Biodiversity

To deliver a nature-positive future the world needs to be able to measure progress towards global goals, but currently lacks the tools to do so. IUCN is developing a quantitative methodology to measure and track contributions towards protecting and restoring nature. The methodology will help companies, governments and civil society assess opportunities and risks, set targets, measure progress, deliver nature-positive impacts, as well as assess investment portfolios and value-chain impacts.

Cities4Biodiversity (C4B) participants convened in April 2022 to explore the first of a series of themes critical to the purpose of C4B – developing and supporting a network of cities forging commitments to incorporate climate and nature-based solutions into project design, planning and implementation. Conducted over six days, the Green Cities Deep-Dive Learning included plenary and breakout sessions with presentations from 35 cities in 16 countries.

The Lagos Resilience Strategy is the State’s first urban resilience strategy document and it articulates an integrated approach to addressing the shocks and stresses the city experiences or might experience. Through this strategy, Lagos is committed to building a city that is efficient, innovative and inclusive. It presents a platform for planning for and tackling acute shocks and chronic stresses, thereby enabling the city to survive, adapt and grow in spite of its multifaceted challenges.

Biodiversity underpins urban ecosystem functions that are essential for human health and well-being. Understanding how biodiversity relates to human health is a developing frontier for science, policy and practice. This article describes the beneficial, as well as harmful, aspects of biodiversity to human health in urban environments. Recent research shows that contact with biodiversity of natural environments within towns and cities can be both positive and negative to human physical, mental and social health and well-being.

Cities are increasingly recognizing the role of the natural environment in shaping healthy and livable places that enhance human capital. With urban populations expected to grow by 2.4 billion people by 2050, innovative policies that protect and enhance the value of the environment are required to avoid substantial losses in natural habitat and create favorable places to live. Many city governments are now taking the lead in developing innovative policies to pursue green urban development.

Biodiversity in Los Angeles is truly unique. On one hand, LA includes the highest population density of all major U.S. cities according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and is known to be one of the most “park poor” cities in the country1, 2. On the other hand, LA falls within a “Global Biodiversity Hotspot” and the City includes an exemplary range of biodiversity and large natural areas. This study documents approximately 1,200 different native species recorded within the City, and perhaps more than double that are present, but unrecorded.

This 2021 Report Card on Ecosystem Health provides an in-depth look at the region’s efforts in moving toward a more resilient environment and community for people and native wildlife. A healthy and improved ecosystem requires protecting and restoring high-quality habitats and native biodiversity; reducing ecosystem threats like wildfire and invasive species; and ensuring every Angeleno has access to nature and its benefits such as clean water, shade, and respite through policy solutions that address the region’s inequities.