Evaluation of the Contribution of Cemeteries to Urban Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Edirne

Abstract

Although green spaces in cities play a critical role in providing ecosystem services, cemeteries are often considered
an overlooked part of urban green spaces. However, in recent years, these areas have come to the forefront due to
their potential to provide a range of important ecosystem services such as conservation of biological diversity,
habitat provision, air quality regulation, carbon storage, and water management. This study aims to concretely
determine the contribution of four cemeteries -Acıçeşme, Buçuktepe, Bademlik and Karaağaç- located within the
central district boundaries of Edirne, to urban ecosystem services. Using the i-Tree Canopy model, the land cover
distribution, air pollution impacts, and carbon sequestration/storage amounts of these cemeteries were analysed.
The results indicate that Buçuktepe cemetery provides the highest ecosystem services due to its large area and dense
tree canopy. It is estimated that the 64.2% tree canopy cover in Buçuktepe Cemetery removes 365.44 kg of gases
and particulate matter from the air annually, sequesters 16.02 tonnes of carbon and stores 402.21 tonnes of carbon.
These results show that cemeteries make a significant contribution to regulating ecosystem services in urban areas.
The study highlights the potential for transforming cemeteries into multifunctional landscapes that contribute to
urban ecosystem services.