Scaling down the ecosystem services at local level for urban parks of three megacities

Abstract

The concept of ecosystem services is widely used to highlight the importance of ecosystem functions for human life. The concept is becoming important for urban ecosystems too where ecosystem services are provided at different spatial scales. Climate regulation, recreation and nature experience are three ecosystem services of high importance in urban areas. Three case studies targeting to analyse these ecosystem services – regulating (thermal comfort) and cultural (recreation and nature experience) by indicators show exemplary the applicability of the ecosystem service approach on small scale (site) level. All three studies were originally executed by the authors. The three case studies were placed in three different megacities in different countries to show the comparability of case study results by comparable assessment methods. Unlike other published studies these three case studies show that climate regulation, recreation and nature experience as ecosystem service are provided and measurable not only at regional or landscape scale but also at the local scale. These services are provided by green elements or basic complex ecosystems (e.g. urban parks). The quantity of provided, and used services on the level of service providing units, can be measured by indicators to compare service providing units in its service degree. Urban parks are used as an example of service providing units. This can be helpful for further decision making, investments and management for these urban parks. In this paper the indicators biodiversity and recreation are used to investigate the measurement of quantity of these services. A study on thermal conditions in Karachi shows the ability to use satellite image supported indicators for identification of the ecosystem service climate moderation on site level of urban parks. Furthermore, as indicators of the ecosystem service recreation in parks of Buenos Aires, Argentina, duration and frequency of stay were used to quantify the service. Distance to the parks and activities were used for further qualification. The Shanghai study shows that urban parks can be very important for nature experience and to learn from nature. They can’t even be replaced by other areas inside or outside big cities with limited possibilities to visit other nature places. The indicator based non-monetary evaluation of ecosystem service allows a comparability of different service providing units (urban parks) within a city and between cities which was exemplary executed.