Researchers have long debated the extent to which biodiversity can be a force for good on our rapidly urbanizing planet, particularly as it relates to the health and wellbeing of the nearly 70% of the global population that is expected to live in cities by 2050.
To better understand the benefits of biodiversity in our cities, a team of 20 researchers from across the US has conducted the most comprehensive review of urban biodiversity research to date. Synthesizing findings from 1,550 previous papers, their study—which was published in September in the multidisciplinary journal People and Nature—attempts to showcase how both the variety of nature and diversity of living organisms can support the health and wellbeing of people in cities.
The findings highlight the contribution of municipal parks, private gardens, and established trees to the physical and mental health of city dwellers. These features not only provide opportunities for exercise but also reduce exposure to environmental hazards such as extreme heat and air pollution. The authors also reported health benefits associated with certain nature-positive interventions, like reducing pesticide usage and encouraging the proliferation of native plants.
“Our review of pre-existing work on the links between urban biodiversity and human health expands on existing research to summarize the health impacts available via biodiversity-focused urban greening projects and further underlines the business case for these types of interventions,” said lead author Erica Spotswood, PhD ’11 Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM), director of science for the environmental services firm Second Nature Ecology and Design.
ESPM and College of Environmental Design professor Iryna Dronova (PhD ‘12 ESPM), a co-author of the study, noted that the exhaustive review enabled researchers to place a greater emphasis on the results of experimental and longer-term studies. The authors also had the opportunity to highlight potential tradeoffs associated with certain actions, such as developing hiking trails, which can simultaneously improve human health but also increase the risk of potentially negative human-wildlife interactions.
“Accommodating both biodiversity and human well-being is sometimes perceived as a problem of contrasts in tight, contested urban spaces,” Dronova said. “Our aim is to inspire resilient and economically efficient landscape solutions that benefit both the health of people and the well-being of organisms and ecological systems in our shared environment.”
Additional UC Berkeley alumni co-authors include Cesar O. Estien, PhD ’25 ESPM, and Karen Weinbaum, PhD ‘12 ESPM. The study was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read the full study in People and Nature.
