The National Park Brabantse Wouden's first citizen science study — one of the projects funded by a €1.2 million Amazon Right Now Climate Fund grant — delivers evidence that green spaces at every scale are essential for climate adaptation, biodiversity, and public health. The findings were unveiled during a community bike ride through the National Park, marking another milestone in Amazon's journey toward net-zero carbon by 2040: over one million deliveries made by electric cargo bikes in Belgium.
The study found that gardens with more than 50% tree canopy cover are up to 6 °C cooler in apparent1 temperatures during heatwaves than treeless gardens, while the Sonian Forest of the National Park Brabantse Wouden provided an additional 2–4 °C of cooling.
The research, conducted during the summer of 2025, mobilized over 65 citizen scientists in collaboration with Ghent University to collect environmental data through 37 stationary measuring points. Additionally, 20 cyclists collected data during their bike routes, resulting in over 6,000 kilometres with microclimatic data in and around the Sonian Forest. The findings provide quantifiable evidence that investing in nature-based infrastructure — from large forests to urban parks and private gardens — delivers measurable benefits for heat reduction, biodiversity, and human well-being.
“Over the past few years, more than 310,000 trees have been planted across the Flemish Periphery with the support of the Flemish Government, including over 40,000 during this planting season alone. And that is only part of the story: private partners like Amazon are also playing a vital role in making our region greener, more accessible and better connected”, said Ben Weyts, Flemish Vice Minister-President and Minister for the Flemish Periphery. “When companies, citizens, and governments each take responsibility, we can be ambitious and plant tens of thousands of trees every year. That is why the Flemish Government will continue to invest in expanding forests and green spaces across the Flemish Periphery, helping to preserve the unique identity of our region.”
Key findings include:
- Trees are nature's air conditioning: Gardens with over 50% tree canopy were up to 6 °C cooler in apparent temperature during heatwaves than treeless gardens. The coolest private gardens reached perceived temperature levels comparable to those measured inside the Sonian Forest in the National Park Brabantse Wouden.
- Urban areas trap heat at night: Heavily urbanized areas retained more heat overnight due to the urban heat island effect, while vegetated areas — including forests and gardens — cooled down significantly faster.
- Every tree counts, even far from forests: The study demonstrates that even in dense urban areas far from large forests, heat stress can be significantly reduced by investing in local green infrastructure, particularly shade-providing trees.
- Cooler commutes under trees: Citizen scientists equipped with bicycle-mounted sensors found that cyclists experienced up to 6 °C lower air temperatures along tree-lined routes compared to urban ones, resulting in markedly lower heat stress.
- Gardens are biodiversity hotspots: Private gardens hosted an average of 37 plant species per 50 square meters and remarkably rich soil fauna. Eight invertebrate species new to Belgium were discovered during the study.
"These findings clearly demonstrate that green spaces at all scales play a key role in mitigating heat stress, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing human health," said Pieter De Frenne, professor applied plant science at Ghent University. “Trees are not a luxury but a public health necessity.”
"The collaboration with Amazon has transformed our ability to monitor the effects of nature within the National Park Brabantse Wouden ecosystem," said Julie Blanjean, Project Coordinator for the National Park Brabantse Wouden. “Planting new trees is important, but preserving existing ones is even more crucial: mature trees provide the greatest cooling and ecological value, forming the backbone of a climate-resilient living environment.”
About the Initiative
Since 2024, Amazon has committed €1.2 million to the National Park Brabantse Wouden through the Right Now Climate Fund (RNCF). The investment includes support for national forest conservation activities and the establishment of wildlife-friendly farms, a €150K "Smart Forest" start-up competition financing five nature-tech solutions to improve forest management, and the first National Park citizen science programme.
Located in and around the Sonian Forest, Flanders’ largest deciduous forest and home to a UNESCO-listed ancient woodlands, the project offers a replicable model for future conservation initiatives. The findings of the citizen science study can support EU Nature Restoration Law discussions and sustainability policy development.
"At Amazon, we are dedicated to protecting the environment and making the cities we operate in more sustainable. Through the Right Now Climate Fund, we are proud to support the National Park Brabantse Wouden and the citizen science program that made the research possible — showing how green spaces, from large forests to small urban gardens, make a measurable difference for biodiversity, climate adaptation, and public health. And with over one million deliveries now made by electric cargo bikes in Belgium, we're proving that smaller electric vehicles work — for customers, for delivery partners, and for avoiding emissions on our streets," said Eva Faict, Country Manager of amazon.com.be and amazon.nl.
Over 1 million deliveries completed using electric cargo bikes across Belgium
This milestone demonstrates the company's ongoing investment in customer delivery methods that avoid emissions, noise, and traffic congestion in urban neighbourhoods across the country. Since launching the first electric cargo bike delivery network in Brussels' Pentagon area in 2022, Amazon has expanded its fleet of smaller electric vehicles to Belgium's two largest cities — Brussels and Antwerp. Operating from micromobility hubs in Brussels, and its existing delivery station in Antwerp's Blue Gate district, the fleet delivers packages in city centres and residential areas where traditional delivery vehicles face challenges, including historic areas and dense urban zones. Amazon continues to work with its delivery partners to expand their fleets of electric cargo bikes, electric mopeds and push carts across Belgium and Europe, with plans to launch 25 additional micromobility hubs in Europe throughout 2026.
Amazon's Contribution to Belgium
This initiative adds to Amazon's investment of more than €1 billion in Belgium through 2027, demonstrating the company's attention to local communities beyond eCommerce. Amazon continues to invest in Belgium through job creation, infrastructure development, SME support programs including the E-Academy, and environmental initiatives such as the National Park Brabantse Wouden collaboration.
About Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund
Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund is a $100 million initiative supporting climate resilience and nature conservation. Since 2019, the fund has financed nature-based projects that could help mitigate the impacts of climate change, enhance biodiversity, and introduce green spaces in urban areas. To date, it has restored more than 72,500 hectares of land and safeguarded more than 2,200 species in 17 countries. Amazon's investment in National Park Brabantse Wouden is part of this ongoing effort to advance conservation and climate action globally.
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1 Apparent temperature refers to how we physically experience heat rather than the actual temperature in degrees Celsius. The study used the modified Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (mPET), a scientific metric analysed specifically for its relationship with human thermal comfort.
