An analysis of research into urban flora and vegetation in Southeast Europe

Abstract

In the last two decades, the number of research articles focused on urban ecosystems in Europe has increased significantly. However, the cities investigated are very unevenly distributed, and most of the studies are focused on Central Europe. The aim of this analysis was to provide a realistic insight into the results of previous research into the urban flora and vegetation of Southeast Europe. The analysis covers a total of 149 articles, classified according to the topic and concept of research. The rates of exploration of urban flora and vegetation vary considerably across the countries of Southeast Europe. The floristic approach was the most common. Although some countries of Southeast Europe have a significant number of floristic studies (e.g. Serbia and Croatia with more than 20 each), their urban flora is still insufficiently explored compared to other European regions. Also, the use of different methodologies makes it impossible to compare results in an adequate way and draw relevant conclusions. Unlike the studies in most of Europe, with a broader spatial framework and uniform methodology, in Southeast Europe they usually referred to individual cities, specific habitats or certain parts of the cities. Hence, including Southeast Europe in large-scale studies would be beneficial.