Comparison of urban forestry master plans and their capacity to enable ecosystem services in five Brazilian capitals

Abstract

Urban forestry is crucial for quality of life in cities, but most Brazilian municipalities lack uniform parameters for its management. Therefore, the National Urban Forestry Policy project proposes the creation and implementation of Municipal Urban Forestry Plans (PMAs) in cities with pre-defined characteristics, which could lead to greater productivity in environmental management. Given this context, this article aimed to compare and diagnose the PMAs of five Brazilian capitals, analyzing their characteristics and identifying gaps in terms of their goals and aims, to understand the guarantee of ecosystem services provision through urban forestry. Content analysis was used to condense the total information into a set of categories. It was observed that, although the importance of ecosystem services is recognized, the plans show limited practical application and a lack of correlation between urban form and ecosystem services. To face environmental and social challenges, it is essential to adopt clear goals, financial sources, and robust strategies - parameters that were found to be incipient in the analyzed documents. Considering these findings, restructuring PMAs is necessary to contribute to urban resilience and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, improving urban quality of life.

Keywords:
urban forest; sustainability; urban planning