Birds and the City: Urban Biodiversity, Land Use, and Socioeconomics

We examined bird diversity in relation to land use and socioeconomic indicators in Leipzig, Germany. We used neighborhood diversity (ND) and bivariate correlation to show that the potential to experience biodiversity in a city is associated with population density, household income, unemployment, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and society 2009-01, Vol.14 (2), p.31, Article art31
Main Authors: Strohbach, Michael W., Haase, Dagmar, Kabisch, Nadja
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Birds
Cities
Green spaces
Human ecology
human-environment interaction
Land use
neighborhood diversity
Neighborhoods
Socioeconomics
Species diversity
Urban ecology
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Summary:We examined bird diversity in relation to land use and socioeconomic indicators in Leipzig, Germany. We used neighborhood diversity (ND) and bivariate correlation to show that the potential to experience biodiversity in a city is associated with population density, household income, unemployment, and urban green space. People living in urban districts with high socioeconomic status experience the highest species richness around their homes, whereas lower social status increases the chance of living in species-poor neighborhoods. High-status districts are located along forests, parks, and rivers that have a high quantity and quality of green space. However, green space in general does not guarantee high bird diversity. We conclude that bird diversity mirrors land use and socioeconomic patterns within the compact European city of Leipzig. Therefore, urban planning should focus on decreasing these patterns and protecting the remaining species-rich green spaces.
ISSN:1708-3087
1708-3087
DOI:10.5751/es-03141-140231