Research gaps in knowledge of the impact of urban growth on biodiversity

Robert I. McDonald (), Andressa V. Mansur, Fernando Ascensão, M’lisa Colbert, Katie Crossman, Thomas Elmqvist, Andrew Gonzalez, Burak Güneralp, Dagmar Haase, Maike Hamann, Oliver Hillel, Kangning Huang, Belinda Kahnt, David Maddox, Andrea Pacheco, Henrique M. Pereira, Karen C. Seto, Rohan Simkin, Brenna Walsh, Alexandra S. Werner and Carly Ziter
Additional contact information
Robert I. McDonald: The Nature Conservancy
Andressa V. Mansur: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Fernando Ascensão: CIBIO/InBio, Universidade do Porto
M’lisa Colbert: The Nature of Cities
Katie Crossman: The Nature Conservancy
Thomas Elmqvist: Stockholm University
Andrew Gonzalez: McGill University
Burak Güneralp: Texas A&M University
Dagmar Haase: Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Maike Hamann: University of Minnesota
Oliver Hillel: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Kangning Huang: Yale University
Belinda Kahnt: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
David Maddox: The Nature of Cities
Andrea Pacheco: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Henrique M. Pereira: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Karen C. Seto: Yale University
Rohan Simkin: Yale University
Brenna Walsh: Future Earth
Alexandra S. Werner: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Carly Ziter: Concordia University

Nature Sustainability, 2020, vol. 3, issue 1, 16-24

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0436-6

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