Turkish city districts scored for urban plant biodiversity health
Askan G, Yilmaz H
Urban Ecology
The mix of native and non-native trees planted along your street corners and city parks directly shapes how many pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects can actually live there, and this study shows even small towns can score high when native species are prioritized.
Researchers walked through 70 parks and green spaces in a Turkish province, counting nearly 37,000 individual plants across 105 different species. They found that over half were native plants, and most were edible-leaf broadleaf trees rather than conifers. One town, Kemaliye, had by far the richest mix of species, showing what's possible when urban planners lean into local, natural plantings instead of only ornamental imports.
Key Findings
105 plant taxa and 36,799 individual plants were identified across 70 urban green spaces, with 56% native and 44% exotic species.
Kemaliye had the highest biodiversity (Shannon-Wiener evenness E = 0.896), while Çayirli had the lowest.
Vegetation was dominated by edible-leaf broadleaf trees (54%) and conifers (19%), with an average Bio-friendly City score of 90.7 out of 100 across seven districts.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A two-year survey of urban green spaces across Erzincan, Turkey found 105 plant types and used biodiversity scoring to show that more than half of the region's districts support strong urban biodiversity, with edible trees dominating the landscape and one district standing out for its exceptional plant diversity.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Ecological and environmental assessment of Erzincan Districts within the scope of the biodiversity-friendly city approach.
This study was conducted between 2022 and 2024 to develop strategies for the inventory, conservation, and sustainable management of biological diversity in urban areas of Erzincan province, encompa...
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Native plants are species that have evolved naturally within a specific region or ecosystem without human introduction, forming integral ecological relationships with local soils, climate, and wildlife over thousands of years. In plant science, studying native species provides critical insights
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