Ecological and environmental assessment of Erzincan Districts within the scope of the biodiversity-friendly city approach

This study was conducted between 2022 and 2024 to develop strategies for the inventory, conservation, and sustainable management of biological diversity in urban areas of Erzincan province, encompassing six districts and one town. It also seeks to promote the use of natural plant species to create climate-resilient urban ecosystems. Field surveys, drone imaging, and plant species identification were conducted across 70 open green spaces. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index and Simpson diversity index, together with the Biodiversity-Friendly City Criteria, were applied to the Erzincan case. A total of 105 plant taxa, including 36,799 individuals, were identified, with 56% being natural and 44% exotic. Kemaliye had the highest species diversity index and while Çayirli had the lowest. The plants consisted of 54% edible-leaf broadleaf trees, 19% conifers, and the remaining being edible shrubs, small trees, and vines. Biodiversity assessments revealed that Kemaliye had the highest diversity index, and Çayirli the lowest. Districts were analyzed using the “Bio-friendly Settlement” criteria, with all districts, including Çağlayan, Çayirli, Kemah, Kemaliye, Refahiye, Tercan, and Üzümlü, showing high biodiversity characteristics. The average Bio-friendly score for the districts was 90.7 points. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index indicated that Kemaliye exhibited the highest biodiversity with a high evenness value (E = 0.896), whereas Çayirli showed the lowest diversity; this pattern was consistently supported by the Simpson diversity index results. In conclusion, the study stresses the importance of implementing conservation measures to enhance ecological sustainability in Erzincan, which also holds significant potential for agricultural landscapes and tourism. The high Bio-friendly scores of these districts underscore the need for strategies supporting ecological balance and biodiversity preservation. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.