Floristic and Ecological Analysis of Urban Campus Green Spac-es: A Case Study of M'sila University, Algeria

Ahmed Saad

Abstract


Urban university campuses provide critical green spaces that enhance urban ecology, support biodiversity, and offer significant social and recreational benefits. However, the floristic composition of many such spaces remains under-documented, limiting their potential for strategic ecological management. This study presents the first systematic floristic inventory of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences campus at the University of M'sila, Algeria, a site situated within a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Field surveys conducted between January and February 2024 identified 20 vascular plant species from 20 genera and 16 families. The results indicate a predominance of the Asteraceae family and a flora dominated by woody species (phanerophytes), reflecting both the natural Mediterranean ecosystem and anthropogenic influence through ornamental plantings. The plant assemblage displays diverse biogeographic origins, with Euro-Siberian as a prominent component, and shows clear adaptations to dry environments, including a dominance of mesophyllous leaves and drought-tolerant characteristics.  This study provides a fundamental biodiversity assessment, supplying important data for future conservation initiatives, sustainable landscape management, and the improvements of ecological services within this urban green space.

Keywords: urban ecosystem, flora, Mediterranean, biodiversity, ecosystem services

© 2025 Serbian Geographical Society, Belgrade, Serbia.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Serbia.


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