Spenger D, Burgard L, Bauer W (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
DOI: 10.1007/s00548-025-00989-3
The concept of ‘planetary health’ emphasises that human health is dependent on intact and resilient ecosystems. Nature conservation is therefore becoming a key determinant of health. At the same time, current studies from the earth system sciences point to the dramatic decline in biodiversity and the associated risk of irreversible consequences. On the one hand, global urbanisation processes are partly responsible for this development, but on the other hand, they can harbour diverse potential for socio-ecological transformation processes. At the local level, cities contribute to habitat fragmentation, but their small scale structures also offer potential opportunities for the establishment of different ecosystems. The protection and promotion of biodiversity is therefore a question of urban management. This article uses the example of district-free Bavarian cities with over 50,000 inhabitants to examine the question of how biodiversity is strategically promoted and what starting points are available in terms of planetary health. The analysis, based on publicly accessible documents, workshops and background conversations, shows that more or less explicit reference is often made to the link between nature conservation and health protection in order to argue in favour of measures to promote biodiversity. In addition, functional, aesthetic, ethical-moral and economic arguments are also put forward. At the same time, biodiversity protection is predominantly traditionally institutionalised in nature conservation and thus largely isolated in the administrative structure, which emphasises the need for integrated administrative action. This results in new perspectives in the research field of sustainable urban health, which is located at the interface of environment, health and planning, as well as recommendations for action for urban planning practice.
APA:
Spenger, D., Burgard, L., & Bauer, W. (2025). Planetare Gesundheit und städtische Biodiversität. Eine Bestandsaufnahme am Beispiel bayerischer Städte. Standort. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00548-025-00989-3
MLA:
Spenger, David, Leah Burgard, and Willi Bauer. "Planetare Gesundheit und städtische Biodiversität. Eine Bestandsaufnahme am Beispiel bayerischer Städte." Standort (2025).
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