Incorporating urban biodiversity theory and research into monitoring, design and planning

Background/Question/Methods

The symposium, 'Tales From the Concrete Jungle,” bring together eight speakers to present research from comparative studies of the world's cities that focus on: 1) global patterns of biodiversity within and across cities; 2) their environmental and social drivers; and 3) opportunities for using ecological knowledge to develop effective biodiversity management, restoration and planning strategies. These papers build on almost 40 years of research to understand patterns of biodiversity in cities and an equally long period of incorporating the information into planning and management efforts. These papers expand on this research by their emphasis on comparative research and with a new focus on understanding drivers of patterns of biodiversity.  

Results/Conclusions

My presentation will summarize the key findings from eight papers and discuss their application to planning and managment efforts in cities.  The summary will pay particular attention to the emphasis on social drivers and the application of this information to planning and management of areas in cities where people live, work, and play.