{"id":6504,"date":"2024-02-07T14:34:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T14:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globaldev.blog\/?p=6504"},"modified":"2024-02-07T15:11:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T15:11:15","slug":"mainstreaming-nature-based-solutions-in-the-urban-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globaldev.blog\/mainstreaming-nature-based-solutions-in-the-urban-century\/","title":{"rendered":"Mainstreaming nature-based solutions in the urban century"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Efforts to reverse biodiversity loss are critical in cities to which people increasingly flock in pursuit of better lives. \u201cNature-based solutions\u201d offer the means to preserve nature in urban environments, whilst also combating pollution, climate change, poverty and inequality. But as speakers at the 2023 Global Development Conference explained, these solutions need to be brought firmly into the mainstream of public policy, business practices and civil society discussions.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn a world where cities are growing and expanding at an unprecedented rate, it becomes increasingly clear that we must make strategic investments in green urbanization to ensure a sustainable future\u2026 To keep our cities healthy, clean and prospering, biodiversity must be a priority and financing must follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the words of David Cooper, acting executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on World Cities Day in October 2023. His call to action coincided with his appearance at the 2023 Global Development Network<\/a> (GDN) conference in Quito, Ecuador, where researchers, policymakers and practitioners from diverse backgrounds came together to discuss the threat that the loss of the variety and abundance of species and ecosystems poses to sustainable development. A central focus of the event was the potential of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework<\/a>, which seeks to drive actions that will protect 30% of the Earth\u2019s lands, oceans, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030, and achieve \u201ca world living in harmony with nature by 2050\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the context of the urban environments, in which two-thirds of the global population are likely to live by mid-century, the key to delivering on the latter objective lies in \u201cnature-based solutions\u201d. These elements of green infrastructure might include trees, plants, wetlands, parks and open spaces that generate oxygen, take in carbon, mitigate air pollution, absorb rainfall and provide wildlife habitat. In general, they promote both a healthy environment and the well-being of inhabitants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This blog presents key policy lessons from the GDN conference on how to bring nature-based solutions into the mainstream and our cities for a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Urban futures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The importance of preserving species and ecosystems is not just an issue about oceans and tropical rainforests. At the opening plenary of the conference, Thomas Elmqvist of Stockholm University noted an emerging consensus: in our \u201curban century<\/a>\u201d, the health of the Earth depends on the coexistence of rapidly growing cities and the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One strategy for guiding cities towards the goal of conserving nature for biodiversity and human well-being is to facilitate a planning process based on positive visions for urban systems among stakeholders. Elmquist outlined the Urban Nature Futures Framework<\/a>, a way of developing alternative visions and scenarios for the management of nature in cities based on three sets of values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, there is \u201curban nature for nature\u201d. This is based on the intrinsic values of biodiversity and supports, for example, the rewilding of urban parks with native species. Second, there is \u201curban nature for society\u201d, which is based on utilitarian values of what is best for human well-being and which encourages nature-based solutions, such as green infrastructure, green roofs and artificial wetlands to improve climate, air and water quality, and physical and mental well-being. And third, there is \u201curban nature as culture\u201d. Based on relational values<\/a>[MK1]<\/a> \u2013 the values of interactions between people and nature, and those among individuals in society \u2013 this is manifested in parks, botanical gardens and urban agriculture, and is celebrated in festivals and art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n