Urban Vegetation: Anthropogenic Influences, Public Perceptions, and Wildlife Implications

Abstract

Urban environments are becoming more common as cities grow and proliferate. Subsequently, their ecosystem services are becoming increasingly more important as climate change impacts urban dwellers, their benefits to human psychological and physical wellbeing are better documented, and biodiversity elsewhere is declining. However, while urban wildlife have received growing attention in recent decades, the importance of urban vegetation has mostly been emphasized in narrow literature niches related to horticulture and landscape architecture. Here, we review literature on multiple uses of urban horticulture, not solely limited to beautification of personal space; the importance of urban vegetation to urban wildlife conservation and sustainability; and how urban vegetation is portrayed in the media.