Beyond Aesthetics: The Larger Role of Urban Forests in Our Lives: A Review

Abstract

Abstract
The aesthetically pleasing parks, gardens and city forests in an urban ecosystem provide the much needed hint of nature and natural beauty. Standing amidst the ever-expanding concrete structures, urban greenery is often overlooked in the planning and management of cities. The rampant expansions of urban areas especially in the developing countries is not only taking a toll on the quality of the life of the urban population but also has a tremendous ill effect on the flora of the region. Most of the damage to the urban forests stems from the fact that they are only perceived as a source of aesthetic beauty and therefore are not given due importance. Hence whenever it comes to choosing between a high profit infrastructural development and conservation of nature, the former seems to win. It is the need of the hour to look beyond just aesthetics and understand the various ecosystem services that the urban forests provide. The review highlights few of those positive influences like climate regulation, air quality enhancement, biodiversity conservation and provision of ecosystem goods/products. There are a multitude of services which are provided by urban forests and they should be studied in detail, for them to be incorporated in planning and management of cities.
Keywords: Urban forest, Urbanization, Cities, Ecosystem services, Climate