Decision-Making of Green Space Utilization and Protection in Urban Fringe Based on Biodiversity Trade-Off

• Main Authors: Haijiao Liu, Yonghong Ma, Qing Liu, Yan Song
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: urban and rural sustainable development; biodiversity conservation; green space planning; decision support tool; hellwig method
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1373

Urbanization leads to the continuous expansion of urban built-up areas and the erosion of green space in urban fringe areas, leading to the continuous decline of biodiversity. Urban planners and managers need corresponding decision support tools to coordinate the contradiction between the utilization and protection of green space, ensure the maintenance capacity of biodiversity in green space, and realize the sustainable development of regional economy, society and ecology. Therefore, based on the Hellwig Method, this study designed a decision-making method of green space utilization and protection in urban fringe areas and applied the method to the decision simulation of single or multiple green space utilization and protection modes. In the decision simulation of a green space utilization mode, we evaluated the H_k values of one or several green space sample units, respectively. The smaller the H_k value, the smaller the influence of the green space unit on the biodiversity maintenance function of the whole green space in the region, so the green space unit can be selected first when making green space utilization planning decisions in the urban fringe. In the decision simulation of green space protection mode, the higher the H_k value of single green space sample unit combination or multiple green space sample unit combination, the greater the influence of the green space unit in the combination on the maintenance function of the overall green space biodiversity in the region. Then, when planning the green space protection in the urban fringe, the combination of such green space sample units should be given priority as the key protection and control objects. As a decision support tool for optimal scheme of green space utilization and protection in urban fringe areas, the method is practical, instructive, reasonable, operable, flexible, and universal.