Forestation contributions to urban sustainability in tropical cities. Nuevo Amanecer wetland, Ciudad Madero, Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21640/ns.v9i19.980Keywords:
Climatic change, open spaces, wetland rescue, thermal confortAbstract
Introduction. Tropical cities have climatic conditions for the development of biota. The conservation of natural spaces with abundant mass of vegetation, is vital for the preservation of the biodiversity in the city, as forestation brings improvements to the quality of life. The article presents the results of the project "Forestation and Rescue of Laguna Nuevo Amanecer. Ciudad Madero, México, "funded by the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, 2015. The objective is to validate the method of study based on indicators in urban forestation projects in the tropical city through the measurement of its impact.
Method. 1. Indicators of the Urban Sustainability Indicators Plan (Rueda, 2010) were used to assess the current situation of the Laguna Nuevo Amanecer wetland.
2. A proposal for urban reforestation was made using the indicators of tree diversity, soil biotic index and tree density.
3. The impact of the proposal was evaluated through the Wetland Parks Functionality Index and the Thermal Comfort Indicator for the streets.
Results. The increase of mass vegetation in the proposal of urban reforestation in the open space presents positive impacts in two complementary situations: the urban natural spaces and the streets, considering the indicators.
Stage 1. For the urban natural spaces, the Parks Functionality Index was considered in the reforestation proposal, giving a value close to 10, where it exceeds the desirable value for the case of temperate cities of 7.5, proving the existence of greater ecological wealth in Tropical cities as a value to maintain.
Stage 2. For the streets, the thermal comfort indicator was considered in the arborization proposal, between 7 and 9 hours of comfort in 74% of the polygon wh
Conclusion. Conservation and enhancement of wetland plant communities and tree-lined streets directly improve the quality of life in tropical cities and reduce the impact of climatic change. Mass vegetation continuity between both scenarios reinforces the system of open spaces, diminishing the island of heat. In these contexts, urban forestry projects can be considered as a basic sustainability instrument that contributes to the increase of biodiversity and thermal comfort.
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