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Sustainable Built Environments pp 251–274Cite as

Biodiversity in Cities, Reconnecting Humans with Nature

Part of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series book series (ESSTS)

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Glossary

Biodiversity :

The variability among living organisms from all sources, including, “inter alia,” terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: This includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems (United Nations – Convention on Biological Diversity).

Connectivity :

Landscape connectivity is the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement of plants and animals among habitat patches (cf. [70]).

Corridors and stepping stones :

Corridors are linear strips of habitat through the landscape of which the length, width, and design are depending on the species. Instead of continuous corridors, for some easy-migrating species (e.g., some bird species) also so-called stepping stones could support their dispersal through the city. A stepping stone connection consists of a subsequent series of small patches of habitat positioned between larger habitat structures [24, 25].

Dispersal...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Center, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Robbert P. H. Snep

  2. Department of Ecology and Biodiversity Management, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France

    Philippe Clergeau

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  1. Robbert P. H. Snep
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  2. Philippe Clergeau
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  1. Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Vivian Loftness

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Snep, R.P.H., Clergeau, P. (2012). Biodiversity in Cities, Reconnecting Humans with Nature. In: Loftness, V. (eds) Sustainable Built Environments. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0684-1_296

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