31. Importance of Urban Biodiversity: A Case Study of Udaipur, India

Urban ecosystems are complex social-ecological systems with important functions. These man-made ecosystems have certain areas with high biological diversity, including both remnant species and species purposefully or unintentionally introduced by human actions. There can be important habitats and valuable corridors for both common and less common species within the urban sprawl. The main aim of this study is to respond to the call for integrative research by studying relationships between the anthropogenic activities and urban biodiversity of the cities from the southern part of Rajasthan, India. We observed that the local population was interested in biodiversity, especially phenological events, and benefited from it by getting aesthetic pleasure and information on seasonal changes. The cities, such as Udaipur have an artificially developed diversified habitat within urban limits which provides shelter and protection to a variety of flora and fauna species. Urban areas are often rich in species, particularly vascular plants and many groups of animals, especially birds. Further, urban green spaces in the form of artificial parks and agricultural fields have the diversity of flora, whereas artificial lakes are the sites of wetland species. The most eye-catching faunal group of birds was used to understand the importance of biodiversity for Udaipur. Bird diversity and abundance are indicators of the condition of watershed habitats, both terrestrial and wetland. The role of urban areas in functions, such as the provision of ecosystem services will largely be determined by patterns of biodiversity within that area. To keep these biological indicators healthy, watershed conditions should be managed to encourage bird survival and reproduction. Further, to support an integrative approach in urban green planning, both ecological and social research has to be incorporated in the planning process.