The increasing demand for land due to urbanisation often takes place at the expense of urban green areas. These threatened greenspaces, including their soils, likely have reduced capacities to provide important functions or ecosystem services (ES), such as sequestering and storing carbon and maintaining biodiversity. An important aim of the group is bringing ecological theory that has hitherto been the domain of natural/agricultural systems to urban milieus, focusing on urban forests, parks and meadows. Some of our current projects include studies of the impacts of domestic dogs and invasive species in urban greenspaces. Our group also maintains international collaboration on various research projects.