M.Sc. thesis on the diversity of wood-species in Munich’s urban green spaces as part of the interdisciplinary project “StOasenWandel”

as part of the interdisciplinary project “StOasenWandel”

17.01.2023, Studentische Hilfskräfte, Praktikantenstellen, Studienarbeiten

Cities will be particularly affected by the impacts of climate change, e.g. due to heavy precipitation or longer periods of heat. In this context, urban green spaces including trees, park areas and forests will gain enormously in importance in several respects. Depending on their vegetation structure and size, these green spaces have different biophysical effects and contribute, among other things, to temperature equalization. In recent years, the urban ecological importance of urban green spaces has been increasingly linked to aspects of biodiversity and sustainable urban climate adaptation, as well as to the health of people in the city, whose demand for recreation in urban green spaces is increasing. Urban green space has the potential to mitigate different impacts of climate change in cities, contributing directly and indirectly to the health of residents. The StOasenWandel project focuses on the social-ecological, health- and climate-related importance of small green spaces: urban oases. The importance of size and structure will be investigated in terms of micrometeorological and health factors. The aim of the project is to investigate which effects urban oases can have on the immediate environment and human health and which vegetation structures turn out to be beneficial for preventive health care and the measured and perceived microclimate within urban oases. The project also intends to derive target-oriented recommendations for action for the future development of green spaces in cities on the basis of the results.

Research focus of the M.Sc. thesis: We are looking for a motivated student that is interested in urban biodiversity. Goal of this thesis project is the analysis of the woody-species diversity in different urban green spaces in Munich. Depending on your interest, this can be linked to structural or microclimatic parameters. You are welcome to contribute your own ideas!

What we are looking for: • Experience in the identification of wood-plant species in the field(ideally also in the urban environment) • Basic skills in data analysis and statistics (i.e. R) • Motivation to do fieldwork in Munich (starting at the beginning of the vegetation period) • Interest in working in an interdisciplinary team

This sounds interesting? Feel free to get in touch! Sophie Arzberger ([email protected]) Forest and Agroforest Systems TUM School of Life Sciences

Professorships involved in the project: Prof. Dr. Peter Annighöfer (Assistant Professorship of Forest and Agroforest Systems) Prof. Dr. Monika Egerer (Assistant Professorship of Urban Productive Ecosystems) Prof. Dr. Michael Suda (Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy)

Kontakt: [email protected]