Large-scale afforestation is championed as a way to restore degraded habitats, conserve biodiversity and advance societal improvements. In the Middle East, a severely water-stressed region, we argue that urban greening will need to play a major part in efforts to deliver a more sustainable and water-sensitive strategy, while also enhancing urban liveability.
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Acknowledgements
This commentary is funded by KAUST WDRC CCF funding FCC/1/1971-44-01 (awarded to all authors). The authors thank X. Pita and the KAUST Research Communication team for the graphic illustration.
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Hong, PY., Mishra, H., Daffonchio, D. et al. Greening initiatives in the Middle East can leverage urban infrastructure to enhance sustainable water use. Nat Water 1, 996–999 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00171-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00171-9