Ecosystem Service Concept as a Rationale for Urban Green Space Conservation- A Systematic Review Report

Urban Green Space (UGS) is recognized as vital to modern infrastructure development worldwide. While the conventional method of urban planning has long prioritized built structures over UGS, an increasing number of scientific studies have demonstrated that UGS not only supports biodiversity but also provides numerous essential benefits for humans, such as clean air, water, weather regulation, food, and a place for respite for urban residents. This points to a need for an interdisciplinary synthesis of recently published research to document the ecological and social benefits and present comprehensive recommendations. We conducted an in-depth review of existing scientific literature to explore supporting, regulating, cultural, and provisioning ecosystem services benefits, major factors enhancing them, and management recommendations to optimize those benefits. The results indicate that optimizing heterogeneous UGS coverage as an essential part of urban design benefits natural as well as human communities in the form of enhanced wildlife habitat, clean air and water, weather regulation, and livability. Findings highlight the multifaceted contributions of UGS in maintaining natural ecosystems to provide essential benefits for human wellbeing and environmental health, which are integral components of sustainable development. We discuss evidence-based recommendations for policy and planning for optimum UGS suitable for different environmental, geographic, ecoclimatic, and socioeconomic statuses worldwide. The availability of comprehensive information on the enhanced benefits of UGS renders new directions and impetus for UGS conservation in the era of expanding urbanization and climate change.