Need to Introduce Native Plants to Urban Green Spaces

Urban green spaces need to be planted with drought-resistant native species to cut back on water consumption for irrigation, at a time the country is struggling with an acute water crisis, an environmental expert said. 
Findings from a recent study by the Iranian Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands identified about 1,788 plants endemic to Iran, which is larger than the whole population found in Europe, Mohammad Darvish, a prominent member of the institute said in a talk with IRNA on Saturday.
"The question is why we are not choosing the right plant species in green spaces in Tehran and other cities. The same species used in green space covers in Tehran are seen in Kerman or Rasht," Darvish said, referring to Iranian cities with distinct climates.
"We should use our indigenous plants that have adapted to Iran's ecological environment over millions of years," the expert said.