Barcelona City Council and Cossetània Edicions have published the ‘Guia de flora urbana de Barcelona’, by Pere Barnola and Josep M. Panareda, which features a sample of the more than one thousand plant species found in the city, and the ‘Guia de fauna urbana de Barcelona’, by Sergi Garcia and Martí Franch, which gives us the low-down on the most representative species of wildlife found in Barcelona which, in many cases, we are not aware of.
The Guia de flora urbana de Barcelona [Guide to urban flora in Barcelona] includes more than 125 plant species, organised by scientific name and with their common names in Catalan and Spanish. The publication prioritises plants that grow spontaneously in built-up areas and/or areas that have been altered by human activity or by domestic animals, what are known as ruderal species, which tend to be annual, such as chenopodium, herbaceous flowering plants, and amaranths, with two critical periods, spring and the end of summer.
The city of Barcelona, without people, would be dominated by a large forest formed of holm oaks, the holm oak would be the most abundant tree in many places, together with oak trees, and other trees, particularly deciduous trees. In low-lying and shady areas, particularly above deep soils, the domination of the deciduous tree would be absolute, with oaks, whitebeams, maples, elms and ash trees. With these words Pere Barnola explains what this vegetation would be like, in a city now predominated by the urban flora that we find around us, on the walls of buildings, and other walls, in the streets, in abandoned nooks and crannies and in the parks and gardens. And it is in the latter of these spaces where we find the most diversity. Next to the perennials, shrubs and trees that have been planted, we tend to find a large number of opportunist species that take advantage of the empty spaces, the irrigation water or the fertile soil. Different plants grow depending on the micro climate of each area and the type of soil found there. Most of them produce numerous seeds that get scattered about and germinate with ease. The maintenance tasks carried out in parks and gardens also influence their presence and development.
Wildlife with which we share the city
With the Guia de fauna urbana de Barcelona [Guide to urban fauna in Barcelona] we discover all the species found around us, in addition to the ones we already know, such as pigeons, cockroaches, rats and sparrows. This guide features vertebrate and invertebrate species which are found in three urban settings: buildings, gardens and aquatic spaces.
The distancing, in all senses, of human beings from the nature that surrounds us, has increased in recent times, despite the numerous efforts made to counter this. Warnings about conserving biodiversity, the political initiatives and business strategies don’t seem to have been sufficient. “As a result of this distancing, a lack of knowledge of the value of nature and natural environments has become widespread and extends to all social classes” explains Sergi Garcia, author of the book.
The guide includes fact sheets that provide information on the ecological role of each species, such as water transparency and the cleaning of ponds thanks to fleas and water snails; pollination by bumblebees and butterflies, etc.; the control of mosquitoes thanks to the common backswimmers, dragonflies, etc.; and the control of the pine processionary, through the contributions of hoopoes, tits, bats and the alpine swift.