Effects of Urban Wetland Patch Pattern on the Biodiversity of Aquatic Birds in Nairobi, Keny

Abstract

Urban wetlands are ubiquitous landscape elements that affect the spatial pattern and functions of cities. Despite beingrich and important habitats for a variety of birds, they are continually being isolated or lost. Isolation and loss negatively impact on the integrity of the urban landscape pattern and compromises on biophilic planning and development. Since urbanization is a continuous cultural process, it is important to investigate how its impacts, which are invariably in conflict with nature,would portend for aquatic bird communities inurbanareas. This study sought to determine the variability and relationship betweenthe structural patch pattern of palustrine wetlands in Nairobiandthe species richness and abundance of aquatic birds in these wetlands. From a population of 300 wetlands, this study used heterogeneous sampling to identify and investigate 31 palustrine wetlands spread across the city of Nairobi. For each of these wetlands, a variety of landscape metrics were calculated and the species diversity ofaquatic birds was quantified. Multiple regression analysis was performed in IBM SPSS Statistics 21 to determine the relationships between wetland patch pattern and wetland biodiversity. The study found that patch pattern significantly affects aquatic bird biodiversity, R² = .516, F (7, 23) = 3.498, p < .05. It was also found that the characteristics of the wetland neighbourhood significantly affected aquatic bird biodiversity, R² = .301, F (3, 27) = 3.867, p < .05. This study highlights the need to mainstream, plan, and design for the conservation and monitoring of spatial patterns and biodiversity of palustrine wetlands in urban landscapes. In doing so, biophilic cities are created, bio-systemic urban infrastructure is generated, human wellbeing is enhanced, and urban wetland ecosystem services are valued