URBAN HOME GARDENS: POTENTIAL SITES OF BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Abstract

Despite the enormous influence of cities on the biosphere on a local, regional and global scale, urban ecology studies remain scarce, especially in highly urbanized and mega-biodiversity countries such as Brazil. The naïve common sense of cities as sterile environments does not correspond to reality. On the contrary, a rich variety of species of plants and animals is common in cities. In particular, the urban home garden, a common type of land use, has a high potential for conservation of biological diversity, although the flora and fauna of these habitats are virtually unknown. To study the standard for urban biodiversity and contribute to the creation of urban planning models that allow biological conservation require the establishment of effective interdisciplinary methodological approaches.