Giving space back to nature: more trees, less concrete, more freedom

Protecting nature does not mean adding a few flowerbeds to a territory dominated by concrete. It means restoring space, continuity, and freedom to ecosystems, allowing trees, plants, and animals to exist without being constantly subordinate to human needs.

Every new road, parking lot, or building modifies the territory. The soil is waterproofed, vegetation disappears, and animals lose places to feed, take shelter, and move around. When they then enter cities or cross roads, they are described as a problem. But they are often just looking for what we have taken from them.

Soil is not an empty space

An undeveloped piece of land is often defined as "unused," as if it only acquired value the moment it is built upon. In reality, soil performs fundamental functions: it absorbs water, stores nutrients, hosts organisms, and supports vegetation.

Beneath the surface live insects, fungi, roots, and microorganisms that contribute to the ecosystem's balance. Covering the ground with asphalt or concrete interrupts these processes and makes it more difficult for vegetation to return.

Data from ISPRA on soil consumption show that the loss of natural surfaces continues to affect the Italian territory. This is not just a landscape issue: it concerns the climate, hydrogeological safety, and the very possibility of conserving vital habitats.

More concrete means more heat

Artificial surfaces absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night. This contributes to the formation of heat islands, especially in urban and densely built-up areas.

Trees, on the other hand, provide shade and promote cooling through evapotranspiration. A tree-lined avenue, a forest, or an area rich in vegetation can offer more bearable temperatures compared to a parking lot or a completely paved square.

In Sicily, where summers are increasingly long and rainfall can become erratic, vegetation represents concrete protection. Eliminating trees means making people and animals more vulnerable to heat, drought, and soil erosion.

We recounted these effects in the article Sicily getting hotter: when the climate makes the territory unlivable.

A tree is not a decorative element

A mature tree cannot be considered simple urban decor. Its canopy provides shelter, its roots hold the soil, and its branches can become places for resting or nesting. Relationships between many different species can develop around a single tree.

When a mature tree is cut down, planting a young specimen elsewhere does not immediately compensate for the loss. It will take years for the new tree to offer the same shade and an equally complex structure.

For this reason, reforestation must be accompanied by the protection of existing vegetation. Planting is important, but so is stopping the destruction of what has already grown.

Animals need continuity

A small, isolated green area may not be enough. Animals must be able to move between different areas to look for food, water, shelter, and individuals of the same species. When roads and buildings fragment the landscape, these routes become dangerous or impossible.

Ecological corridors connect habitats and allow animal movement. They can be tree belts, hedges, streams, natural passages, or land left to spontaneous vegetation.

Protecting these connections means reducing the risk that animals are forced to cross busy roads or approach homes. Coexistence is built not by removing animals, but by creating a territory in which they can live without constantly coming into conflict with human activities.

From nature reserves to a network of protected territories

In various parts of the world, there are parks and reserves where animals can live with a higher level of protection. These places demonstrate that it is possible to dedicate large portions of territory to the conservation of non-human life.

Reserves, however, should not become islands surrounded by completely transformed territories. Animals do not recognize the borders drawn on maps and need spaces that are connected to one another. Truly effective protection requires a network of habitats, not a few green areas separated by roads, cities, and intensive farming.

The European Nature Restoration Law also recognizes the importance of recovering degraded ecosystems. The relevant summary published by the European Union highlights the need to intervene in habitats, forests, and urban ecosystems.

Conserving does not mean controlling everything

Nature is not a garden that must be constantly tidied up according to human tastes. Spontaneous vegetation offers food and shelter. Dead wood can host insects and fungi. Leaves on the ground protect moisture and return organic substances to the soil.

The pursuit of a perfectly clean landscape can impoverish ecosystems. Cutting every spontaneous plant, systematically removing leaves and branches, or eliminating all insects means subtracting fundamental elements from the chain of life.

Leaving a portion of the territory to its own evolution is not neglect. It can be a conscious choice, especially when it is accompanied by the removal of waste, fire prevention, and the protection of the most vulnerable species.

Habitats are an alternative to confinement

When animals lose their territory, the most common response is to build facilities in which to enclose them. Dog shelters, cat shelters, and sanctuaries thus become the destination for a society that first destroys habitats and then tries to manage the consequences.

These facilities may be necessary in emergencies, but they should not replace a policy of coexistence. The long-term solution is not to continually increase the number of cages: it is to create safer territories and spaces where animals can live expressing their own behaviors.

In our in-depth analysis From the cat shelter to the feline habitat, we explain why protection should be built around the needs of animals and not just the need to contain them.

Restoring space means accepting limits

We cannot protect nature without renouncing the occupation of every available surface. Some areas must be able to remain free from new construction, traffic, and exploitation. This requires a cultural transformation: the value of a piece of land cannot be measured solely by its price or the amount of income it can generate.

A forest, a wetland, or a wild meadow produces shade, water, fertility, oxygen, and biodiversity. Above all, they are the home of other living beings. Not everything that has value must be sold.

What we can do concretely

We can protect existing trees, plant species suitable for the territory, and take care of them in the following years. We can avoid unnecessarily waterproofing gardens and courtyards, promote hedges and spontaneous vegetation, and provide safe water points during hotter periods.

We can ask local administrations to limit soil consumption, conserve ecological corridors, and evaluate the effect of new construction on biodiversity. We can also support sanctuaries and projects that restore adequate spaces to animals, rather than just keeping them in conditions of permanent confinement.

Every protected tree, every piece of land left permeable, and every habitat connected to another represents a step toward a more livable territory.