City Life: Urban Areas as Sinks, Sources and Refuges for Plants and Animals

Urban ecosystems are where people live at high densities (equal to or greater than 186 people/ km2). Currently, slightly less than half the world’s population lives in dense urban areas, particularly cities. In industrialised countries this percentage is closer to 80%. Nearly 85% of Australians live in towns with 1000 or more inhabitants and 2/3rd of the population live in the eight capital cities…