Impact of native-plants policy scenarios on premature mortality in Denver: A quantitative health impact assessment.
Green space
Health-impact assessment
Native plants
Journal
Environment international
ISSN: 1873-6750
Titre abrégé: Environ Int
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 7807270
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
08 2023
08 2023
Historique:
received:
13
10
2022
revised:
06
04
2023
accepted:
15
06
2023
medline:
21
8
2023
pubmed:
5
7
2023
entrez:
5
7
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Cities often use non-native plants such as turf grass to expand green space. Native plants, however, may require less water and maintenance and have co-benefits for local biodiversity, including pollinators. Previous studies estimating mortality averted by adding green space have not considered the provision of native plants as part of the greening policies. We aim to estimate premature deaths that would be prevented by the implementation of native-plants policy scenarios in the City of Denver, Colorado, USA. After conducting interviews with local expert stakeholders, we designed four native-plants policy scenarios: (1) greening 30% of all city census-block groups to the greenness level of native plants, (2) adding 200-foot native-plants buffers around riparian areas, (3) constructing large water retention ponds landscaped with native plants, and (4) greening parking lots. We defined the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) corresponding to native plants by measuring the NDVI at locations with known native or highly diverse vegetation. Using a quantitative health-impact assessment approach, we estimated premature mortality averted under each scenario, comparing alternative NDVI with the baseline value. In the most ambitious scenario, we estimated that 88 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 20, 128) annual premature deaths would be prevented by greening 30% of the area of census block groups with native plants. We estimated that greening 30% of parking-lot surface with native plants would prevent 14 annual deaths (95% UI: 7, 18), adding the native buffers around riparian areas would prevent 13 annual deaths (95% UI: 2, 20), and adding the proposed stormwater retention ponds would prevent no annual deaths (95% UI: 0, 1). Using native plants to increase green spaces has the potential to prevent premature deaths in the City of Denver, but results were sensitive to the definition of native plants and the policy scenario.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Cities often use non-native plants such as turf grass to expand green space. Native plants, however, may require less water and maintenance and have co-benefits for local biodiversity, including pollinators. Previous studies estimating mortality averted by adding green space have not considered the provision of native plants as part of the greening policies.
AIM
We aim to estimate premature deaths that would be prevented by the implementation of native-plants policy scenarios in the City of Denver, Colorado, USA.
METHODS
After conducting interviews with local expert stakeholders, we designed four native-plants policy scenarios: (1) greening 30% of all city census-block groups to the greenness level of native plants, (2) adding 200-foot native-plants buffers around riparian areas, (3) constructing large water retention ponds landscaped with native plants, and (4) greening parking lots. We defined the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) corresponding to native plants by measuring the NDVI at locations with known native or highly diverse vegetation. Using a quantitative health-impact assessment approach, we estimated premature mortality averted under each scenario, comparing alternative NDVI with the baseline value.
RESULTS
In the most ambitious scenario, we estimated that 88 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 20, 128) annual premature deaths would be prevented by greening 30% of the area of census block groups with native plants. We estimated that greening 30% of parking-lot surface with native plants would prevent 14 annual deaths (95% UI: 7, 18), adding the native buffers around riparian areas would prevent 13 annual deaths (95% UI: 2, 20), and adding the proposed stormwater retention ponds would prevent no annual deaths (95% UI: 0, 1).
CONCLUSION
Using native plants to increase green spaces has the potential to prevent premature deaths in the City of Denver, but results were sensitive to the definition of native plants and the policy scenario.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37406368
pii: S0160-4120(23)00323-9
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108050
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
108050Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.