What is Urban Ecosystems and its management?

A. Definition

Urban ecosystems apply the ecosystem approach to urban areas. Urban ecosystems are dynamic ecosystems that have
similar interactions and behaviors as natural ecosystems. Unlike natural ecosystems however, urban ecosystems are a
hybrid of natural and man-made elements whose interactions are affected not only by the natural environment, but also
culture, personal behavior, politics, economics and social organization.

B. Main Features

Urban areas act as population centers providing goods and services not only for its population, but also for populations
worldwide. Urban ecosystems can no longer be considered as a separate entity to the environment as they have direct and
indirect impacts on the immediate and wider environments. Many of the environmental problems faced today (e.g. global
warming, water and air pollution and inadequate access to safe drinking water) can be traced back to cities and lifestyle
choices. With urban population levels expected to reach 60% in the next 30 years and the majority of urbanization to occur
in developing countries, urban environmental management is being increasingly important.

Urban areas can not exist in isolation. They require inputs from, and waste assimilation functions of, other ecosystems.
Ecological footprint analysis has shown that many cities require a productive land and sea area several times the city's size
in order to support the population.

The urban ecosystem contains both individual and layered (nested) systems from three spheres: (a) the natural
environment, (b) the built environment and (c) the socio-economic environment. In order to develop policies and programs
that advance sustainable development and the equitable allocation of resources, each system within the urban ecosystem
needs to be recognized as a living entity that constantly changes. This differs from the typical segregated and static
management approach. Each system requires dynamic balancing and integration. In addition, the interdependencies and
interactions between each system and between the urban ecosystem as a whole and other ecosystems need to be
understood. Unhealthy urban ecosystems can lead to local and wider environmental degradation, social problems,
economic decline, human health problems and further disconnection from nature.

Multidisciplinary in nature, urban ecosystem management requires a composite of social, environmental, economic and
decision making tools and institutions that are flexible and can adapt quickly to changes in one or more systems.

The urban ecosystem approach encourages the alignment of cities to that of natural ecosystems where resources, process
and products are used more effectively, creating less waste, requiring less input and viewing by-products as resources.

Urban Ecosystem Management System-

Successful urban ecosystem management system
requires a systematic understanding of local and regional environments. Urban Ecosystem Management should
integrate the social, public, health, political, economic and natural environment linkages inherent to the
environment. Urban Environment Management must be build upon both a solid understanding of physical
features characterizing a local/regional environment and the practices, priorities and preferences of its
inhabitants.

Most environmental scientists think that, on balance, increased urbanization is better fort the environment than
having the same number of people living in rural areas spread across the landscape. However, the challenge is to
make these cities more sustainable through better design. This challenge is particularly difficult because rapid
urban growth evident in many cities is overburdening the existing infrastructure, leading to a lack of urban
services and environmental degradation.

Therefore it becomes very important condition to adopt the sustainable development methodology for the well
management of urban ecosystem.

Major steps for the Urban Ecosystem Management are as follows-

---- (1) ---- Managing and improving the local authority’s own environmental performance:

• Corporate commitment;
• Staff training and awareness training;
• Environmental management systems;
• Environmental budgeting;
• Policy integration across sectors;

---- (2) ---- Integrating environmental management programme into the local authority’s policies and
activities:

• Green housekeeping;
• Land-use planning;
• Transport policies and programmes;
• Tendering and purchaser/provider splits;
• Housing services;
• Tourism and visitor strategies;
• Welfare, equal opportunities and poverty strategies;
• Explicitly ‘environmental’ services;
---- (3) ---- Awareness-raising and education:

• Support for environmental education;

• Awareness-raising events;
• Visits and talks;
• Support for voluntary groups;
• Publication for local information;
• Press releases;
• Initiatives to encourage behaviors change and practical action;

---- (4) ---- Consulting and involving the general public:

• Public consultation processes;

• For a;
• Focus groups;
• ‘planning for real’;
• Parish maps;
• Feedback mechanisms;

---- (5) ---- Partnership:

• Meeting, workshops and conferences;

• Working groups/advisory groups;
• Round tables;
• Environment city model;
• Partnership initiatives;
 • Developing world partnerships and support;

---- (6) ---- Measuring, monitoring and reporting on progress towards sustainability:

• Environmental monitoring;
• Local state of environmental reporting;
• Sustainability indicators;
• Targets;
• Environmental impact assessment;
• Strategic environmental assessment.

This step towards the management of urban ecosystem becomes very important as it consist so many important
actions to be executed to reach the well managed urban ecosystem.

Conclusion:

Urban environment are complex networks characterized by high concentration of people primarily
working in non-agricultural sectors. The positive effects of these concentrations on the quality of life are often
overshadowed by major environmental problems. The lack of housing, drinking water or food may become life-
threatening in expanding cities in developing countries. Managing the complex urban systems becomes
increasingly difficult because of rapid population growth and a lack of financial resources.
Among the alternatives to traditional planning schemes that are being developed today are the concepts of
‘healthy cities’, ‘live able cities’ and ‘sustainable communities’. Putting these new concepts into practice, and
making use of advanced instruments for environmental management, offers the solution for many urban
environmental problems. It should be clear that while cities contribute to environmental problems, they can also,
indeed must be, part of the solution.