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Urbanization occurs now more rapidly than before, due to the development of compact cities or urban sprawl, threatening quasi-natural areas, especially those protected within/near built-up ones. Europe lacks laws dedicated to natural protected areas within built-up areas, which are subject to the same provisions as natural protected ones, or a legislative vacuum. This research aimed to find the best planning approach for resiliently conserving and developing these areas and establishing grounds for a new tool used for planning the proximity of natural areas within cities. The methodology involved selecting two groups of countries, Nordic and eastern European, and treating these areas differently. The choice was based on specific political history. The study analyzed the legislative and planning framework and compared the approaches of 11 analyzed countries to pinpoint the basic aspects accounted for and applied to other European territories, in order to preserve the characteristics of urban morpho-typology and the particularities of local landscapes. The comparison results suggest solutions such as adopting specific regulations for urban protected areas and their adjacent zones through legal documents, completing/detailing environmental legislation in Nordic countries, adopting laws dedicated to protected natural areas within and/or close to built areas, and changing the approach to protecting natural areas with urban planning or land use tools.

The quality and vitality of cities largely depend on the design, management, and maintenance of green areas, including urban protected areas (UPAs), since they provide multiple benefits for the city. Due to urbanization and higher anthropogenic pressure, green areas are decreasing which directly afects natural habitats and biodiversity. This study aims to assess soil and vegetation chemical status in UPAs in the city of Belgrade, Serbia, and to understand how their distance from pollution hotspots affects soil and vegetation quality. Additionally, this paper considers the inclusion of soil and vegetation conditions in the urban protected areas management as a basis for introducing a connectivity approach to expand green infrastructure throughout the city. Chemical properties, the content of nutrients (C, N, P, and K), and microelements (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Pb, Zr, U, and Th) in soil and conifer needles were analyzed. Results showed that the distance of pollution hotspots does not affect nutrient and microelements concentrations in soil, i.e., they do not vary significantly between sites and do not exceed remediation intervention values. However, the microelements status of vegetation is affected since Cr, Cu, Zn, Sn, and Pb are higher in needles from trees from the city center. The state of soil and plant composition supports the establishment of a network of green corridors and should become a part of management strategies, thus helping biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation, and human well-being in the cities.

El presente trabajo de investigación se realizó entre enero de 2020 y diciembre de 2020, donde el objetivo general para su desarrollo, fue elaborar una propuesta de articulación entre los instrumentos para la gestión de las áreas protegidas urbanas, desde la visión de la Política Nacional para la Gestión Integral de la Biodiversidad y sus Servicios Ecosistémicos, analizando la aplicación de 109 instrumentos de gestión en el caso de estudio del Sistema Distrital de Áreas Protegidas (SIDAP) de la ciudad de Bogotá, y del Sistema Metropolitano de Áreas Protegidas (SIMAP) del municipio de Medellín, entre ambos sistemas fueron escogidas para el análisis 25 áreas protegidas urbanas (16 áreas del SIDAP y 9 áreas del SIMAP). Mediante la aplicación de las herramientas metodológicas de análisis de contenido, y de los elementos de análisis que brinda (Ostrom, 1995), en su obra “the grammar of institutions”, fue posible analizar y discutir las implicaciones sobre los elementos que permiten o no, la articulación entre los instrumentos para la gestión de las áreas protegidas urbanas, que aunque parezca obvio, evidencia que para la sostenibilidad de los centros urbanos, la articulación de los instrumentos de gestión influye en el funcionamiento de las instituciones y sus logros alcanzados, bajo la senda de la construcción social del territorio, y de otro lado pueden retroceder por la inflexibilidad de los instrumentos de gestión, que no reconozcan la naturaleza y la complejidad de los problemas que confluyen en el contexto urbano. De estos resultados de análisis, se fundamenta la elaboración de 9 lineamientos para la articulación de los instrumentos de gestión de las áreas protegidas urbanas, desde el marco de gestión que brinda la PNGIBSE, y para su implementación se propone una caja de herramientas, que permiten ampliar la visión de los actores institucionales, y orientar la adopción de los instrumentos que permitan elevar la gestión de las áreas protegidas urbanas en el contexto distrital y municipal, como fuente de bienestar para la población, en concordancia con las proyecciones sobre el crecimiento urbano, que estará acompañado de las correspondientes demandas de servicios ecosistémicos, y otros servicios urbanos, para instaurar la sostenibilidad en las ciudades (ONU HÁBITAT COLOMBIA et al., 2015). The present research work was carried out between January 2020 and December 2020, where the general objective for its development was to develop a proposal for articulation between the instruments for the management of urban protected areas, from the perspective of the National Policy for the Comprehensive Management of Biodiversity and its Ecosystem Services, analyzing the application of 109 management instruments in the case study of the District System of Protected Areas (SIDAP) of the city of Bogotá, and of the Metropolitan System of Protected Areas (SIMAP) of the municipality of Medellín, between both systems, 25 urban protected areas (16 SIDAP areas and 9 SIMAP areas) were chosen for the analysis. Through the application of the methodological tools of content analysis, and the elements of analysis that it provides (Ostrom, 1995), in his work “the grammar of institutions”, it was possible to analyze and discuss the implications on the elements that allow or not , the articulation between the instruments for the management of urban protected areas, which although it seems obvious, shows that for the sustainability of urban centers, the articulation of the management instruments influences the functioning of the institutions and their achievements, under the path of the social construction of the territory, and on the other hand, they may regress due to the inflexibility of the management instruments, which do not recognize the nature and complexity of the problems that converge in the urban context. From these analysis results, the development of 9 guidelines for the articulation of management instruments for urban protected areas is based, from the management framework provided by PNGIBSE, and for their implementation a toolbox is proposed, which allow broaden the vision of institutional actors, and guide the adoption of instruments that allow increasing the management of urban protected areas in the district and municipal context, as a source of well-being for the population, in accordance with projections on urban growth, which will be accompanied by the corresponding demands for ecosystem services, and other urban services, to establish sustainability in cities (UN HÁBITAT COLOMBIA et al., 2015). Magíster en Gestión Ambiental Maestría

Soils are a natural capital which support life on Earth and are responsible for many ecosystem services that are the foundation for human wellbeing. However, soils have been intensively used and subject to degradation, particularly in urban areas. The main objective of this study is: i) to give an overview of soil conditions in urban protected areas (UPAs), and ii) to provide suggestions how the nature-based solution (NBS) can enhance the soil health in three UPAs located near or in the city of Belgrade, Serbia (Byford’s and Zvezdara forests, and Avala mountain). In this study pH values and soil organic matter content were analyzed as main parameters for the soil characterization. The Byford’s and Zvezdara forests have similar slightly alkaline soil pH, while the Mt. Avala soils are slightly acidic as a consequence of geological settings. The lower content of soil organic matter (1.26%–5.73%) in the Byford’s and Zvezdara forests might be improved with appropriate management practices. Introducing the principles of the NBS (e.g., incorporation of compost and biochar) in soil management practices in the protected areas, combined with conservation and restoration of forests, can provide enhanced soil health and supporting new green infrastructure (GI). The citizens and the society would highly benefit from a network of small green areas connected with UPAs in a number of ways, such as cleaner air, mitigation of noise stress, maintaining everyday wellbeing, recreation opportunities, contribution to employment and supporting social cohesion.

The article deals with the need to consider the territory landscape structure during the landscape functional zoning of urban protected areas (UPA) (by example of the Holosiyivskyi National Natural Park (NNP) in Kyiv). The study revealed the shortcomings of the UPA functional zoning procedure without applying a landscape approach, regardless of its importance for preventing nature management conflicts. According to the research goals, it is necessary to study the UPA landscape structure and transfer the functional zoning procedure to the landscape basis. Holosiyivskyi Forest, as one of the five massifs in Holosiyivskyi NNP, was chosen for the analysis. A landscape map was created and a landscape-functional zoning scheme of the Holosiyivskyi Forest territory was updated using field research findings, available digital maps and GIS tools. Moreover, the relief morphometric parameters were reflected in the digital model and a hypsometric map of Holosiyivskyi Forest was created on its basis. By providing maximum correspondence of the nature management structure in each functional zone with the existing landscape structure of the territory, traditional zoning turns into a landscape functional one. The study assessed the adverse impact of the urban environment on Holosiyivskyi Forest’s natural landscapes. The research demonstrates the imperfection of Ukrainian nature conservation legislation, the absence of the Holosiyivskyi NNP land management project and the need to define the Park’s true boundaries around its territory. Research findings are a basis for minimizing existing nature management conflicts, reducing the anthropogenic impact on the ecosystems, rationally controlling recreational flows, and planning anti-erosion and other activities to optimize functioning of protected areas in an urbanized environment.

The importance of green areas for the well-being of city dwellers, upgrading their living conditions and health, has been discussed in a great number of publications. Relatively few studies have been devoted to urban natural protected areas. These areas are distinct due to the very often conflicting goals of their establishment and the social functions that they perform. Legal regulations concerning the establishment and management of these areas in force in Poland do not take into account the conditions mentioned above. Therefore, it seems justified to change the regulations and to establish a separate form of nature protection, particularly in the case of the nature reserves, as these most often appear in Polish cities and have the highest protection status. In order to support or refute this stipulation, the urban nature reserve (UNR) visitors were questioned (through a survey available online for six months in 2018). Eight-hundred and sixty-nine respondents took part in the survey. It revealed that most of the respondents perceived nature reserves located in cities as recreational areas, however, they were also aware of their multifunctional character. Such results support the conclusion that in order to effectively manage this type of area in cities, a concept of distinctive urban conservation areas should be developed.

Green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) improve the quality of urban life and aid city’s sustainable development. During the Soviet period, GI was an important part of spatial planning. Today, many post-Soviet cities face the problem of its deterioration due to the rapid economic growth and subsequent urban sprawl. Moscow is an exceptional case of a European city that both inherits features of central planning and integrates modern methods of greening. This paper aims to define the role of urban expansion in GI and ES transformation in Moscow during the last 25 years. Our method is based on combining spatial data on land-use from Open Street Map and Atlas of Urban Expansion, and reclassified Landsat images. The research revealed that the most important for ES provision land categories have gradually shrunk, especially in old Moscow, where the share of built-up area has increased by 18%. Considering the results, we stress that recent GI development mostly concerns small GI elements that do not provide regulating or supporting ES, while large GI massifs continue to deteriorate, thus resulting in a misbalance of urban ES provision. Les infrastructures vertes et les services écosystémiques améliorent la qualité de vie dans les villes et contribuent à leur développement durable. Sous le régime soviétique, les infrastructures vertes formaient une part considérable du développement territorial. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des villes post-soviétiques sont confrontées à leur détérioration en raison du développement économique fulgurant et de l'expansion urbaine qui s'ensuit. La ville de Moscou représente un cas particulier en Europe dans la mesure où elle doit combiner les caractéristiques d'un aménagement centralisé et la nécessité d'intégrer les méthodes modernes d'écologisation. Cet article tente de définir le rôle de l'expansion urbaine dans la transformation des infrastructures vertes et des services écosystémiques à Moscou au cours de ces 25 dernières années. Notre méthode se base sur la combinaison des données spatiales relatives à l'occupation du territoire à partir d'Open Street Map, de l'Atlas de l'expansion urbaine, ainsi que d'images Landsat reclassifiées.Notre recherche a révélé que l'utilisation des sols en faveur d'écosystèmes verts s'est peu à peu restreinte, en particulier dans l'ancien Moscou où la part des zones bâties s'est accrue de 18%.Au vu de ces résultats, nous soulignons le fait que le développement d'infrastructures vertes récent concerne principalement les petites entités où il n'existe ni régulation ni soutien aux services écosystémiques, alors que beaucoup d'infrastructures vertes continuent de se détériorer, ce qui crée un déséquilibre de la fourniture de services économiques urbains.

This introduction focuses on the main directions explored in this issue. Urban protected areas appear to be more and more frequent spatial configurations that reveal the limits of the traditional nature/culture partition. The different field cases also reveal the lack of urban governance about socio-ecological issues of these urban parks, underlined by their multiple and changing statuses. Although protected areas appear to be a useful tool to affirm their metropolitan rank, many cities fail to manage the conflicts generated by the exclusion processes caused by these parks; reversely, urban parks often make urban social injustice more visible.

International audience

Urbane naturområder har en sentral beliggenhet som gjør at de kan gi mange muligheten til å oppleve natur i nærområdet, også de som ikke vanligvis oppsøker naturområder. Denne sentrale beliggenheten gjør at de også er spesielt utsatte for friksjonen mellom naturen og mennesket, både geografisk, politisk og sosialt sett. I en verden med store miljøutfordringer, der over halvparten bor i urbane områder og har begrenset kontakt med naturen, kan urbane naturområder være avgjørende for å formidle betydningen og verdien av natur. Denne oppgaven fokuserer på å balansere hensynet til biologisk mangfold med tilrettelegging for menneskelige aktiviteter. Balansegangen illustreres gjennom et biosentrisk perspektiv, der naturen legger føringene, for så å ta opp det antroposentriske perspektivet, der menneskets nytteverdi av naturen er utgangspunktet. Oppgaven presenterer 15 balanseprinsipper for forvaltning og utforming av urbane naturområder. Disse er fordelt på tre kategorier: Tilrettelegging for biologisk mangfold, rekreasjon og transport. Prinsippene er basert på litteratur, politiske føringer og empiriske erfaringer, som viser at et urbant naturområde best kan forvaltes ved å minimere og samle de menneskelige inngrepene. Ved å gjøre dette bevares mest mulig av naturverdiene, som er selve grunnlaget for naturopplevelser. I tillegg må det vises at naturområdet blir tatt vare på. Dette kan gjøres gjennom synliggjøring, markering, tilrettelegging, skjøtsel og informasjon. Prinsippene blir vist brukt i Mærradalen i Oslo, som er oppgavens caseområde. Dette er en to kilometer lang bekkekløft, regulert til naturvernområde, som er mye brukt til rekreasjon og som transportåre. Her blir balanseprinsippene brukt gjennom 11 forslag til forvaltningstiltak, der hvert tiltak tar for seg ulike sammensetninger innenfor de tre kategoriene. Tiltakene vil samlet sett gi en helhetlig forvaltning av området, som tar hensyn til det biologiske mangfoldet samtidig som det tilrettelegges for menneskelig aktivitet. Urban natural areas have a crucial role in today’s society because of their central location. They provide the opportunity for large urban populations to experience nature, also those who do not normally seek out the wilderness. This central location makes them exposed to the friction between man and nature, with regards to both geographical -, political - and social aspects. In a world with increasing environmental problems, where over half of humanity lives in urban areas, they might be the link to reconnect urban people with nature. This thesis tries to achieve an equilibrium between the often-clashing concerns of biodiversity and human activity. This delicate balancing act is illustrated through two viewpoints: First through a biocentric perspective, where the emphasis is on the integrity of the environment, followed by an anthropocentric point of view, which focuses on the human uses and profits of natural areas. The thesis presents 15 principles of balance for design and management of urban natural areas, based on information from literature, political guidelines and empirical findings. These principles are divided into three categories: Facilitation for biodiversity, recreation and transportation. The findings conclude that it is essential to gather and minimize the human interferences. This protects the natural values, which are the fundament for experiences of nature. Urban natural areas should also have clear signs of care, which can be done through highlighting, facilitation, management and communication. Mærradalen in Oslo is the case area where I demonstrate how the principles can be practiced. Mærradalen is a 2-kilometre-long gorge, and a protected conservation area, which is used for recreational activities and as a transport route. The principles are used in 11 measures for improved management of the natural area. Each measure address different compositions of the principles. Together, they illustrate how the principles can be used to create a holistic management that protects the biodiversity while facilitating for human activity. M-LA

In the socio-economic and environmental context of Northern Europe, Helsinki queries the policies of protection of natural areas through a variety of examples. The city boasts a large number of protected areas with different status and objectives (52 natures reserves and 2 national parks). How do these spaces fit into the city? Through these examples, we could consider protection as a metropolisation factor and some protected areas as elements of urbanity.Among the hypothesis discussed, the urbanity/naturalness relationship is questioned by the observation of practices and activities, and by the deconstruction of discourses and representations. Protected areas are marked by political and urban logic, by city’s rhythms and temporalities and also by city dwellers’ use and imaginary to render inseparable urbanity of the city and the naturalness of protected areas.One of the aims of this study is to see if these spaces are first protected because of their ecosystem quality or, conversely, to meet a naturalness demand from urban dwellers. The city’s policies take into account the integration of protected areas to urban space. Through the analysis of the planning documents, one may question the boundary between urban protected area and urban parks. One may also ask if the protection is not used to manage the land. In this case, protected areas can become a tool of urban densification. Thus, the discourses concerning protection measures range from opportunism, pragmatism and voluntarism. More broadly, this look on a Northern capital offers an example where spaces of naturalness play a major role in the identity of the city and in the process of metropolisation., Dans le contexte socio-économique et environnemental d’Europe du Nord, l’aire urbaine d’Helsinki permet d’interroger les politiques de protection des espaces naturels à travers une grande diversité d’exemples. La ville revendique 52 réserves naturelles en son sein et deux parcs nationaux à ses portes, soit un grand nombre d’espaces protégés aux statuts variés et aux finalités multiples. Comment ces espaces protégés s’intègrent-ils de manière plus ou moins forte et directe à l’ensemble de l’espace urbain ? A travers l’exemple de la capitale finlandaise il semble possible de considérer la protection comme un facteur de métropolisation et certains espaces protégés comme des éléments d’urbanité.Parmi les hypothèses discutées, la relation urbanité/naturalité est questionnée par l’observation des pratiques et des activités, par la déconstruction des discours et des représentations. Les espaces protégés sont marqués par les politiques et les logiques urbaines, par les rythmes et les temporalités de la ville et par les usages et les imaginaires des citadins au point de rendre indissociables l’urbanité de la ville et la naturalité des espaces protégés. Ainsi, le caractère « naturel » de ces espaces et la dimension « urbaine » associée à leur localisation s’articulent de manière complexe, parfois paradoxale.Le statut « privé » de certaines réserves naturelles est à mettre en perspective avec l’usage « public » qui en est fait. A l’inverse, ces espaces de « nature urbaine » accessibles à tous peuvent offrir aménités et plus-values substantielles à des quartiers résidentiels. Si leur protection laisse entendre qu’ils ont une forte valeur environnementale, ils n’en sont pas moins dépourvus de valeurs sociales et économiques. Un des enjeux est donc de voir si ces espaces sont d’abord protégés en raison de leur qualité écosystémique, à cause de menaces dont la ville serait à l’origine ou au contraire pour répondre à une demande de naturalité de la part des citadins.L’intégration des espaces protégés à l’espace urbain se traduit également par leur prise en compte globale dans les politiques de la ville. A travers l’analyse des documents d’urbanisme, il est possible d’interroger la limite poreuse entre espaces protégés urbains et parcs urbains. Comme dans de nombreuses villes européennes, le verdissement devient un pilier à part entière des plans et des politiques d’urbanisme. Se demander si la protection ne fait pas office d’outil de gestion du foncier est ainsi une autre hypothèse à explorer. Les espaces seraient alors protégés d’une part en vertu des opportunités de récréation qu’ils offrent aux citadins et, d’autre part, comme outils de densification urbaine, un vecteur de durabilité. Ainsi, les discours des acteurs vis-à-vis des mesures de protection oscillent entre opportunisme, pragmatisme et volontarisme. Plus largement, ce regard sur une capitale nordique offre un exemple singulier où les espaces de naturalité jouent un rôle majeur dans l’identité de la ville et dans le processus de métropolisation.