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Urban trees are key for the ecosystem services they provide to the inhabitants. Some tree specimens are relevant for their history, structure, longevity and/or beauty. Their designation as "patrimonial" will allow them to be protected. For this reason, the aim of the work is to identify the environmental and heritage value of unique trees in the city of Bahía Blanca (Argentina). For this purpose, ten specimens that have a historical and cultural significance at a local scale were selected and the environmental assessment was applied considering the following variables: dimension, location, exceptionality, beauty, condition and cultural aspect of the tree. Then, the methodology of recognition of heritage trees was used. This methodology analyzes the size, the historical, cultural and/or religious interest, the phase of development and the rarity or state of conservation and/or threat. As a result, it was detected that the chosen trees have a very high and high heritage value and some of them require a prompt designation by the Municipality to be preserved. The application of these methodologies is the key in caring for urban green heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A knowledge of the dynamic urban environmental system is essential when designing planning and management strategies that enable better urban planning. Street trees are part of the green infrastructure and provide multiple social and environmental benefits to citizens. In summertime, when the highest temperatures are recorded, trees contribute to improving human thermal comfort. Vegetation modifies the local climate because it regulates temperature and relative humidity by generating a microclimate. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of street trees on the microclimate of the city of Bahía Blanca in Argentina. To evaluate the microclimate, air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were measured under the trees and away from the trees. Measurements were made considering three trees species with different crown structures. Data were recorded in the morning, noon, and afternoon on two typical summer days. Four neighbourhoods with different building typologies were selected. The streets selected had different orientations: north-south and west-east. Data analysis showed that the temperature under the trees was lower than further away from the trees. This situation was most visible between 12 noon and 3 pm. and wind speed was lower under the trees since they act as obstacles. This research evaluates the climatic benefits generated by trees in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural heritage is a set of goods essential for collective identity and necessary for society to enjoy. Studying it enables the generation of adequate public policies for its conservation. The management instruments must be generated at different scales and be assimilated by the social actors involved. The aim of this work was to analyze the conservation of natural heritage policy in Argentina. To achieve it, a study was conducted on the current situation of biodiversity and geodiversity as key concepts associated with natural heritage and legal management instruments were characterized at different scales. In the case of the Argentine territory, the protected areas of national and provincial jurisdiction were selected as spaces for the protection of natural diversity. The presence of these concepts was analyzed in the legal framework of the protected areas system. The results showed that in Argentina, the strategies are focused on the preservation, restoration and maintenance of biodiversity. Instead, geodiversity has an incipient development. The legal vacuum in the care of abiotic elements and the lack of updating in the existing environmental legislation are some problems that the country faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to evaluate the geomorphological heritage of Lihué Calel National Park (La Pampa, Argentina) in order to contribute to the knowledge of its geodiversity. For this, the geoforms of the mountain range were identified and the method of González Trueba and Serrano Cañadas (2005) on the geomorphosites was applied. Seven sites were evaluated according to their intrinsic characteristics, cultural, educational aspects and current form of use and management. Two of them have a higher value because besides the natural resource they have equipment and are a tourist attraction of the protected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]