J. Aronson is an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research and teaching focuses on the patterns, drivers, and management of biodiversity in human dominated landscapes, particularly plant population and community dynamics in urban areas. Dr. Aronson is co-director of three urban biodiversity synthesis projects, including the "Urban Biodiversity Research Coordination Network" (UrBioNet), and serves on the Advisory Board for the International Urban Biodiversity and Design Network (URBIO).
Summary
This handbook provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the expanding field of urban biodiversity.
Report
"The earliest roots of urban ecology lie in the study of wild and domestic organisms in cities. Nilon
and Aronson show the depth and rigor of this research tradition, illustrate its crucial application
to conservation of global biodiversity, and point to the continued need and creative future for urban
biodiversity studies."
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of
Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York , USA
"This is a blockbuster book for the urban century. From the fundamentals, science and theory of
urban biodiversity to practical management issues, Nilon and Aronson have produced a must-have
that should be on the bookshelf of every urban professional."
Karen C. Seto , Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography &
Urbanization Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
"Rapid urbanization at global scale exerts serious threats to urban biodiversity which is of great
importance for conservation in terms of implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework; Urban development can not be successful unless its biodiversity is sustainably
utilized. The book offers readers opportunities to understand concepts and theory for urban biodiversity
and learn best practices in using and conserving it."
Keping Ma , Vice Chair and Secretary General, Biodiversity Committee,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
"Old concepts of cities and nature being two separate worlds have been overturned. Studies of the
close interplay of urban conditions and high biodiversity are yielding a new understanding of the
structure of urban nature and its importance to the human experience. This book sets a new standard
for explaining the ecological foundations of urban nature, the current state of knowledge, the
role of human actions and management on city species, and a path forward for new research and
new collaborations. Cities are expanding rapidly across the globe; this Handbook will be a guide
to incorporating modern ecological perspectives to the design of healthier, more resilient urban
landscapes and improving conservation of the rich urban biodiversity."
Steven N. Handel , Distinguished Professor of Ecology, Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey , USA
