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The cooling capacity of urban green spaces constitutes a key measure for cities to mitigate heat events, which is gaining importance in climate change adaptation and mitigation. In this protocol article, we present details on two field campaigns aiming at collecting dense air temperature data in two urban inner city parks in Leipzig, Germany, under unprecedented heat and drought conditions. We introduce all the steps required to plan and conduct qualified fieldwork in environmental research, including study design, technical and logistical preparations, on-site work and data management steps from data acquisition, transfer into research outcomes to dissemination. We further share valuable lessons learned before, during and after field work that helped us improve our work and that could support and improve similar future project campaigns.

Biodiversity is a cornerstone of human health and well-being. However, while evidence of the contributions of nature to human health is rapidly building, research into how biodiversity relates to human health remains limited in important respects. In particular, a better mechanistic understanding of the range of pathways through which biodiversity can influence human health is needed. These pathways relate to both psychological and social processes as well as biophysical processes. Building on evidence from across the natural, social and health sciences, we present a conceptual framework organizing the pathways linking biodiversity to human health. Four domains of pathways—both beneficial as well as harmful—link biodiversity with human health: (i) reducing harm (e.g. provision of medicines, decreasing exposure to air and noise pollution); (ii) restoring capacities (e.g. attention restoration, stress reduction); (iii) building capacities (e.g. promoting physical activity, transcendent experiences); and (iv) causing harm (e.g. dangerous wildlife, zoonotic diseases, allergens). We discuss how to test components of the biodiversity-health framework with available analytical approaches and existing datasets. In a world with accelerating declines in biodiversity, profound land-use change, and an increase in non-communicable and zoonotic diseases globally, greater understanding of these pathways can reinforce biodiversity conservation as a strategy for the promotion of health for both people and nature. We conclude by identifying research avenues and recommendations for policy and practice to foster biodiversity-focused public health actions.

Urbanization, environmental change and ageing are putting urban health at risk. In many cities, heat stress is projected to increase. Urban green spaces may be an important resource to strengthen the resilience of city dwellers. We conducted a questionnaire survey in two structurally distinct parks in Leipzig, Germany, on hot summer days in 2019. We assessed the respondents’ activity patterns, satisfaction with the existing infrastructure, heat-related health impairment, changes in park use during heat waves and evaluation of the role of parks in coping with heat stress. We found that the old-growth, tree-rich park was used significantly more frequently for experiencing nature, while the newer, less-tree rich park developed on a former railway-brownfield site was used more often for socializing and having BBQs and picnics. Satisfaction with available drinking fountains and public toilets was generally low. Safety was assessed as satisfactory in general but significantly less satisfactory by female respondents. The heat stress summary score indicating heat-related health impairment was significantly higher for participants at the newer park. A high share of respondents stated that they used parks during heat waves as frequently as usual in the summer (46%), while some respondents stated that they adapted their park use behaviour (18%), e.g., by coming later in the evening. Regarding the participants’ responses about the role of parks under hot conditions, we matched 138 statements to several regulating and cultural ecosystem services, and we found cooling and recreation to be mentioned most often. We concluded that green space planning should diminish usage barriers, such as insufficient lighting and insufficient sanitary infrastructure, to ensure equal park use opportunities for all city dwellers. Specific local environmental and sociocultural conditions, changing environments and climate adaptation must be considered. To maintain ecological processes and functions

The potential supply of ecosystem services is often assessed using land cover data. Assessment of actual use of ecosystem services by beneficiaries remains less covered and is often assumed to be congruent with potential supply. However, we believe that to contribute to the sustainable management of multifunctional landscapes, more insights are needed on the links between landscape characteristics and the various facets of ecosystem services. In this paper, we assess cultural ecosystem services (CES) such as recreation, inspiration or scenic beauty in three European mountain protected areas and their surroundings. We study the alignment between the potential supply and actual use of CES. CES potential supply was modelled using six biophysical indicators derived from earth observation and open geospatial data. For CES actual use, we employed participatory mapping with protected area visitors and local experts. We modelled CES actual use as a function of landscape biophysical indicators, weighted by (i) stated and (ii) revealed visitor preferences, and accessibility in each protected area using generalized additive mixed-effects models. Accessibility alone could explain around 50% of the variability of CES actual use, and with the additional inclusion of the ‘natural and cultural features’ variable, the actual use models reached an explanatory power of around 80% for all three case-studies. Importantly, biophysical information using land cover data alone cannot fully describe CES actual use, and there was little congruency between modelled potential supply and actual use. Additional socio-cultural features are required to explain the patterns of locations where protected area visitors enjoy CES. Our results can inform visitor management by addressing CES actual use and thereby provide evidence for landscape management and conservation planning and management, including offering a rewarding experience of nature for visitors.

Remote sensing has evolved to become a key tool for various fields of environmental analysis, thus actively informing policy across areas and domains. To evaluate the degree to which remote sensing is contributing to the science of ecologically-oriented urban planning, we carried out a systematic literature review using the SCOPUS database, searching for articles integrating knowledge in urban planning, remote sensing and ecology. We reviewed 186 articles, analysing various issues in urban environments worldwide. Key findings include that the level of integration between the three disciplines is limited, with only 12% of the papers fully integrating ecology, remote sensing and planning while 24% of the studies use specific methods from one domain only. The vast majority of studies is oriented towards contributing to the knowledge base or monitoring the impacts of existing policies. Few studies are directly policy relevant by either contributing to direct issues in planning and making specific design suggestions or evaluations. The accessibility of the scientific findings remains limited, as the majority of journal articles are not open access and proprietary software and data are frequently used. To overcome these issues, we suggest three future avenues for science as well as three potential entry points for remote sensing into applied urban planning. By doing so, remote sensing data could become a vital tool actively contributing to policies, civil engagement and concrete planning measures by providing independent and cost effective environmental analyses.

Urbanisation and global ageing are both accelerating, posing older people’s mental and cardiovascular health at risk. A growing number of studies suggests beneficial health effects when having contact with urban green spaces. This study investigates the effects of short-term exposure of older people to different urban green and street environments on physiological and psychological parameters relevant for cardiovascular health. A sample of 33 older men and women (mean age 63.5, standard deviation 4.2) was exposed to a long-standing urban park with widespread and old trees, to a newly developed park with diverse use opportunities and a busy street environment in the inner city of Leipzig, Germany. We measured heart rate variability using continuous ECG monitoring, blood pressure, mood using psychological questionnaires and perceived outcomes of restoration. We found significant decreases in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure in the long-standing park indicating protective effects on cardiovascular health. Significant decreases in heart rate variability parameters were observed in the dense urban street environment indicating adverse effects on cardiovascular health. Level of naturalness and restoration experience were perceived highest in the old park reflecting common theories of restoration. In the light of these results, visiting urban green spaces should be considered as a valuable preventive measure for promoting cardiovascular health especially in older people. Although physical activity is considered by international recommendations for cardiovascular prevention, the combination with visits of green environments is yet to be implemented.

Urban parks provide multiple ecosystem services to mitigate challenges from climate change and urbanisation. They promote health and well-being by providing space for physical activity and social interaction, which is particularly relevant for vulnerable groups such as children and older people. As a key element, park vegetation creates favourable environments, as it moderates heat, buffers noise and can be enjoyed by citizens. In this paper, we present the results of a multi-method empirical study conducted in the city of Leipzig, Germany, during the summer heat and drought period in July 2018. Visitation patterns were analysed through qualitative observation and structured counting in two differently characterised urban parks – a newly developed urban park on a former railway brownfield and a long-standing, older park with a mature tree population. The results indicate that park design elements are linked to park use activities and park user age groups such as young children, school children and older people. Young children were identified as mostly using playgrounds and natural lawn areas in the old park, while school children and teenagers tended to use the sports areas and semi-secluded spaces in the newly developed park to play sports or to meet in groups and socialize. For older people, sedentary activity was exclusively observed on benches, and non-sedentary activity such as jogging was nearly exclusively identified in the larger, more shaded older park. The number of counted park users, particularly numbers of children and older people, significantly declined at the highest temperature of approximately 30 °C. Considering the provision and availability of inclusive design elements that support these use behaviours may increase the motivation of all age groups to use green spaces and to benefit from the services they provide. Planning for a more effective and just provision of ecosystem services requires the consideration of age-specific design elements to in

Citizen science approaches provide opportunities to support ecosystem service assessments. To evaluate the recent trends, challenges and opportunities of utilizing citizen science in ecosystem service studies we conducted a systematic literature and project review. We reviewed the range of ecosystem services and formats of participation in citizen science in 17 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 102 ongoing or finished citizen science projects, out of over 500 screened publications and over 1400 screened projects. We found that citizen science is predominantly applied in assessing regulating and cultural services. The assessments were often performed by using proxy indicators that only implicitly provide information on ecosystem services. Direct assessments of ecosystem services are still rare. Participation formats mostly comprise contributory citizen science projects that focus on volunteered data collection. However, there is potential to increase citizen involvement in comprehensive ecosystem service assessments, including the development of research questions, design, data analysis and dissemination of findings. Levels of involvement could be enhanced to strengthen strategic knowledge on the environment, scientific literacy and the empowerment of citizens in helping to inform and monitor policies and management efforts related to ecosystem services. We provide an outlook how to better operationalise citizen science approaches to assess ecosystem services.

Allotment gardens and community gardens provide important ecosystem services to urban communities, such as local climate and water regulation, as well as habitat provision for biodiversity. Using the city of Leipzig as a case study, we assess the effect of urban gardening type and intensity of management on ecosystem services and biodiversity by comparing allotment and community gardens. Employing a stratified sampling design, we assessed 30 allotment plots of different management intensity, including vacant plots, and six adjacent community gardens along a gradient of urbanity, using in-depth field surveys, remote sensing analyses and interviews. Our results show a bimodal relationship of overall vascular plant species richness with management intensity with highest species richness in medium intensively-managed plots, as they provide space for both cultivated edible and ornamental species as well as native, spontaneous species. In comparison to allotment gardens, community gardens provide a higher ratio of permeable soil surface and a slightly higher microbial soil activity, implying important differences in water regulation and nutrient cycling properties. With regards to climate regulation, old mature trees make a considerable contribution to above ground carbon storage, but are largely restricted to communal areas of the allotment estates due to code regulation. Based on our results, we discuss the impact of allotment gardening association codes and garden type and ways forward for gardeners and urban planners to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services provision.