sustainability Article Towards Sustainable Urban Planning for Puyo (Ecuador): Amazon Forest Landscape as Potential Green Infrastructure Thony Huera-Lucero 1,2 , Adela Salas-Ruiz 1,3,* , Daysi Changoluisa 1 and Carlos Bravo-Medina 4 1 Environmental Engineering, Department of Life Sciences, Universidad Estatal Amazónica (UEA), Puyo 160101, Pastaza, Ecuador;
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[email protected] (D.C.) 2 Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura (UEX), 06071 Badajoz, Spain 3 ICHaB-ETSAM, Architecture School, Universidad Politécnica of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain 4 Environmental Conservation and Management Program, Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo 160101, Pastaza, Ecuador;
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[email protected] Received: 19 April 2020; Accepted: 8 June 2020; Published: 11 June 2020 Abstract: The peri-urban area of Puyo, where agricultural, urban and conservation logics are mixed, is a contested area in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Rapid urban growth and agricultural activities are the main threats to the conservation of its biodiversity. To promote the conservation of natural spaces in urban planning instruments, it is necessary to first demonstrate their environmental and ecological value. In this paper, such value was analyzed by quantifying biodiversity value and carbon storage capacity in situ. The results show that Puyo’s periphery (a 4 km radius) is an opportunity space, where the conservation of its biodiversity is a key factor in strategies to promote sustainable urban development. Firstly, there are natural areas of high environmental value (secondary forest, gramalote pastures with trees and gramalote pastures) that all together fix 1,664,683 Mg CO2 and control hydrological risks (with 80% of the green areas linked to flood areas)—valuable ecosystem services.