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Short Abstract

Conflict in Sudan has led to severe urban tree loss, impacting vital ecosystem services. Using citizen science, 100 observations revealed widespread, severe tree damage—mainly in Khartoum—from bullets, overcutting, and burning, stressing a need for urgent restoration.

Abstract

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has triggered severe humanitarian, economic, social, and environmental repercussions, with urban tree loss emerging as an especially concerning issue due to the essential ecosystem services trees provide—including carbon sequestration, air purification, erosion control, and climate regulation. This study, supported by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA), investigates the impact of the armed conflict on urban tree cover within Sudan’s most affected states: Khartoum, Darfur, and Gezira. Utilizing a citizen science-driven methodology, the research gathered 100 validated reports between November 2024 and April 2025 via online submissions from local residents and volunteers. Contributors supplied detailed information on area type, tree species, the impact of conflict, and severity of damage, enabling an in-depth, location-specific analysis across a variety of urban contexts such as residential, commercial, institutional, roadside, farm, and parkland environments. Findings indicate the majority of reports originated from Khartoum (65%), with the rest from Gezira (20%) and Darfur (15%). Most affected sites were residential (58%) and roadside (21%) areas, with Acacia spp., citrus, palms, and Ficus spp. among the most impacted tree species. Conflict-related damages reported included bullet/shrapnel impacts (42%), overcutting (37%), physical injury (34%), general damage (49%), tree falls (15%), and burning (5%). Severity ratings were high (85%), medium (14%), and low (1%), particularly concentrated in Khartoum. This study underscores the effectiveness of citizen science for environmental monitoring in conflict zones and highlights the urgent need for urban ecological restoration measures.