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Urban biodiversity and the importance of management and conservation

  • Special Feature: Review
  • Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Importance of Cities for post 2010 perspective
  • Published:
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Abstract

The importance of urban biodiversity is debated by many in the conservation community. Some researchers and managers focus on threats to biodiversity associated with urbanization and land use change. In contrast to this approach, people who live in, study, or care about cities—ecologists, wildlife managers, conservation biologists, planners, and local residents—have debated what biodiversity means in urban settings. Recent literature on biodiversity in cities notes the range of ecological, social, and cultural meanings of urban biodiversity and stresses the importance of defining the setting and scales at which biodiversity is being assessed. This approach to urban biodiversity has documented the importance of conservation of rare species and habitats but also the importance of managing the range of habitats in and around where people live, work, and play.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, 303 ABNR, Columbia, MO, 65211-7240, USA

    Charles H. Nilon

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  1. Charles H. Nilon
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Correspondence to Charles H. Nilon.

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Nilon, C.H. Urban biodiversity and the importance of management and conservation. Landscape Ecol Eng 7, 45–52 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-010-0146-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-010-0146-8

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