Global study finds urban plants recover better than rural ones
A team from The University of Hong Kong published a global study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that urban vegetation is more resilient than rural vegetation across 751 cities between 2001 and 2022.
Urban cores show higher resilience
Vegetation in the center of these cities recovered from climate stress better than plants in surrounding rural areas. This advantage was found in 78 percent of the locations examined by researchers. The finding challenges the common belief that city environments are always worse for ecosystem stability.
Hot regions see biggest gap
The difference between urban and rural recovery rates was most noticeable in hot and arid climates. Researchers used satellite data to track how plants responded to disturbances over more than two decades. The study suggests sustainably managed green spaces play a key role in this resilience.
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