The role of cities in preserving biodiversity

Writer: Marcus Ng

Natural habitats and their biodiversity are increasingly seen as vital components of liveable cities. They provide spaces for recreation and help to restore physical and mental health. Urban parks and forests also contribute to a sense of belonging and well-being. We look at what cities can do to protect them.

Cities mentioned in this article:
Austin, Singapore, Vienna, Melbourne, Bangalore, San Francisco, Havana, Bogotá, Curitiba

Melbourne aims to be a city in a forest with an ambitious urban forestry strategy

We are not alone on this planet. It may seem unbelievable, but humanity shares the Earth with a spectacular biological diversity or biodiversity of more than 1.2 million ↗ (opens in new tab) known species of plants, animals and other living organisms. Cities, far from being barren concrete jungles, are emerging as havens for many species of plants and animals, which have learnt to survive in built-up environments or thrive in urban parks, gardens and other green lungs. Falcons and coyotes hunt between New York City’s skyscrapers, pumas lurk in the wooded valleys of San Francisco, while otters and hornbills occupy the parks of the island-city of Singapore.

At the same time, we now live in a largely, and increasingly, urban world; by 2050, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will reside in urban zones. But as cities expand, they run the risk of losing habitats rich in biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services provided by these natural environments. Such ecosystem services ↗ (opens in new tab), which are often taken for granted and extremely costly to replace when lost, include the provision of freshwater catchment areas; protection from floods, storms and erosion; carbon capture and storage; and climate and pollution control.

“Cities, far from being barren concrete jungles, are emerging as havens for many species of plants and animals, which have learnt to survive in built-up environments or thrive in urban parks, gardens and other green lungs.” — Writer

The value of biodiversity

The ecosystem services provided by biodiversity affect us in very direct ways. Forests and wetlands supply the oxygen we breathe and absorb the carbon dioxide that would other contribute to climate change. Bees, birds and butterflies perform essential pollination services for many crops; when their habitats are destroyed, the ecosystem services provided by these creatures are also threatened and may be very costly, if not impossible, to replace.

In addition, natural habitats and their biodiversity are increasingly seen as vital components of liveable cities. They provide spaces for recreation and help to restore physical and mental health. Urban parks and forests also contribute to a sense of belonging and well-being, by offering what Timothy Beatley, Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities at the University of Virginia, USA, calls “opportunities to experience awe and wonder”. In Japan, for instance, city folk have embraced the practice of shinrin-yoku or ‘forest-bathing’, by regularly walking through lush forests in order to lower their stress levels and recharge their spirits.

Steffen Lehmann, Professor and Head of the School of Architecture at the School of Built Environment at Australia’s Curtin University, also sees a strong link between investing in nature and greater liveability. “Urban greenery” he states, “has benefits such as increased wellness, growing bird populations and providing the ageing population with new meeting places.”

Preserving biodiversity also makes good economic and business sense. Professor Beatley offers the example of Austin, capital of Texas in USA, where the city’s main bridge inadvertently became a roost for some 1.5 million bats after it was built in 1980. People were initially worried about health and thought of eradicating the colony. But after working with an environmental group called Bat Conservation International, Austin has become 'bats' over the animals. “Not only did they not eradicate the bats, they are celebrating them,” explains Professor Beatley, who points out that the bats now generate millions of tourism dollars as people from all over the country flock to the bridge every evening to see the spectacular flight of the bats, which also perform the added service of consuming agricultural pests. “There are even bat-watching cruises on the river,” he adds.

Bat-watching in Austin, Texas, USA