International Research Trends on Urban Ecosystem Services

This study aims to identify international research trends related to urban ecosystem services in the context of the growing importance of responding to climate change and conserving biodiversity in urban areas. Based on these findings, the study seeks to suggest directions for environmental policies to achieve a more sustainable environment. To this end, the study analyzes the keywords that frequently appear in the bibliographic data of academic papers on urban ecosystem services and their relationships through network analysis. The study found that papers related to urban ecosystem services first appeared in 2008 and have gradually increased in academic publications over time. These papers have been overwhelmingly published in the field of urban studies. Notably, since the 2020s, there has been a surge in related papers, with studies emerging that use remote sensing technology to assess land use and cover from a climate change perspective to identify nature-based solutions. According to the results of the network analysis, research on urban ecosystem services has been intensively conducted in the area of urban planning, focusing primarily on “urban ecology” and “green infrastructure.” Therefore, urban planning policies that establish the infrastructure supporting the enhancement of urban ecosystem services are needed.