Mon, Oct 15, 2012 -
Integrating Ecosystems into Urban Planning
Can Deliver Major Economic Benefits and
Reduce Environmental Damage
Hyderabad (India), 16 October 2012 - Global
urbanization will have significant implications
for biodiversity and ecosystems if current
trends continue, with knock-on effects for
human health and development, according
to a new assessment by the United Nations
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Further Resources
Cities and Biodiversity OutlookMeeting to
discuss progress made and challenges to
implement the Strategic Plan for BiodiversityThe
Convention on Biological DiversityPress
Release in ArabicThe assessment, which draws
on contributions from more than 123 scientists
worldwide, states that over 60 percent of
the land projected to become urban by 2030
has yet to be built. This presents a major
opportunity to greatly improve global sustainability
by promoting low-carbon, resource-efficient
urban development that can reduce adverse
effects on biodiversity and improve quality
of life, it says.
The Cities and Biodiversity
Outlook is the world's first global analysis
of how projected patterns of urban land
expansion will impact biodiversity and crucial
ecosystems.
The world's total urban
area is expected to triple between 2000
and 2030, with urban populations set to
double to around 4.9 billion in the same
period. This urban expansion will draw heavily
on water and other natural resources and
will consume prime agricultural land.
"The way our cities
are designed, the way people live in them
and the policy decisions of local authorities
will define, to a large extent, future global
sustainability," said Braulio Dias,
Executive Secretary of the CBD.
"The innovation
lies not so much in developing new infrastructural
technologies and approaches but to work
with what we already have. The results often
require fewer economic resources and are
more sustainable," he added.
The report states that
urban expansion is occurring fast in areas
close to biodiversity 'hotspots' and coastal
zones. In rapidly urbanizing regions, such
as large and mid-size settlements in sub-Saharan
Africa, India and China, resources to implement
sustainable urban planning are often lacking.
"More than half
the global population already resides in
cities. This number is projected to increase,
with 60 percent of the population living
in urban areas by 2030," said Achim
Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and
Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme. "This report
makes a strong argument for greater attention
to be paid by urban planners and managers
to the nature-based assets within city boundaries.
Sustainable urban development that supports
valuable ecosystems presents a major opportunity
for improving lives and livelihoods, and
accelerating the transition to an inclusive
green economy," he added.
Cities are also increasingly
recognized for their role in supporting
plant and animal species and diverse ecosystems.
For example, over 50 percent of Belgium's
floral species can be found in Brussels,
while 65 percent of Poland's bird species
occur in Warsaw.
Urban green spaces perform
important ecosystem services, such as filtering
dust, absorbing carbon dioxide from the
air and improving air quality. Data from
the United Kingdom shows that a 10 percent
increase in tree canopy cover in cities
may result in a 3-4°C decrease in ambient
temperature, thus reducing energy used in
air conditioning.
Urban biodiversity also
delivers important health benefits. Studies
have shown that proximity to trees can reduce
the prevalence of childhood asthma and allergies.
Sustainable urban planning, which addresses
biodiversity issues along with other priorities
such as poverty alleviation, employment,
and housing, can bring positive effects
for health and the environment.
"Cities need to
learn how to better protect and enhance
biodiversity, because rich biodiversity
can exist in cities and is extremely critical
to people's health and well-being,"
said Professor Thomas Elmqvist of the Stockholm
Resilience Centre and Scientific Editor
of the report.
The Cities and Biodiversity
Outlook highlights a wide range of successful
initiatives by cities, local authorities
and sub-national governments in both developed
and developing countries.
In Bogotá, Colombia,
measures such as closing roads on weekends,
improving the bus transit system and creating
bicycle paths resulted in increased physical
activity among residents, and a reduction
in greenhouse gases emissions.
The report also provides
detailed analyses of regional urbanization
trends and their impact on biodiversity
and ecosystems.
Asia:
The region will be home to almost half the
world's increase in urban land over the
next 20 years. The most extensive changes
will occur in India and China.
India's growing urban
clusters (such as the Mumbai-Delhi industrial
corridor) are likely to transform entire
regions, with significant impacts on habitat
and biodiversity.
Loss of agricultural
land to urbanization, combined with insufficient
planning for food supply lines, places a
severe constraint on future food security
for India's growing population.
Lifestyle changes in
India due to urbanization may decrease pressures
on forests due to less use of fuelwood and
charcoal.
In China, urban areas
are increasingly encroaching on protected
areas.
Africa:
Africa is urbanizing faster than any other
continent, and most population growth will
occur in cities of less than 1 million people.
These cities often have weak governance
structures, high levels of poverty and low
scientific capacity regarding biodiversity.
Low levels of formal
employment in cities places high dependency
on the provision of ecosystem services (e.g.
water and food production) from areas either
within or close to city limits.
Latin America and the
Caribbean
The number of cities
in the region has grown sixfold in the past
50 years.
Urban sprawl caused
by housing for low-income residents often
occurs in important areas for biodiversity
and ecosystem services, such as wetland
or floodplains. These are mistakenly considered
to be of marginal value by planners.
Europe and North America
In Europe, the current
urbanization level is 70-80 percent, and
urban growth in recent decades has mostly
been in the form of land expansion rather
than population growth.
Many European and North
American cities have exhibited trends of
shrinking and/or shifting patterns of population
in central parts of the cities, coupled
with sprawl in outer suburbs and exurban
areas.
The Cities and Biodiversity
Outlook demonstrates how urban areas can
play a central role in achieving 20 key
biodiversity goals (known as the Aichi Biodiversity
Targets) which were agreed upon in 2010
by parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
For example, the restoration
or 'greening' of ex-industrial sites or
brownfield land by city authorities can
support efforts to achieve Aichi Target
15, whereby 15 percent of degraded ecosystems
are restored by 2020.
Cities can also help
prevent extinction of known species (Aichi
Target 12) through research and investment
by zoos, aquaria and museums, many of which
are managed by city authorities.
The Cities and Biodiversity
Outlook was produced by the Secretariat
of the CBD in partnership with the Stockholm
Resilience Centre (SRC) and Local Governments
for Sustainability (ICLEI). The Secretariat
of the Convention on Biological Diversity
operates under the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). The full report can be
downloaded atwww.cbd.int/subnational/partners-and-initiatives/cbo.
Notes to Editors
About the UN Convention
on Biological Diversity
Opened for signature at the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering
into force in December 1993, the Convention
on Biological Diversity is an international
treaty for the conservation of biodiversity,
the sustainable use of the components of
biodiversity and the equitable sharing of
the benefits derived from the use of genetic
resources. With 193 Parties, the Convention
has near universal participation among countries.
The Convention seeks to address all threats
to biodiversity and ecosystem services,
including threats from climate change, through
scientific assessments, the development
of tools, incentives and processes, the
transfer of technologies and good practices
and the full and active involvement of relevant
stakeholders including indigenous and local
communities, youth, NGOs, women and the
business community. The Cartagena Protocol
on Biosafety is a subsidiary agreement to
the Convention. It seeks to protect biological
diversity from the potential risks posed
by living modified organisms resulting from
modern biotechnology. To date, 162 countries
plus the European Union have ratified the
Cartagena Protocol. The Secretariat of the
Convention and its Cartagena Protocol is
located in Montreal. For more information
visit: www.cbd.int.
About the Stockholm
Resilience Centre
Stockholm Resilience Centre is an international
research partner which provides scientific
insights on the interactions between humans
and nature. It departs from an ambition
to better understand the profound imprint
humans have on nature and ideas on how to
deal with the resulting challenges through
enhancing social-ecological resilience.
One strategic area of research is urban
social-ecological systems, looking at how
cities can better integrate biodiversity
and ecosystem services into their planning
and management.
The centre also helps
facilitate dialogues with policymakers and
practitioners from all over the world, and
contribute with innovative ideas to improve
collaboration and learning between stakeholders
at local, regional and national level. It
has a particularly respected role as a facilitator
for dialogue in the areas of governance
and sustainable use of biodiversity in both
a rural and urban context.
About Local Governments
for Sustainability (ICLEI)
Established in 11000, ICLEI - Local Governments
for Sustainability is the world's leading
association of cities and local governments
dedicated to sustainable development. This
powerful movement of 12 mega-cities, 100
super-cities and urban regions, 450 large
cities as well as 450 small and medium-sized
cities and towns in 84 countries promotes
local action for global sustainability and
supports cities to become sustainable, resilient,
resource-efficient, biodiverse, low-carbon;
to build a smart infrastructure; and to
develop an inclusive, green urban economy.
The ultimate aim is to achieve healthy and
happy communities.
ICLEI's international
Cities Biodiversity Center, located in the
middle of a global biodiversity hotspot
in Cape Town, South Africa, has since 2006
been working with local governments worldwide
in efforts to improve biodiversity management
and to share their successes and lessons.
This has led to a strong partnership with
the Secretariat of the CBD, to strengthen
advocacy for biodiversity at, and by, the
levels of local and subnational government
in support of the implementation of the
Convention.
About the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
Established in 1972,
UNEP is the voice for the environment within
the United Nations system. UNEP acts as
a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator
to promote the wise use and sustainable
development of the global environment. UNEP
works with a wide range of partners, including
United Nations entities, international organizations,
national governments, non-governmental organizations,
the private sector and civil society.
UNEP work encompasses
assessing global, regional and national
environmental conditions and trends; developing
international and national environmental
instruments; strengthening institutions
for the wise management of the environment;
facilitating the transfer of knowledge and
technology for sustainable development;
and encouraging new partnerships and mind-sets
within civil society and the private sector.
For more information, visit: www.unep.org
+ More
Afghanistan, UNEP Launch
USD $6 Million Initiative to Help Communities
Adapt to Effects of Climate Change
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 -
Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable
countries in the world to the impacts of
climate change. Picture/Anssi Kullberg
Bamyan, Afghanistan,
11 October 2012 - The Government of Afghanistan,
through its National Environmental Protection
Agency (NEPA), has launched a USD $6 million
climate change initiative, the first of
its kind in the country's history.
Further Resources
UN Climate Change PortalThe Global Environment
FacilityThis landmark scheme - to be implemented
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and funded mainly by the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) - aims to help communities
that are vulnerable to the effects of climate
change, such as drought, and to build the
capacity of Afghan institutions to address
climate change risk.
"The Government
of Afghanistan is showing a remarkable commitment
to working with communities for a landscape
approach to dealing with climate change
in the country," said Michael Keating,
UN Afghanistan Resident Coordinator, speaking
from Bamyan in the Central Highlands, some
200km west of Kabul.
"We also welcome
the opportunity to help Afghan institutions
better deal with shocks and hazards, and
increase resilience at a decentralized level,"
he added.
UNEP identified Afghanistan as one of the
countries most vulnerable to climate change,
because of the potential impacts and its
current limited capacity to react to these
impacts. Climate change adaptation is especially
important in developing nations, since those
countries are predicted to bear the brunt
of climate change effects. The overarching
goal is to reduce the vulnerability of biological
systems to these impacts.
Many of the agricultural
activities in Afghanistan are dependent
on the flow of rivers that originate in
the Central Highlands area. However, natural
ecosystems throughout the country are very
fragile, and the degrading effects of increasing
human activity in many areas are worsened
by current climatic variability, mainly
frequent droughts and extreme weather-induced
floods and erosion.
"In Afghanistan,
79 per cent of the population is engaged
in agricultural activities, the majority
at subsistence level. So by working with
communities, or with people helping people,
we in Afghanistan can build in stronger
adaption approaches to all our national
development plans," said NEPA Director
General Mostapha Zaher.
The country experienced
a severe drought in 1998-2006 and more recently
in 2008-09 which led to significant losses
of crops such as wheat, rice, maize and
potato. In addition, climate change is predicted
to cause an increase in mean annual temperatures,
a decrease in mean annual rainfall and an
increase in the intensity of rainfalls (despite
overall decrease in precipitation).
The scheme will be implemented
in four locations: Badakhshan in the northeast,
Balkh in the north, through the Koh-e Baba
to Bamyan and Daikundi in the Central Highlands.
Interventions include
improved water management and use efficiency;
community-based watershed management; improved
terracing, agroforestry and agro-silvo pastoral
systems; climate-related research and early
warning systems; improved food security;
and rangeland management.
Watershed management
activities at village level will include
tree-planting, the terracing of slopes or
the gathering of wild seeds to re-plant
over-grazed mountainsides. Education and
the development of vocational skills for
the communities also play a key role in
this project.
UNEP key partners on
the ground include the Food & Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme
(WFP) supported by the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) working together
with the USAID-funded Biodiversity Programme
of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
and local Afghan organisations and communities.
Notes to Editors
Afghanistan Facts &
Figures
Afghanistan has an area of 652,000 square
kilometers.
Up to 80 per cent of Afghans are directly
dependent on natural resources for income
and sustenance.
Agriculture provides livelihoods for more
than 60 per cent of the population.
Since 1998, more than 6.7 million Afghans
have been affected by disasters and extreme
weather events such as drought, earthquakes,
disease epidemics, sandstorms, and harsh
winters.
About climate change
adaptation
Climate change adaptation focuses on dealing
with climate impacts. It refers to the adoption
of policies and practices to prepare for
the effects of climate change, accepting
that complete avoidance is now impossible.
Climate change mitigation tackles the causes
of climate change.
More information is
available here.
About the Global Environment
Facility
The GEF unites 182 countries
in partnership with international institutions,
civil society organizations, and the private
sector to address global environmental issues
while supporting national sustainable development
initiatives. Today the GEF is the largest
public funder of projects to improve the
global environment. An independently operating
financial organization, the GEF provides
grants for projects related to biodiversity,
climate change, international waters, land
degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent
organic pollutants. More information is
available on the GEF website.
