EVSC30006 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Biodiversity Hotspot, Urban Ecosystem, Ramsar Convention
1 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
LECTURE 22: GENEVA
• Urban population increasing in Switzerland
• Legal framework: Swiss National Strategy for Biodiversity
o Includes urban biodiversity as a strategic goal, & is embedded in other goals of the action plan
o Urban Biodiversity Strategic Goal: connectivity of urban areas, conservation of urban-specific species, link
human & nature
GENEVA
Characteristics
• 466,000 population, low density housing and buildings
• Lake in the middle, small transition between centre of city and natural environment – weak urban-rural gradient
• Urban Ecosystems: roofs, vegetation, freshwater, agriculture (urban agriculture & horticultural gardens)
• Lake Geneva Ecosystem Services: leisure, food production, drinking water, biodiversity, climate regulation
o River Rhone in urban environment – fishing, swimming, smaller streams in the urban landscape
Biodiversity
• Biodiversity Strategy of Geneva: focus on ecological networks and education
o Objectives: human-nature relationships, develop natural sites, connectivity allowing dispersal
• Nature in the City (program): 11 actions including public areas with natural features, vegetable gardens in city,
inventory of biodiversity in urban areas
o Action 9: involve stakeholders in the actions
• RAMSAR site: important wintering site for waterbirds in the country
o Convention on Wetlands = intergovernmental treaty
o Biodiversity hotspot of the city
• High freshwater biodiversity in urban ponds – seen through presence of dragonflies
o Higher in urban than suburban due to fish, less connectivity & aquatic vegetation as lake is in the city centre
• Dams along River Rhone reduce connectivity between ecosystem – have developed fish ladders to aid dispersal
• Honey: heavy metal contamination similar in urban and rural areas
o Causes: beekeepers bringing pesticides, or presence in environment
• Canker: plant disease, found which fungus species was responsible for affecting street trees
Document Summary
Lecture 22: geneva: urban population increasing in switzerland. Includes urban biodiversity as a strategic goal, & is embedded in other goals of the action plan: urban biodiversity strategic goal: connectivity of urban areas, conservation of urban-specific species, link human & nature. Lake in the middle, small transition between centre of city and natural environment weak urban-rural gradient. Characteristics: urban ecosystems: roofs, vegetation, freshwater, agriculture (urban agriculture & horticultural gardens) Lake geneva ecosystem services: leisure, food production, drinking water, biodiversity, climate regulation: river rhone in urban environment fishing, swimming, smaller streams in the urban landscape.
