Son, Oleta, van (2024) Restoring native and endemic flora in Puerto Ayora’s urban greenspaces. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Climate Adaptation Governance (CAG).
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Abstract
Urban greenspaces (UGs) have the great potential to restore native and endemic species in places such as the Galápagos Islands, where urbanization processes induce significant pressures on its unique biodiversity. Given the worrisome status of the flora in the archipelago, it is imperative to explore how UGs can contribute to the recovery of these plant species through enhancing the ecological quality and accessibility of UGs. Research on this topic specific to the Galápagos Islands is limited. In particular, UG planning in Puerto Ayora —the largest city in the archipelago with the highest urbanization rate—requires further investigation. This study aims to broaden the knowledge on the role of Puerto Ayora’s UGs in native and endemic species restoration by: 1. Examining the spatial-temporal distribution of native and endemic and introduced species through linear regression models. 2. Assessing the richness of native and endemic species in UGs related to habitat type, UG size, and population density in the surrounding areas, using linear regression models. 3. Conducting a qualitative assessment of the spatial distribution of UGs to determine their effectiveness in facilitating nature interactions and increasing resident support for native and endemic species restoration. 4. Examining how the results of these analyses can be adopted in urban expansion projects. The main findings of this study suggest that the ecological quality and accessibility of UGs in Puerto Ayora is inadequate and that the current design of UGs may be ineffective in restoring native and endemic species. Given the influence of UG size, habitat type, and population density in the surrounding area on native and endemic species richness, it is of great importance to include these factors in urban expansion projects. In densely built areas where UG expansion is not feasible, the focus should be on converting UGs into greenspace types that feature a high richness of native and endemic species, such as ecological gardens.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Mallon, G. and Garzon Lopez, C.X. |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Oct 2024 07:27 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Oct 2024 07:27 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/570 |
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