Special Places is an initiative to quantify the distribution, abundance and community and wildlife values of Special Use lands in Greater Vancouver. The purpose is to better assess the present contributions of Special Use lands to the livability of the region and in maintaining urban biodiversity, and to explore ways of increasing their future contributions. Special Use refers here to areas with significant green space but dedicated to other uses such as airports, golf courses, cemeteries, university campuses and similar lands. They fall outside other specific more homogeneous land use categories such as residential, industrial, agricultural, parkland, wildlife refuges and vacant sites.
Their contributions to livability are being determined through calculations, based on values obtained from the literature, of "nature's services" they provide - removal of carbon dioxide, suspended particulates, ozone, sulfur dioxide, energy conservation, water conservation, psychological benefits and so on. Their contribution to urban biodiversity will be evident in the species lists of plants that are being developed through field research in the project or obtained from the literature, and by extrapolating the wildlife species benefiting from these species.
Their contributions to livability are being determined through calculations, based on values obtained from the literature, of "nature's services" they provide - removal of carbon dioxide, suspended particulates, ozone, sulfur dioxide, energy conservation, water conservation, psychological benefits and so on. Their contribution to urban biodiversity will be evident in the species lists of plants that are being developed through field research in the project or obtained from the literature, and by extrapolating the wildlife species benefiting from these species.