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Date Published: 08/07/2026

Murcia lags way behind the rest of Europe in natural green spaces

Only one in ten people in Murcia can see a tree from their home, according to a new study

Murcia has come out near the bottom of a major European study looking at trees and green space in cities, with only around 10% of residents able to see three trees from home.

The research, carried out across 862 European cities by the EU's Joint Research Centre and published in Nature Communications, measured cities against the "3-30-300" rule, a benchmark that calls for three visible trees from every home, 30% tree canopy per neighbourhood and a green space within 300 metres on foot.

Murcia ranked alongside Ragusa in Italy and Valletta in Malta as one of the weakest performers, a stark contrast to cities like Berlin and Espoo, where more than 70% of residents get that same view of nature.

Researchers pointed to climate as one factor, but also highlighted inequality, noting that wealthier areas consistently enjoy greener surroundings. They warned the lack of shade makes heatwaves harder to cope with and takes a toll on wellbeing.

The council's Urban Development department, led by José Guillén, pointed to its Forest Plan, under which more than 37,000 trees have reportedly been planted across the municipality, arguing it delivers a real difference for residents.

However, not everyone's convinced that this progress has gone far enough. Luis Tovar, from local group MurciaLab, claimed the city has seen "a stagnation and loss of tree cover" over the past decade, particularly in outer districts, and argued too many of the town's green spaces exist only on paper.

Paediatric health specialist Juan Antonio Ortega went further, warning that a lack of trees leaves people facing "more heat, more stress, more obesity" and less time outdoors. He described the disparity as a form of "green inequality," suggesting a child's access to shade and nature can depend simply on their postcode.

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