Green infrastructure adaptation and contribution to urban ecosystem services in the context of global warming

Résumé

Climatic change is responsible for the main environmental hazards that directly affect ecology and society. This reality is exacerbated in areas with high levels of human activity, resulting in biodiversity loss and the urban heat island effect that have been gradually increasing along urbanization processes. Scientific community and governmental institutions agree about greening cities as a strategy for mitigating global warming. However, there are controversies regarding which plant species are suitable for urban areas, given the changes in land use and resulting changes in air and soil chemistry from pollutants. It is essential to ensure the growing stability of plant species and their positive ecosystem services (ES) ranges for reducing pollution and mitigating the urban heat island effect. This study develops a state of the art about indicators regarding to ES and those affecting the environment where plant species try to survive on. Results suggest the importance of urban morphology and surface composition on plant adaptation; while both morphology and altered atmosphere run by urban activity, turn into different ES values.