Assessment of joint soil ecosystem services supply in urban green spaces: A case study in Northern Italy

The multiple functions of urban soils secure the supply of ecosystem services to the urban population, but theyare seldom taken into account in current urban planning. The purpose of this study is to highlight the multifunctionalityof the soils of urban green spaces and to assess the influence of different types of urban green (i.e.parks and gardens, roadside green and agricultural fields) on the joint supply of soil-based ecosystem services. Ina case study area in the city of Carpi (NE Italy), we focused on a set of soil functions underpinning ecosystemservices and on possible synergies and trade-offs between them. We surveyed and sampled 19 urban green areasto assess the following soil functions: biological fertility, potential habitat for organisms, water regulation andstorage, soil buffering capacity and carbon stock. Results showed differences and trends in the bundles ofecosystem services provided by the soils of urban green areas, highlighting the relevance of soil disturbance andvegetation cover density in affecting soil functions. For biological indicators, results showed a negative significantcorrelation to CaCO3 content, which is associated with the degree of soil disturbance, and that soils in urbanareas do not always have compromised soil fauna and may provide the same level of biological quality asagricultural soils or forests.