Urban Nature and Biodiversity for Cities

This is the urban century; over half of humanity now lives in cities and more than 70 percent are expected to do so by 2050 (Liu et al. 2020; UN DESA 2018). An estimated 60 percent of urban areas that will exist in 2050 have not yet been built (United Nations 2013). Thus, the design of future cities—and the evolution of today’s—will determine the health and well-being of billions of people (Ramaswami et al. 2016; Munro and Grierson 2018; Vidal et al. 2020).

At the same time, the coming decades are predicted to witness the most dramatic reduction in biodiversity since the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago (IPBES 2019a). The rapid growth in human populations in cities and their use of land, water, timber, and energy—often on biodiversity-rich terrain—are a major driver of these losses (Elmqvist et al. 2013).

Today, cities are hubs of social interchange, economic vitality, and innovation. Yet the pace and scale of global transformation in where and how people live pose threats to biodiversity and nature that demand serious attention. Against this backdrop, urban leaders have a significant opportunity and responsibility to safeguard the well-being of their constituents and the natural systems on which they depend.

In today’s complex world, it is natural—and sometimes necessary—to compartmentalize sectors and realms of experience. Thus, urban planning traditionally occurs without much consideration of biodiversity and nature. Similarly, conservation planning often ignores cities as places with little to no biodiversity. There are multiple advantages to recognizing both the many societal benefits of nature in cities and the ways in which cities and urban cultures can support biodiversity. It is therefore imperative that cities are designed in ways that maintain the provision of ecosystem services and that national and international conservation plans consider urban centers (World Bank Group, 2021).

Sources:
https://www.thegpsc.org/sites/gpsc/files/final_urban_nature_and_biodiversity_for_cities.pdf