Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions

Biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for the well-being of growing urban populations, and the decisions cities, local and subnational governments take can have major impacts on biodiversity.

Objectives

ICLEI plays an active role in promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity on the global stage. We design our works to:

Equip local and subnational governments with advanced knowledge and capacity to play a key role in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;
Foster the exchange of policies, experiences, tools, and technical guidance between local governments around the world;
Enable and accelerate the uptake of nature-based solutions in urban planning worldwide;
Promote local solutions and service providers globally.

Activities

Global Biodiversity Summit of Local and Subnational Governments

Since 2008, ICLEI has been in partnership with the Secretariat of the Convention and subnational hosts of the COPs to the Convention on Biological Diversity, convening Global Biodiversity Summits as parallel events to the COPs. The Summits provide a platform for national governments to engage with their local and subnational peers on their pivotal and increasingly recognized contribution to achieving the objectives of the Conventions and the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan.

CitiesWithNature

A unique platform that recognizes and enhances the value of nature in and around cities worldwide. It provides a shared platform for cities and their partners to engage and connect, working with a shared commitment toward a more sustainable urban world.

UrbanByNature China

The facilitated capacity-building program UrbanByNature promotes exchange among cities, researchers, SMEs, and NGOs to build bridges with the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) communities across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other regions that are interested. From June 2021 through February 2022, a six-part webinar series for China was co-delivered by the ICLEI Beijing Office and the ICLEI European Secretariat:

#1 Recap: Introducing NbS and the UrbanByNature Programme in China
#2 Recap: Enabling Conditions and Barriers to implementing NbS
#3 Recap: Planning NbS with Citizens and Other Stakeholders
#4 Recap: Technical Implementation of NbS
#5 Recap: Monitoring and Evaluation of NbS
#6 Recap: Replicating NbS across the Urban Fabric

REGREEN

The EU -funded project REGREEN promotes urban livability by fostering Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Europe and China using evidence-based tools and improved urban governance, accelerating the transition toward equitable, green, and healthy cities.

– REGREEN Factsheets