Human & Biodiversity Value of Urban Green Infrastructure SNH - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Aug 19, 2022 200 likes •326 views

Human & Biodiversity Value of Urban Green Infrastructure SNH Sharing Good Practice Urban Design with Nature Wednesday 21 st Feb 2018 How can urban GI provide benefits for human wellbeing as well as biodiversity? Should it? Biodiversity

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Human & Biodiversity Value

f Urban Green Infrastructure

SNH Sharing Good Practice Urban Design with Nature Wednesday 21st Feb 2018

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How can urban GI provide benefits for human wellbeing as well as biodiversity? Should it?

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Biodiversity Value of Urban Green Infrastructure

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Why do we need GI for Biodiversity?

Sixth mass extinction?

Mass extinction: ‘when the Earth loses more than three- quarters of its species in a geologically short interval’ ‘From the perspective of geological time, Earth’s richest biota ever is already well into a sixth mass extinction episode’

State of Nature Report (2016):

‘..UK has lost significantly more nature over the long

term than the global average. ‘The index suggests that the UK is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world.’

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International Conventions and Strategies

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Aichi Biodiversity Targets
European Union’s (EU) Biodiversity Strategy to 2020
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

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Scottish Legislation, Strategies, Policies

The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory duty

(The Biodiversity Duty, 2004):

‘It is the duty of every public body and office-holder, in exercising any functions, to further the conservation of biodiversity so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions.’

Scottish Biodiversity Strategy:

‘to conserve biodiversity for the health, enjoyment and wellbeing of the people of Scotland, now and in the future.’

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP: 2014)

‘The planning system should...seek benefits for biodiversity from new development where possible, including the restoration of degraded habitats and the avoidance of further fragmentation or isolation of habitats’

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What causes biodiversity loss?

Solutions?

Habitat creation/

enhancement

Wildlife corridors /

Integrated Habitat Networks (IHN)

Robust habitats
What habitats to provide?
Woodland, grassland,

waterbodies

Problems:

Habitat loss
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat degradation

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Greenfield sites:

Avoid losses - maintain and enhance where possible
Restore what’s been lost: don’t change to different types of

habitats

Restore enough: quantify losses and quantify the required

habitat creation

Use Biodiversity Net Gain?

Brownfield sites:

Use local knowledge to decide what’s best for biodiversity:

IHN, LBAP

What’s Important for Biodiversity?

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Benefits for urban biodiversity = Benefits for people...

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Key Questions

1. Which type of GI is best to encourage people into nature to improve wellbeing?

How could that be provided and what are the barriers?

2. What type of GI provision is beneficial for biodiversity?

How do we measure it and how can outputs for biodiversity be

maximised? 3. How much GI should be provided per development for people and nature? 4. How do we find the balance between providing GI for people and for biodiversity?

Are there conflicting needs and if so, how do we reconcile