Fast Fact Library

All types of urban nature were found to provide mental health benefits according to a systematic review of 449 studies and meta-analysis of 78 field-based experiments, with urban forests and parks emerging as key...

Li, Yingjie, Yuanyuan Mao, Lisa Mandle, Anders Rydström, Roy P. Remme, Xin Lan, Tong Wu, Chao Song, Yougeng Lu, Kari C. Nadeau, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Gretchen C. Daily, and Anne D. Guerry. “Acute mental health benefits of urban nature.” Nature Cities 2 (2025): 720–731. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00286-y

Exposure to natural environments - from low-tech strategies like short walks to high-tech strategies like virtual reality nature - has positive effects for people on the autism spectrum, according to a scoping...

Wells, Nancy M., Jordan Tralins, Dongying Li, Timothy J. Mateer, Erin R.B. Eldermire, Helena le Roux Ohm, Johanna Lantz, and Matthew R. Kibbee. “The effect of the natural environment and greenness on behavior, function, and well-being among individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 105 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102619

Green roofs can be effective carbon sinks. A two-year, Great Plains-based study found that shallow, lightweight, porous green roof substrate supported improved carbon capture as compared to deeper, denser substrates...

Alam, M.M. Lekhon, Lee R. Skabelund, Charles W. Rice, James S. Lin, and Jaeyoung Ha. “How effective are green roofs as building carbon sinks? Empirical evidence linking substrate, depth, and vegetation dynamics in the U.S. Great Plains.” Journal of Environmental Management 396 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128117

Higher levels of greenery in urban walks increased positive emotions and perceived restorativeness, according to a study where 151 participants walked six urban paths.

Veronica, Laura Miola, Anahita Soltantouyeh, Francesca Pazzaglia, and Chiara Meneghetti. “Walking to the urban green: Increases in positive emotions and perceived restorativeness, but not mental representation ability.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 106 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102734

In a review of measured biodiversity outcomes from 185 urban nature-based solutions across 33 countries, 78% of interventions contributed positively to improving biodiversity as compared to non-nature-based...

Li, Meng, Roy P. Remme, Peter M. van Bodegom, Alexander P.E. van Oudenhoven. “How do nature-based solutions contribute to biodiversity in cities?” Ecological Indicators 175 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113523.

Two Vermont wildlife underpasses resulted in an 80% reduction in amphibian deaths according to a comprehensive study spanning five years pre-construction and seven years post-construction.

Marcelino, Matthew R., Steve G. Parren, and Brittany A. Mosher. “Assessing the efficacy of wildlife underpasses in mitigating amphibian road mortality: A case study from the northeastern United States.” Journal for Nature Conservation 86 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2025.126901.

Forests with five different species of tropical trees can store 36% more carbon in trunks and branches than forests with just one species, as measured by a 16-year study of an experimental forest in Panama.

Schnabel, Florian,  Joannès Guillemot,  Kathryn E. Barry,  Melanie Brunn,  Simone Cesarz,  Nico Eisenhauer,  Tobias Gebauer,  Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramirez,  I. Tanya Handa,  Chris Madsen,  Lady Mancilla,  Jose Monteza,  Tim Moore,  Yvonne Oelmann,  Michael Scherer-Lorenzen,  Luitgard Schwendenmann,  Audrey Wagner,  Christian Wirth,  and Catherine Potvin. “Tree Diversity Increases Carbon Stocks and Fluxes Above—But Not Belowground in a Tropical Forest Experiment.” Global Change Biology 31 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70089.

A Canadian study found that bird and tree species diversity were significantly positively related to good self-reported mental health. In the 36 Canadian cities studied, living in a postal code with bird diversity...

Buxton, Rachel T., Emma J. Hudgins, Eric Lavigne, Paul J. Villeneuve, Stephanie A. Prince, Amber L. Pearson, Tanya Halsall, Courtney Robichaud, and Joseph R. Bennett. “Mental health is positively associated with biodiversity in Canadian cities.” Communications Earth & Environment 5 (2024): 310. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01482-9

A modelling study of 15,917 global urban areas predicted that greening urban areas could prevent an estimated 700,000 premature deaths annually, with the most impact (54 deaths prevented per 100,000 people)...

Garber, Michael D., Tarik Benmarhnia, Weiqi Zhou, Pierpaolo Mudu, and David Rojas-Rueda. “Greening urban areas in line with population density and ecological zone can reduce premature mortality.” Communications Earth & Environment 5 (2024): 650. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01803-y

A review of 165 studies overwhelmingly found that native plants performed better than non-native plants in urban environments for higher animal presence, abundance, and diversity.

Tartaglia, Elena S. and Myla F.J. Aronson. “Plant native: comparing biodiversity benefits, ecosystem services provisioning, and plant performance of native and non-native plants in urban horticulture.” Urban Ecosystems 27 (2024): 2587–2611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-024-01610-5