Butterfly taxonomic and functional diversity in the urban green spaces of Hefei city

Urbanization has profound impacts on ecological environments. Green spaces are a vital component of urban ecosystems and play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and enhancing sustainability. This study aimed to investigate the community composition characteristics of butterflies in urban green spaces within the context of rapid urbanization. Simultaneously, it explored the status and differences in butterfly taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and functional traits among different types of urban green spaces, regions, and urban gradients to provide relevant insights for further improving urban green space quality and promoting biodiversity conservation. We conducted a year-long survey of 80 green spaces across different urban regions and ring roads within Hefei City, Anhui Province, with monthly sampling intervals over 187 transects. A total of 4822 butterflies, belonging to 5 families, 17 subfamilies, 40 genera, and 55 species were identified. The species richness, Shannon, Simpson, functional richness, and Rao's quadratic entropy indices of butterflies in urban park green spaces were all significantly higher than those in residential and street green spaces(P < 0.05). Differences in butterfly diversity and functional traits among different urban regions and ring roads were relatively minor, and small-sized, multivoltine, and long flying duration butterflies dominated urban green spaces. Overall, these spaces offer more favorable habitats for butterflies. However, some residential green spaces and street green spaces demonstrate potential for butterfly conservation.

Utilisation of green urban space for food sufficiency and the realisation of the sustainable development goals-UK stakeholders perspective

The exponential growth of food demand due to the increasing global population has the potential to seriously threaten the quality and quantity of food supplies due to climate change.This study explores the utilisation of green urban spaces for achieving food self-sufficiency by investigating the extent to which sustainable urban farms could be used to reduce the consumption of imported produce in the UK.It also examines urban farming stakeholders'perspective on how food self-sufficiency can help realise the SDGs especially SDG 2(Zero hunger)and SDG 13(Climate action).The study adopts a mixed method approach through a survey with 115 respondents and semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 respondents from 4 different urban farming stakeholder groups.The findings of this study presented a strong correlation between stakeholders who had concerns about where their food came from and the carbon footprint of imported produce.The research shows that,urban farms will no doubt play a vital role in the future of food security in our cities/communities and that the SDGs could be realised through sustainable urban farms implemented within the relevant planning regulations/policies.

Spatial patterns and driving forces of urban vegetation greenness in China:A case study comprising 289 cities

Urban vegetation in China has changed substantially in recent decades due to rapid urbanization and dramatic climate change.Nevertheless,the spatial differentiation of greenness among major cities of China and its evolution process and drivers are still poorly understood.This study examined the spatial patterns of vegetation greenness across 289 cities in China in 2000,2005,2010,2015,and 2018 by using spatial autocorrelation analysis on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI);then,the influencing factors were analyzed by using the optimal parameters-based geographical detector(OPGD)model and 18 natural and anthropogenic indicators.The findings demonstrated a noticeable rise in the overall greenness of the selected cities during 2000-2018.The cities in northwest China and east China exhibited the rapidest and slowest greening,respectively,among the six sub-regions.A significant positive spatial correlation was detected between the greenness of the 289 cities in different periods,but the correlation strength weakened over time.The hot and very hot spots in southern and eastern China gradually shifted to the southwest.While the spatial pattern of urban greenness in China is primarily influenced by wind speed(WS)and precipitation(PRE),the interaction between PRE and gross domestic product(GDP)has the highest explanatory power.The explanatory power of most natural factors decreased and,conversely,the influence of anthropogenic factors generally increased.These findings emphasize the variations in the influence strength of multiple factors on urban greenness pattern,which should be taken into account to understand and adapt to the changing urban ecosystem.

Application of Cellular Automata and Markov Chain model for urban green infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia,as a tropical city,has experienced a notable decline in its critical urban green infrastructure(UGI)due to rapid urbanization and haphazard development.The decrease of UGI,especially natural forest and artificial forest,may reduce the diversity of ecosystem services and the ability of Kuala Lumpur to build resilience in the future.This study analyzed land use and land cover(LULC)and UGI changes in Kuala Lumpur based on Landsat satellite images in 1990,2005,and 2021and employed the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient to assess classification accuracy.LULC was categorized into six main types:natural forest,artificial forest,grassland,water body,bare ground,and built-up area.Satellite images in 1990,2005,and 2021 showed the remarkable overall accuracy values of 91.06%,96.67%,and 98.28%,respectively,along with the significant Kappa coefficient values of 0.8997,0.9626,and 0.9512,respectively.Then,this study utilized Cellular Automata and Markov Chain model to analyze the transition of different LULC types during 1990-2005 and 1990-2021 and predict LULC types in 2050.The results showed that natural forest decreased from 15.22%to 8.20%and artificial forest reduced from 18.51%to 15.16%during 1990-2021.Reductions in natural forest and artificial forest led to alterations in urban surface water dynamics,increasing the risk of urban floods.However,grassland showed a significant increase from 7.80%to 24.30%during 1990-2021.Meanwhile,bare ground increased from 27.16%to 31.56%and built-up area increased from 30.45%to 39.90%during 1990-2005.In 2021,built-up area decreased to 35.10%and bare ground decreased to 13.08%,indicating a consistent dominance of built-up area in the central parts of Kuala Lumpur.This study highlights the importance of integrating past,current,and future LULC changes to improve urban ecosystem services in the city.

Diversity and Application of Herbaceous Flowers in Urban Road Greening in Hefei City

In urban road greening,the planting of ground cover flowers is essential,and herbaceous flowers are an important part.Through the investigation on the diversity of herbaceous flowers in urban road green spaces of Hefei City,the types,colors,application frequency and planting of herbaceous flowers in urban road green spaces were statistically analyzed,and the application forms of herbaceous flowers in the road greening of Hefei City were studied.The characteristics and problems of herbaceous flowers in the road greening of Hefei City were found,and some development suggestions were put forward.

A Study of the Impact of the Digital Economy on the Efficiency of Urban Green Economy--Based on the Yangtze River Delta City Cluster

This paper adopts the non-expected output-super-efficiency SBM(Slacks-Based Model)model and principal component analysis to calculate the green economy efficiency and the digital economy level of 27 prefecture-level cities in China’s Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration between 2011 and 2019,respectively,and examines the impact of the digital economy on the green economy efficiency by using benchmark regression and mechanism analysis.The findings show that,first,the digital economy has a significant contribution to the green economic efficiency of cities,and this conclusion still holds after robustness tests such as replacing explanatory and interpreted variables and introducing province-fixed effects.Second,through the mechanism test,it is found that the digital economy can indirectly promote urban green economic efficiency through the positive mechanism effect of promoting industrial structure upgrading.

The Land Management Pattern in " Green Heart" Area——A Case Study of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration

By analyzing the status quo of land resources in " green heart" area of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration,and problems existing in land management,this article puts forward some countermeasures and proposals as follows:establish new land management mechanism in " green heart" area;based on land planning," green heart" overall planning and policies and regulations,manage land and promote the protection of urban ecological environment.

The Role of Green Infrastructure in Mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect

The accelerating urbanization process and intensifying climate change have exacerbated the urban heat island effect, threatening sustainable urban development. This study investigates the role of green infrastructure in mitigating urban heat island effects, its implementation challenges, and applications. Employing a system dynamics approach, the research models the relationships between green infrastructure, urban microclimate, and human well-being. Findings indicate that large, continuous green spaces, such as urban parks and green corridors, are most effective, potentially reducing surrounding temperatures by 1˚C - 4˚C. Green infrastructure also provides multiple ecosystem services, including improved air quality and increased biodiversity. However, its implementation faces challenges such as land resource limitations and financial constraints. To address these issues, the study proposes a performance-based planning method, emphasizing multifunctional design and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through analysis of international and Chinese urban case studies, best practices and lessons learned are summarized. The research demonstrates that successful strategies must be context-specific, integrating local conditions while emphasizing long-term planning and continuous optimization. This study provides a scientific basis for developing effective heat island mitigation strategies and climate adaptation plans, ultimately achieving sustainable urban development and improved living environments.

Research on Kunming Urban Riverbank Greening Construction

Urban riverbank has connected water and land eco-system in the city,not only playing a vital role in releasing flood and conserving water and soil,but also of significant landscape and ecological value.In view of riverbank greening construction in the comprehensive improvement of rivers in Kunming City in recent years,the paper has analyzed three common riverbank greening modes based on the field survey,that is,protective greening,landscape greening and ecological greening.Then,some suggestions and countermeasures have been proposed,including enhancing construction of ecological river,exploring historical and cultural connotation of rivers,and selecting reasonable plants' species and disposition mode.

Study on Functions and Countermeasures of Disaster Prevention and Reduction of Urban Green Land

From the advanced experiences at home and abroad,according to the requirements of emergency evacuation at earthquake disaster,then strategies and methods to disaster prevention and reduction functions of urban green land construction were put forward.

Conservation-minded Urban Green Space System Planning in the Urban-rural Integration

Environmental and ecological problems in the urban-rural integration were analyzed, characteristics of urban green space system introduced, such as excellent landscape eco-structure, distinctive historical and humanistic features, and diversified natural landscape resources, and also challenges pointed out. Evolution, overall spatial structure and conservation concept of conservation-minded urban green space system planning were elaborated, on the basis of which the evaluation system of conservation-minded urban green space system was studied, and it was proposed that mutual relationship between impact factors of compound value and qualitative evaluation factors should be taken into consideration as a whole in evaluating conservation effects of green space system. Quantitative evaluation indexes and qualitative evaluation measures were analyzed, an objective and precise evaluation system for the conservation-minded urban green space system was established by combining qualitative and quantitative analysis to improve ecological environment during the urbanization, and fully show planning concepts of conservation-minded green space system.

Analysis on Landscape Pattern of Urban Green Space in Tianjin City

Based on IKONOS satellite image in August of 2008,and by using GIS technique and spatial pattern analysis software FRAGSTATS,the paper analyzed landscape pattern of urban green space in Tianjin City from the aspects of patch composition and level of category and landscape.The result showed that there were manymin-sized patches in Tianjin City while large patches occupied a large proportion of the total area of green space.Green spaces were unbalanced in distribution and unreasonable in structure.It suggested adjusting the structure of urban green space,reducing the degree of landscape fragmentation,strengthening the construction of large and mid-sized green patches,so as to improve ecological function of green space.

Diversity Analysis on the Plant Communities of Urban Park Green Space in Wuhan

In order to systematically study the diversity of plant communities in park green space,78 plant communities of 10 representative parks in Wuhan City were investigated.The total 449 species belonging to 275 genera and 112 families were found in this investigation.The communities were divided into 35 dominant-species,13 life-forms and 6 vegetation-forms.The community structures and the composition of dominant species were also studied.The results showed that the shortages of the low diversity,high proportion of exotic species and simple community structures appeared in plant community of park green space in Wuhan City.It is proposed that species,especially native ones,should be abundant to keep a high level species diversity.At the same time,more simulated native communities should be utilized to build the natural,multi-layers,bright local vegetation characteristics landscape of urban parks.

The Planning of Urban Green Space System Based on the Concept of Conservation-oriented Landscape

Through analyzing problems in the planning of green space system in cities of China,strategies for constructing urban green space system are put forward based on the requirements of conservation-oriented landscape.

Ecological Planning for Urban Green Space System——A Case Study of Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone

Based on overview of development history and research advances of do- mestic and foreign urban green space system planning, this paper made clear rele- vant concepts of the urban green space system. Urban green space system is a key region for protecting ecological resources. Taking Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone as an example, on the basis of in-depth survey, it made a systematic study on green space system planning combining current situa- tions of green space and regional spatial characteristics of Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone. It discussed how to restore and build urban green space system, protect ecological environment, and promote regional economic de- velopment and harmony between human and nature through design of ecological technologies and landscape in the ecological planning of urban green space system.

Construction of Economic Urban Green Spaces with a Case Study of Shijiazhuang City

The accelerating urbanization has brought various problems in environment, land, fund and so on. With the guidance of market economy, economic urban green spaces have become the optimal choice in urban landscaping of China, which can not only improve urban landscapes, ecological environment, satisfy higher spiritual and cultural demands of people, but also create considerable economic benefits, and enhance the coordinated development of economy, society and environment. With Shijiazhuang City as an example, the approaches of constructing economic urban green spaces fit for Shijiazhuang City were analyzed in this study, to provide references for the construction of economic urban green spaces in other cities.

Study on Spatial Heterogeneity of Urban Green Land Based on ETM+ Image in Shenzhen City

[Objective] To discuss the influence of the spatial heterogeneity of different green land types on their corresponding ecological efficiency and functions. [Method] ETM+ Images are utilized to classify urban green land into three categories, i.e. park green land, affiliated green land and other green lands; the principles of geostatistics are adopted to analyze their spatial heterogeneity. [Result] Spatial heterogeneity of different green land types differs greatly, which follows the scale law of 'affiliated green land < other green lands < park green land'. [Conclusion] The ecological functions and process of different green land types are different in scale; and the shapes of semi-variance functions are closely related to the spatial range, size and variety of ground objects, which however differ slightly in different directions, look similar or tend to isotropy.

Status of and Strategies for the Planning and Design, Maintenance and Management of Chinese Urban Green Land——Application of Ecological Concepts in This Field

The sustainability of the planning and design goals of urban green land and that of its maintenance and management are mutually related and act as an organic whole. For a long time, the independence of the two is more prominent than their organic connection. This research has made preliminary considerations from three aspects. First, it concerns infusing the concept of ecology, contemplating and demonstrating space, as well as reducing the incidence of plant diseases and insect pests of urban green land. Second, the arrangement of flowers and trees for the planning and design of urban green land should comply with the biological attributes of flowers and trees to realize the organic unification of biological and scenic attributes of flowers and trees. Third, the planning and design of urban green land should attach importance to the organic unification of biological and scenic attributes of lawn grass seeds and reduce the difficulty of maintaining lawn. This research attempts to reduce the pressure of maintaining urban green land from the beginning, i.e. the planning and design of urban green land. It also tries to reduce the cost of maintenance and management to the realize planning and design goals of urban green land and the sustainability concerning its maintenance and management and arrive at the mutual unification of the planning and design as well as maintenance and management of urban green land.

Analysis of problems in urban green space system planning in China

This paper discusses the major problems in urban green space system （UGSS） planning at both general and special planning levels in China. At general planning level, the problems of the UGSS are mainly from the ignorance in the characteristics of urban nature spaces and the limitation factors of the urban planning system. Great importance is attached to the green spaces in the built area of city, but the green spaces in surrounding areas of the city is unnoticed. Furthermore, because the area of UGSS planning is strictly limited by the administrative zoning, the green space system loses its integrity and rationality in spatial patterns. The schedules of urban development planning mismatched the paces and progresses of the ecological restoration cycles. At special plan level, the problem of the UGSS in China is that the green spaces quantity was over emphasized but the rationality of their layouts is neglected.. Meanwhile, the requirement of the spatial structures and the green spaces layouts to balance between the urban development and the natural ecological environments is often ignored. With regard to the layouts in the UGSS planning practices, the existing problems are the compromising to the existing land-uses, the ＇filling in＇ approach to plan green spaces and an over-emphasis on the layout patterns.

Factors influencing the concentration of negative air ions during the year in forests and urban green spaces of the Dapeng Peninsula in Shenzhen, China

Negative air ions(NAIs)benefit the mental and physical health of humans,but rapid urbanization can decrease the abundance of NAIs.Quantifying the spatial and seasonal distribution of NAIs and determining the factors that infl uence the concentration during urbanization is thus essential.In the present study of a typical developing urban district in southern China,negative air ion concentrations(NAICs)in 60 forests sites and 30 urban green spaces were quantifi ed on seven consecutive days in each of the four seasons.Large seasonal variations in NAIC were revealed in forests and urban green spaces with trough values in summer.NAIC progressively decreased from forests to urban green spaces and was infl uenced by local land morphology,vegetation characteristics,and climatic factors.The vast,heavily vegetated northeastern region was the richest area for NAIs,whereas the narrow central region(urbanized area)was the poorest,implying dramatic impacts of urbanization on the spatial distribution of NAIs.The relationship between air temperature and NAIC was better fi tted with a quadratic equation than a linear equation.Moreover,the NAIC was more sensitive to local morphology in urban green spaces than in urban forests,indicating the vulnerability of NAIs in urbanized areas.Therefore,the appropriate design of local urban morphology is critical.