Green systems in urban areas provide a wide range of ecosystem services with direct and indirect impacts on public health. Direct effects include reducing carbon dioxide concentrations and noise, regulating microclimatic conditions, improving psychological well-being and reducing violence. Indirect effects on improved health and quality of life include the use of green spaces for sport, leisure and recreational activities and the promotion of social cohesion. The European Commission has stressed the importance of transforming the traditional concept of urban greening into a comprehensive vision of green infrastructure. This is reinforced by the priorities set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the European Green Deal. The importance of the impact of green spaces has moved from being a minor need before the pandemic to a major need during the pandemic for urban populations.
A major challenge in the development of urban green spaces is the increasing incidence of allergic reactions to pollen from anemophilous plants.There is evidence that irresponsibly designed and installed green spaces can have more negative health impacts than positive effects on air quality. People living in urban areas are 20% more likely to suffer from pollen allergies than those living in rural areas. In Lithuania, the incidence of pollen allergic rhinitis in 2018 was 2 times higher in urban than in rural areas (19.6 and 9.6 per 10,000 inhabitants, respectively), and reducing the allergenicity potential of green spaces in more densely populated areas is still an unsolved problem. The World Health Organisation, in its analysis of the health impacts of urban green spaces, noted that harmful effects are associated with poorly maintained green spaces, but that with proper planning, organisation and maintenance of urban green spaces, the impact is significantly reduced.
The aim is to determine the allergenicity potential of urban green spaces and to develop an index defining this potential, which would serve to create health-friendly green spaces and improve ecosystem services.
Objectives:
- To assess the species diversity of selected plants in public green spaces in terms of geographical origin and pollination pattern.
- To identify groups of low allergenicity pollen-dispersing native plants suitable for urban green spaces.
- To experimentally compare the potential of native and non-native perennial herbaceous plants for attracting pollinators and maintaining biodiversity in public spaces.
- Evaluate the flowering and pollen dispersal characteristics of anemophilous plants.
- To develop an index of allergenic potential and test it in a real environment.
Planned results:
- For the first time in Lithuania, an assessment of green areas in urbanised areas has been carried out, taking into account the needs of pollinators and the impact on allergen-sensitive individuals.
- A unique index defining the allergenicity potential of green spaces has been developed and validated, enabling characterisation and comparison of green spaces of different sizes or uses.
- Methodological guidance has been developed to support the design of green infrastructure in urbanised areas, taking into account the geographical origin of plants ('nativeness'), lower allergenicity and the potential to halt pollinator decline.