Highlight Activities 2025:Tree-cover dynamics in a rapidly urbanising tropical mega-city – Are trees of greater biodiversity and ecosystem service value less likely to be lost?

Urban trees are crucial for biodiversity and providing ecosystem services. It is unclear if sites where trees support more biodiversity and have greater contributions to ecosystem service provision have greater rates of tree loss, or are better protected. We investigated factors influencing tree-cover dynamics between 2018 and 2022 in Bangkok (Thailand), a rapidly urbanising tropical mega-city. Here we assess if tree-cover dynamics are associated with the biodiversity value and provision of ecosystem services at each site in 2018. In other words, we assess if trees that benefit biodiversity or people the most are more or less likely to be lost. We also conduct a preliminary assessment of Thailand’s innovative policy of enabling the financial value of trees to be used as collateral in financial loans – which may encourage landowners to retain trees.
Our results uncover substantial loss of urban tree-cover, with the loss at the largest woodlands being approximately double that at random locations. We find negligible evidence that locations at which trees support greater biodiversity, or provide more ecosystem services, received greater protection. More positively, we find some evidence that the financial loan collateral policy has prevented even greater rates of tree-cover loss. Our findings highlight the urgent need for additional policies to reduce urban tree loss, especially for larger woodlands and locations of high biodiversity and ecosystem service value.

สนับสนุน SDGs : เป้าหมายที่ 11 Sustainable cities and communities และ 15 Life on Land

Thaweepworadej, P., & Evans, K. L. (2025). Tree-cover dynamics in a rapidly urbanising tropical mega-city: Are trees of greater biodiversity and ecosystem service value less likely to be lost? Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 104, 128669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.128669