THEMATIC WORKING GROUP

URBAN ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE

Organizers: McPhearson, Andersson, Grilo, Anderson, Haase

The aim of this TWG is to bring together a diverse group of NATURA network members to discuss new and emerging research on urban ecological resilience and response diversity. The TWG will focus on developing conceptual frameworks for assessing urban ecological resilience, developing case studies working especially with biodiversity and species trait datasets for empirical testing in urban contexts, publish papers, and chart a research pathway forward that can connect NATURA networks across regions, and deliver a platform for comparative research on urban ecological resilience. A goal will also be proposal writing to develop capacity for longer-term monitoring of indicators of urban population and community scale ecological resilience and using these to strengthen a further social layer of resilience.The group will discuss concepts and approaches for bringing ecological resilience assessment into urban resilience theory and practice, and developing a traits informed approach to assessing and managing social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) resilience in cities and urbanized regions. 

Potential research trajectories:

  • Review trait databases and develop a series of case studies Remote sensing traits proxies and field measured/mapped traits across different regions and biomes, perhaps along a rural-urban gradient, can use to understand how robust remotely sensed indicators

  • Attempt to examine species and functional diversities in cities and compare this with ecosystem services flows and benefits people receive from urban green spaces

  • Including blue spaces' diversity and traits (both RS and field based data) to detect how they contribute to ecosystem services performance

Scope

This TWG will meet monthly, and through in person workshops to develop papers, case studies, databases, and proposal. 

People

This TWG will be co-led by Erik Andersson and Timon McPhearson with core support from Filipa Grilo, Pippin Anderson, and Dagmar Haase.

Point of Contact: Erik Andersson (erik.andersson@su.se)

Group email: natura-eco-resilience@googlegroups.com