Benefits of large trees in urban environments

Large trees play an essential role in sustaining biodiversity and bird life in urban environments, claims an Australian National University study reported in Canberra Weekly (16 February 2012).

Research by doctorate student Karen Stagoll in the Fenner School of Environment and Society on large eucalyptus trees in small suburban parks in the nation’s capital, Canberra is the first of its kind in the world. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia and, due to their abundance, were a prime choice of subject. The research shows that large trees in urban environments provide habitats critical for wildlife—birds and animals.

Large trees provide food, nesting sites, and shelter for wildlife in agricultural and forestry landscapes. However, large trees, as opposed to smaller trees, shrubs, and low-lying vegetation, do the same in urban environments. Hence, large trees attract wildlife to urban areas. Stagoll’s research found that urban parks and gardens with more large eucalypts accommodated more bird species and higher bird numbers, including more native woodland-dependent birds, than parks with only small trees. The research also found that some bird species declining in Canberra were also attracted to urban parks with large trees, and that they were more likely to breed.

Therefore losing trees from urban areas and cities may have future ecological consequences for wildlife conservation.

In Canberra, the capital of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) provides legislation to protect large trees, but Stagoll thinks the measures may not be enough. Her research found that 14% of trees studied were significantly important for birds, but were omitted from formal protection under the current legislation. It is therefore likely, she concludes, that similar trees, and the wildlife they attract, may be at risk in other cities in Australia, and globally.

Because it can take decades for newly planted saplings to grow into large trees, strategies and actions to plant and sustain them within city limits need to be considered now, and not left until it’s too late.

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog