Ecosystem services provided by green infrastructure in the urban environment.

Abstract

Interest in ecosystems services and green infrastructures is a result of conceptual developments in urban ecology and other environmental sciences. The impact of the urban settlements on nature and its consequences on human well-being at multi-scale levels demands for technical and social responses, whose application has been revealed to be highly dependent on the physical and socio-economic context. We review here problems and efforts to create a solid conceptual framework and efficient tools to analyse and manage urban social-ecosystems in order to increase the benefits that green infrastructure gives to the entire society, giving resilience to these systems. Difficulties become even greater as a result of weak institutional structures, limited capacity and poor governance strategies.