Belal Al-Sayed*¹

1 Latakia City Council, Latakia, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Belal Al-Sayed, Email: belalalsayed37@gmail.com, Phone: 0996704464). 

Received: 6/12 /2025       Accepted: 12/03 / 2026

This research was conducted in the city of Latakia during the years 2025, seven main streets were selected to analyze the plant diversity of urban street trees. The study employed a descriptive–analytical approach based on field inventory and the use of quantitative biodiversity indicators. It focused on identifying plant species, their spatial distribution and frequency, as well as calculating diversity and evenness indices. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was also performed to determine homogenous groups based on diversity and similarity. The results recorded 10 tree species belonging to 10 genera and 8 families. Saleh Al-Ali Street exhibited the highest richness and diversity, while Al-Thawra and Khalid Bin Al-Walid Streets showed the lowest diversity values. Aleppo Street demonstrated a distinct species composition that set it apart from the other surveyed streets. Analysis indicators revealed the highest similarity (60%) between Al-Kornish Al-Gharbi Street and Al-Maghreb Al-Arabi Street. The hierarchical analysis classified the streets into three main groups based on species diversity and similarity. A strong positive correlation was also observed between street length and the number of individual trees (R = 0.825). The study concludes that enhancing species diversity in urban afforestation programs and reducing reliance on dominant species are essential steps toward improving the sustainability of urban green infrastructure in Latakia.

Keywords: Street trees, biodiversity indices, Latakia, hierarchical analysis, A descriptive-analytical approach.

 Full paper in Arabic: PDF