Environmental resource management

Urban expansion

Urban planning

Environmental protection

Biology

Environmental planning

Biodiversity

Urban climate

Habitat

Geography

Threatened species

Land-use planning

Ecology

Urbanization

Land use

Environmental science

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

SignificanceUnderstanding the impacts of urbanization and the associated urban land expansion on species is vital for informed urban planning that minimizes biodiversity loss. Predicting habitat that will be lost to urban land expansion for over 30,000 species under three different future scenarios, we find that up to 855 species are directly threatened due to unmitigated urbanization. Our projections pinpoint rapidly urbanizing regions of sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Mesoamerica, and Southeast Asia where, without careful planning, urbanization is expected to cause particularly large biodiversity loss. Our findings highlight the urgent need for an increased focus on urban land in global conservation strategies and identify high-priority areas for this engagement.

Biodiversity impacts and conservation implications of urban land expansion projected to 2050