Research gaps in knowledge of the impact of urban growth on biodiversity
By 2030, urban areas will add 1.2B people, driving major biodiversity loss. Our review of 922 studies shows 290,000 km² of habitat may be converted, while indirect impacts like food consumption affect even larger areas but remain understudied, highlighting urgent research and planning needs.
Subject Tags
- Conservation Planning
- Climate mitigation
Abstract
By 2030, an additional 1.2 billion people are forecast in urban areas globally. We review the scientific literature (n = 922 studies) to assess direct and indirect impacts of urban growth on habitat and biodiversity. Direct impacts are cumulatively substantial, with 290,000 km2 of natural habitat forecast to be converted to urban land uses between 2000 and 2030. Studies of direct impact are disproportionately from high-income countries. Indirect urban impacts on biodiversity, such as food consumption, affect a greater area than direct impacts, but comparatively few studies (34%) have quantified urban indirect impacts on biodiversity.
Citation
McDonald, R.I., Mansur, A.V., Ascensão, F., Colbert, M.L., Crossman, K., Elmqvist, T., Gonzalez, A., Güneralp, B., Haase, D., Hamann, M. and Hillel, O., 2020. Research gaps in knowledge of the impact of urban growth on biodiversity. Nature Sustainability, 3(1), pp.16-24.
Media Contacts
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Robert McDonald
Lead Scientist for Nature-based Solutions Europe
The Nature Conservancy
Email: rob_mcdonald@tnc.org