Urban Forest Parks: Function, Adaptation and Sustainability
Published 07 March, 2025
Introduction：
Rapid urbanization has occurred globally in recent decades. While urban forest parks provide key ecosystem services, such as microclimate regulation, air pollutant removal, biodiversity conservation, and outdoor recreation, knowledge gaps remain in their interactions with changing urban environments. This special issue aims to be a platform for the exchange of current knowledge and discussion on future research needs of urban forest parks for a better urban planet.
This special issue presents research in urban forest parks. In the context of rapid urbanization and climate change, it is pivotal to understand the function of urban forest parks and their interactions with changing urban environments. Such research efforts will provide a strong basis for better management and planning of urban forest parks.
This special issue focuses on (i) the role of urban forest parks in conserving biodiversity, storing carbon and nutrients, improving air quality, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and supporting outdoor recreation, (ii) the ecological and biogeochemical interactions of urban forest parks with distinctive urban environments and climate change, and (iii) sustainable management and optimal planning of urban forest parks.
We invite contributions on the current understanding of the aforementioned topics using observational, experimental, and modeling approaches. We also encourage literature reviews and analyses to identify knowledge gaps to guide future research on urban forest parks.
Topics covered:
- Biodiversity conservation in urban forest parks
- Carbon storage in urban forest parks
- Nutrient cycling in urban forest parks
- Mitigation of urban heat island effect
- Air pollutant removal by urban forests
- Response and adaptation to climate change
- Management and planning of urban forest parks
Proposed Deadlines:
- Submission deadline: Jul. 31, 2025
Submission Instructions:
Please read the [Guide for Authors] before submitting. All articles should be [submitted online], please select [VSI: Urban forest parks] on submission.
Guest Editors:
- Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University, China, Email: enzaidu@bnu.edu.cn
- Thomas Rötzer, Technical University of Munich, Germany, Email: thomas.roetzer@tum.de
- Pierre Sicard, ACRI-ST, France, Email: pierre.sicard@acri-st.fr