Urban Forestry and Sustainable Environments

Overview & Synopsis

The planet is moving towards a complex future, under the pressure from climate change and rapid urbanization. According to the United Nations, there was an estimated average urbanization rate of ~80% and 55% in developed and developing countries, respectively, as of the end of 2021. Green infrastructure in urban areas provides people with a multitude of ecosystem benefits. However, the quality of urban green infrastructure varies among cities in the different countries/regions; key ecological processes, maintenance mechanisms, as well as policy-making routes remain unclear. This topic focuses on the following: the theoretical exploration and methodological innovation of forest biodiversity responses to the changed environment; animals and plants in natural and urban ecosystems; nature-based policies of city management; and routes to achieve sustainable development goals. This topic, in part, is also an important platform for showcasing the scientific discoveries in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Research Institute of Tropical Forestry (Chinese Academy of Forestry), along with the joint work of the Sino–Australian Collaborative Innovation Research Team “Urban Forestry and Livable Habitat”, the National Urban Forest Innovation Alliance (China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration), and the Sino–EU CLEARING HOUSE project research team (EU Horizon 2020 grant NO. 821242; China National Key R&D Program grant No. 2021YFE0193200).