Urban areas across the world are expanding at unprecedented rates, with this expansion projected to be particularly higher in countries of the Global South (GS), including those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Most of the world´s largest cities are located in the GS, often overlapping with biodiversity hotspots and areas of species endemism. Consequently, urban planning and development in the GS represents a great challenge for both biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Despite these challenges, recent global reviews about urban ecology have shown a notable underrepresentation of studies from the GS. Moreover, urban ecology studies are biased toward certain specific taxa and both spatial and temporal scales. Most studies have been focused on plants and birds, whereas other taxa such as snails, carabid beetles, and reptiles have been relatively understudied. In addition, most studies have focused on a single town or a specific season, with research encompassing multiple cities, seasons, and extended periods being scarcer.

We emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between biodiversity and urbanization in the Global South (GS) to guide informed urban planning and sustainable development. In this Research Topic, we invite researchers to contribute correlative and experimental studies addressing the relationship between biodiversity and urbanization in countries of the GS. We strongly welcome studies focused on countries, taxa, and spatial and temporal scales that have been traditionally understudy in the context of urban ecology.

We welcome original articles, reviews, short notes, and opinion articles on the following, but not limited to, topics of interest:
• Spatial and temporal biodiversity dynamics
• Functional and phylogenetic diversity
• Behavioral responses to urbanization
• Socio-economic drivers of biodiversity
• Participatory science in urban contexts
• Socioecological approaches on urban studies
• Multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research on urban biodiversity
• Urban ethno-ecology
• Restoration ecology in cities

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Participating Journals

Impact