Cities around the world are racing to plant more trees and create greener streets. However, they’re losing sight of one big truth: not every place is meant to be green in the traditional way. Images from Europe and North America have long shaped the idea of urban nature—lush lawns, shady parks, and leafy boulevards. But in deserts and other dry regions where water is scarce, forcing landscapes to appear green comes at a high cost, potentially harming the local biodiversity that cities aim to protect.
Greenspaces in these dry habitats will not naturally benefit the native flora and fauna, as these have had centuries and millennia to adapt to the heat, drought, and open space of drylands. Instead, these heavily-managed greenspaces are more likely to benefit non-native species. That’s where yellowspaces come in.
Yellowspaces are lightly managed or natural dryland habitats such as those featuring native shrubs, hardy grasses, rocky gardens, and open sandy spaces. They do not look like the advertised picture of nature, but they support local wildlife better than imported lawns and thirsty ornamental plants.
According to a recent study on the importance of biome in shaping urban biodiversity, scientists found that in many dryland cities, parks and neighborhoods rely heavily on irrigation to stay green. These spaces initially look lively, but something quite different is happening beneath the surface. These non-natural green areas tend to attract non-indigenous species, including non-native birds, ornamental plants, and insects that thrive with human help and crowd out local ones. “When imagining nature in the city, we need to consider local ecological context and for whom we are planning,” says lead author Dr Ellie Diamant. IITA Forest Center Manager Dr Adewale Awoyemi adds, “That is why we are selective about the tree species we plant in our reforestation projects, choosing not only native species but also those suited to specific microhabitats within urban and non-urban areas of Southern Nigeria.”
Remarkably, the study shows that dryland cities can actually support more native species when they preserve or restore yellowspaces, not when they add more lawns. These spaces provide familiar shelter, food, and temperature conditions for desert species, including lizards, birds, pollinators, and hardy shrubs. They also save vast amounts of water and help cool cities more effectively than many people expect.
We still don’t see more yellowspaces because of the cultural understandings of what nature is, as many people still assume that “real nature” must be green. Changing this mindset is essential and requires— from policymakers to achieve.
Policies need to prioritize native plants in city landscaping, replacing imported ornamental plants with local desert species that support birds, pollinators, and small mammals. According to the study, “Traditional agroecosystems and gardening can support native species amongst communities that value them, with residents choosing cultivars and allowing plants to grow spontaneously for utilitarian purposes.”
Although moving toward yellowspaces may appear to be giving up beauty, it only means learning to see beauty differently—and designing cities that fit their ecosystems, rather than fighting against them. In a warming, drying world, that shift may be essential for both nature and people. But, as the authors concluded, “To tackle these challenges efficiently, we need to acknowledge the interplay between social, cultural, and climatic effects on biodiversity for the benefit of both people and nature.”
Contributed by Uzoma Agha, Ellie Diamant, and Adewale Awoyemi
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