# Green infrastructure has weak conceptual links with efficient biodiversity conservation

## TL;DR

This paper argues that green infrastructure policies may not effectively support biodiversity conservation due to weak links with ecological processes.

## Contribution

The study highlights a disconnect between green infrastructure policy and empirical evidence on effective biodiversity conservation.

## Key findings

- Green infrastructure interventions diverge from evidence-based conservation strategies.
- Policy lacks sufficient focus on ecological processes crucial for population persistence.
- Integration of scientific evidence is needed to improve biodiversity outcomes.

## Abstract

To reverse biodiversity loss, creating resilient ecological networks has been promoted in policy and practice. However, we argue that emphasising networks within policy without clear conservation prioritisations may direct focus away from ecological processes important for population persistence. We studied the rationale for resilient ecological networks represented in a policy context, by reviewing research related to biodiversity within the concept of green infrastructure in European policy. We compared this outcome with underlying empirical evidence for effects of landscape properties on ecological processes relevant to population persistence. We show that interventions within green infrastructure research partly diverge from evidence of efficient conservation derived from empirical studies, likely linked to an insufficient acknowledgement of ecological processes determining long-term conservation of populations in GI policy and research. We discuss possible implications for biodiversity conservation and argue for upcoming policies to better integrate scientific evidence and underlying ecological processes to improve biodiversity outcomes.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-025-02149-1.