BANGKOK — Urban tree-planting efforts are gathering pace in Bangkok, underpinned by aspirations to boost climate resilience, mitigate dust pollution, and conserve biodiversity. However, a recent study warns that the Thai capital continues to rapidly lose tree cover from its existing green spaces. The study used satellite data and field surveys to analyze patterns of tree cover loss in Bangkok between 2018 and 2022, finding a 10.5% drop in tree cover across the whole city, with larger areas of urban woodland losing more than 20% of their canopy cover. “This is a rapid rate of tree loss in just four years,” Phakhawat Thaweepworadej, a biodiversity researcher at Mahidol University in Bangkok and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “The greater rate of loss in larger blocks of tree cover that have been shown to support more biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services is particularly concerning.” The stark results indicate that without a strategic shift in policy and practice, the city risks losing its green spaces that could otherwise help it adapt to climate change, the authors note. This is a significant concern, given that the latest assessment of the Global Climate Risk Index ranks Thailand among the world’s top 30 countries most at risk of climate change. Originating in Central and South America, the wide canopy of Albizia saman is a common sight in Bangkok’s urban parks. Image by Carolyn Cowan/Mongabay. Incentivize tree preservation, not loss Trees are increasingly recognized as vital components of climate adaptation plans in tropical…This article was originally published on Mongabay