CitiesWithNature: Best Practices in Urban Biodiversity Conservation by Chinese Cities
CitiesWithNature (citieswithnature.org) is a global platform for cities and other subnational governments, their communities and experts to connect, share and learn from each other in mainstreaming nature into our cities in ways that benefit both people and nature. It brings together biodiversity conservation cases from many cities, various tools and technical resources, and shares stories about cities and nature for local governments, communities and related institutions to learn, exchange, and establish connections. The platform can help enhance biodiversity management of local governments, promote cooperation among cities, and jointly advance sustainable urban development.
As the presidency of CBD COP15, China has actively mobilized local governments to promote biodiversity actions and commitments. During COP15, six Chinese cities (Chengdu, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Kunming, Nanyang, Shenzhen) committed to join the CitiesWithNature platform at the 7th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities. These cities were also honored as “Biodiversity Charming Cities” to recognize their efforts and achievements in conserving biodiversity in their jurisdiction.
Following the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and China’s updated National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030), Chinese local governments are taking proactive steps to implement the new global targets and national strategy. On the occasion of the CBD COP16, 20 Chinese local governments announced to join the CitiesWithNature platform through ICLEI and are actively reporting their progress to the international community.
Through selected cases and practices, this brief report demonstrates the growing commitment, concreate actions and progress of Chinese cities in protecting nature at the local level towards a harmonious co-existence between man and nature.
Language: English and Chinese
