Green Roofs and Green Walls for Biodiversity Conservation: A Contribution to Urban Connectivity?

Wildflower green roofs for urban landscaping, ecological sustainability and biodiversity

The aim of this trial was to test a wildflower roof in order to show how a country landscape fits in an urban environment. The bio-agronomic performance, the biodiversity dynamics during the two-years experiment, and the pollinating fauna, were analysed. Each plant group was able to efficiently colonize the surface of the roof though in different periods and with various modalities. Thermal ins...

Green Links and Urban Biodiversity—an Experiment in Connectivity

Many cities are located on estuaries, floodplains or other biologically productive and unique habitats. Natural ecosystems are fragmented in urban areas and are increasingly isolated as cities densify to accommodate population growth. Greenways are one approach to maintain natural connections, thereby preserving larger breeding populations of plants and animals and more robust food webs. The Gr...

Do green roofs provide habitat for bats in urban areas ?

As the world population continues to increase, with more than 50 percent of people now residing within cities, remaining natural and semi-natural habitats within urban areas play an increasingly important role for people and wildlife (Mortberg and Wallentinus, 2000; Benedict and McMahon, 2002; Jim, 2004; Town and Country Planning Association, 2004; Bierwagen, 2007; Gill et al., 2007; Tratalos e...

Positive effects of vegetation: urban heat island and green roofs.

This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: an urban and a building scale. Monitoring the urban heat island in four areas of New York City, we have found an average of 2 °C difference of temperatures between the most and the least vegetated areas, ascribable to the substitution of vegetation with man-made building materials. At micro-scale, we...

Green Roofs as Urban Ecosystems: Ecological Structures, Functions, and Services