Effects of Urban Tree Cover Decline on Capacity of Regulating Ecosystem Services in Edirne, Türkiye

Abstract

Urban trees and forests play a crucial role in providing ecosystem services (ES) that enhance the well-being of urban residents and environmental sustainability. However, studies on the regulating ES of urban trees and their change under the influence of urbanisation in Türkiye are limited. Thus, in this study, we assessed the regulating ES provided by urban trees in the central neighbourhoods of the Merkez District, Edirne, Türkiye, focusing on their ability to remove air pollutants and sequester carbon using web-based i-Tree Canopy. The results revealed a substantial decline in tree cover in the central neighbourhoods, leading to reduced air pollution removal (5,242 kg in 2023 vs 6,976 kg in 2005) and carbon sequestration (181 tonnes/year in 2023 vs 241 tonnes/year in 2005). Contrarily, in the protected area of the Sarayiçi Tavuk Forest, stable tree cover was maintained; this tree cover exhibited a high ES-provision capacity despite its relatively small size. Our novel findings showed that employing web-based tools provides a rapid, easy geospatial solution for assessing regulating ES that can be reproduced in other cities and is useful when comprehensive analysis is limited by insufficient data, time, and resources. Our novel assessment of current and past information on regulating ES establishes a basis for policymakers, urban landscape planners, and researchers to pursue ES-related research, fulfilling the crucial need for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in 21st-century cities.

Keywords

• Regulatory ecosystem services
• Urban trees
• Air pollution removal
• Carbon sequestration
• i-Tree Canopy

Kent ağaçlarının azalmasının düzenleyici ekosistem hizmetleri üzerindeki etkisi: Edirne Türkiye

Abstract

Kent ağaçları ve ormanlar, kent sakinlerinin refahını artıran ve sürdürülebilirliği destekleyen ekosistem hizmetleri sağlamada kritik bir rol oynamaktadır. Ancak, Türkiye'de kent ağaçlarının sağladığı düzenleyici ekosistem hizmetleri ve bu hizmetlerin kentleşmenin etkisi altında nasıl değiştiğine dair yapılan çalışmalar sınırlıdır. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’nin Edirne ili Merkez İlçesi'ndeki ağaçların sağladığı düzenleyici ekosistem hizmetleri, hava kirleticilerini temizleme ve karbon tutma kapasitelerine odaklanarak i-Tree Canopy aracı kullanılarak hesaplanmıştır. Sonuçlar, çalışma alanındaki ağaç örtüsünde yıllar içinde önemli bir azalma olduğunu, bunun da hava kirliliği temizleme ve karbon tutma kapasitesinde azalmaya yol açtığını göstermektedir. Buna karşılık, koruma altında olan Sarayiçi Tavuk Ormanı'nda 2005-2023 yılları arasında ağaç örtüsü korunmuş olup, sınırlı bir alan olmasına rağmen yüksek bir düzenleyici ekosistem hizmeti sağlama kapasitesi olduğu görülmüştür. Çalışma web tabanlı uygulamaların düzenleyici ekosistem hizmetlerini ölçmek için hızlı ve pratik çözümler sunduğunu; özellikle yetersiz veri, zaman ve maddi kaynak nedeniyle kapsamlı analizlerin sınırlı olduğu durumlarda faydalı olduğunu göstermektedir. 2005-2023 döneminde Edirne’deki kent ağaçlarının sağladığı düzenleyici ekosistem hizmetlerini değerlendiren bu çalışma; peyzaj mimarları, politika yapıcılar, kent plancıları ve araştırmacılar için sürdürülebilirlik ve ekosistem hizmetleri konularında bir temel oluşturarak, 21. yüzyıl şehirlerinde iklim değişikliğine uyum ve azaltım stratejileri konusunda kritik bir ihtiyacı karşılamaktadır.

Keywords

• Anahtar kelimeler: Ekosistem hizmetleri
• Kent ağaçları
• Hava kirliliği temizleme
• Karbon tutma
• i-Tree Canopy

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