Definition

Urban habitats are essentially altered or transformed by human use. Land may be predominantly occupied by constructions or infrastructure and the ecosystems and species assemblages that occurred there previously may be completely or almost completely lost. As well as grey space, brownfield sites, roofs and balconies, urban areas may also include elements of greenspace. Not only can these areas support surprisingly rich and diverse rich ranges of plants and animals, they also offer great potential for biodiversity enhancement and ecological restoration.

European Investment Bank ¹

Note: The term ‘urban habitats’ may be used, and defined, broadly across conservation science, policy, legislation and the performance standards of multilateral development banks.