Settlement biotope

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Settlement biotopes , including building biotopes , are biotopes of human settlements . These include residential areas in villages and towns , industrial plants , road traffic areas , green spaces such as parks and other areas that are located within the settlements and are used intensively by people.

Settlement biotopes are euhemerobic to metahemerobic biotopes. In these biotopes, human activities are the decisive factor that disrupts or completely destroys the landscape in its components of water, soil, air and climate, and therefore the biocenosis . The biocenoses in settlement biotopes are replaced by less sensitive species or foreign, adapted species, depending on the intensity of human activity.

Structure of the settlement biotopes

The breakdown is common according to the density of the development ( soil sealing and elevation of the horizon ) and the hemerobia of the area:

• City center , historical city center
• Perimeter block development (e.g. Gründerzeit ),
• Row and point houses with moderate greenery
• Detached and terraced areas with gardens
• Allotments, green spaces,
• Parks, cemeteries,

such as

• Traffic facilities, sports facilities, industrial facilities

and

• Individual trees, avenues, groups of trees, bodies of water
• Ruderal corridors and ruins, brownfield sites (e.g. mining), landfills

and village structures

• old, open stables and barns
• old, open mills and churches
• Sand paths , ravines , orchards , cottage gardens
• Mud puddles of the cattle troughs and pig pools

Evaluation of settlement biotopes and indicator organisms

The perspective and evaluation standard of landscape ecology and landscape planning is the hypothetical original state of the landscape without human intervention, which can be evaluated according to climax vegetation and pnV . If biotopes are assessed within settlement areas, the assessment criteria must be adapted to the local status of the indicators.

Criteria can be:

• Climatic function
• Degree of maturity ( succession )
• Structural diversity
• Position in the biotope network
• Species equipment

Area size, rarity and regeneration ability (duration) are mostly not sensible criteria for the evaluation of settlement biotopes, since these factors inevitably lead to an undervaluation. Nevertheless, because of the areal expansion of the cities, settlement biotopes have functions in the biotope network.

Likewise, the species endowment cannot be compared with the ideal state of the hypothetical natural landscape. Due to the changed conditions, the species composition of the cities has completely changed and corresponds to v. a. by the urban climate rather the rocky landscapes in the Mediterranean climate.

Indicator organisms are:

• Bats
• Amphibians , reptiles
• Spiders (limited) and harvestmen
• Ground beetle

Danger

The endangered biotopes include the village structures (muddy places, sand paths, barns ...) as well as old avenues, cemeteries and parks, some of which resemble the hut forests and riparian forests ; furthermore structurally rich green areas. The village biotopes are v. a. Threatened to destruction by the mechanization of agriculture and direct premiums from the EEC (tree felling premiums, etc.). Urban green spaces are often subordinated to other interests (recreation, traffic safety).

Land acquisition for building is the most important risk factor. In eastern Germany in particular, ruins and spontaneously rich forests have become rare after the fall of the Wall due to the building boom. The land consumption has increased significantly. The expansion of the traffic routes and the increase in traffic has intensified the fragmentation effects of the traffic routes.

Defective gas pipes, road salt and the urban climate, as well as the need for order of the people and unsuitable planting of ornamental greenery also have a damaging effect.

protection

The protection and development of settlement biotopes is already the task of landscape planning at the level of land use planning . At this level, the land consumption must be reduced and the green space planning must be provided with sufficient handling in the form of the FNP or LP.

In particular, the measures are best to be specified in the green space plan (independently in the statutes or in the development plan ):

• Tree grates , grass verges,
• Preservation of old trees and establishment of new plantings
• Proposals and stipulations for planting private gardens,
• Determinations for facade greening and roof greening,
• - "- for surface design (albedo)
• Keeping and developing and maintaining important green spaces open
• Achievement of compensatory measures through the intervention regulation

literature

• Eckhard Jedicke: Biotope protection in the community . Neumann, Radebeul 1994, ISBN 3-7402-0148-7 , ( practical nature conservation ).