Biodiversity potential of burial places – a review on the flora and fauna of cemeteries and churchyards

During the past centuries human-induced land use changes resulted in a considerable loss of natural habitats worldwide. In transformed landscapes historical burial places such as cemeteries and churchyards can have the potential for biodiversity conservation. In our review we aimed at evaluating the conservation role of these sites and at revealing factors that can threaten their biota. Altogether we evaluated the results of 97 relevant studies from five continents. We found that cemeteries and churchyards have a considerable conservation role, as even in heavily transformed landscapes they often act as refuges for the populations of rare and endangered species; altogether 140 protected taxa were listed in the reviewed studies. We revealed that the high biodiversity of burial places is supported by their long-term existence and their undisturbed status. However, in parallel with changes in the social attitude the management of these natural refuges has also been altered worldwide. We identified the major threats for the flora and fauna to be altered burial habits decreasing the area of grasslands, intensified management of the cemeteries by frequent mowing and logging, the spontaneous and human-induced introduction of invasive species and the overexploitation of natural resources present in cemeteries. As conservation and spirituality is tightly interwoven in cemeteries, the preservation of these refuges can be achieved by the reconstruction of their sacred spirituality, by raising the attention of local populations for the natural values of these areas and also by specific, focused management providing proper habitats for the natural flora and fauna. •Cemeteries and churchyards have the potential for biodiversity conservation.•We reviewed the results of 97 relevant studies of the topic from five continents.•Altogether 140 protected taxa were listed in the evaluated papers.•We identified the major threats for the flora and fauna of these sites.•Preservation of these refuges can be achieved by reconstructing spirituality.