ISHS Acta Horticulturae 643: International Conference on Urban Horticulture
SPONTANEOUS PLANT SPECIES IN CITIES AS CONSEQUENCE OF URBAN HORTICULTURE: HOW TO VALUE THIS CONTRIBUTION TO BIODIVERSITY? |
| Authors: | M. Richter, I. Vršek |
| Keywords: | biodiversity, tree species, species loss, evaluation |
| Abstract:
This study investigates the degree of contribution of urban horticulture to biodiversity in a city and addresses the problem of valuing of this contribution. In a survey, totally 96 self fertile tree species were found at Stuttgart. Nearly half of them (43) grew predominantly within settlements, and 84 % of these 43 species were neophytes that have been grown by gardeners. There is a significant contribution of urban horticulture to biodiversity. In first stage of assessment this fact should be noted without evaluation (the status of spontaneously growing tree species as exotic plant, their potential to become a weed or their rarity). In a second step planners should evaluate this biodiversity and compare the species present with those we would like to have. The different meanings of “high biodiversity” between scientific statement and normative ideal are discussed. | |
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