1. CITIES AND BIODIVERSITY OUTLOOK
- A global assessment of the links between urbanisation, biodiversity and ecosystem services

2. “…to prepare an assessment of the links and opportunities
between urbanization and biodiversity (…) based on the third
edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook...”
Conference of the Parties, 10th meeting
Nagoya, Japan, October 2010

3. Mission:
Serve as the first global synthesis on how urbanization
impacts biodiversity and ecosystem change
What it will do:
Provide an overview, analysis and response to knowledge
gaps on effects of urbanization on social-ecological
systems and human well-being
Focus on solutions:
Address how urban biodiversity and ecosystems can be
used, restored and created and how cities can contribute to
generate multiple ecosystem services

4. Preview - Urban expansion - 2050
Urban expansion during the next 40 years will consume land approx. three times the size of
France – often prime agricultural land - with knock-on effects on biodiversity and ecosystems
on a global scale
NASA 2012

5. Preview
Protected areas
Today 25% of the world’s protected areas are within 17 km of an urban
area - in 10 years 15 km
Cities can often be rich in biodiversity
Cities may be rich in biodiversity and a remarkable amount of native
species diversity is known to exist in and around large cities, such as
Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Berlin and Stockholm
Urbanization and forest cover
Urbanization in some areas results in reduced pressure on land and
considerable regrowth of forest and increase in biodiversity
CBO 2013

6. I. CBO-Action and Policy
• Solution oriented, rich in examples - 60-70 pages
• Organized around 10 key messages
• Authors: experts at UN-organizations, scientists,
• Reviewed by repr for local authorities
• To be launched at COP11 in Hyderabad October 15, 2012.
II. CBO-Scientific Assessment
• 13 chapters written by more than 50 authors (scientists)
• Covering biodiversity trends, ecosystem services, climate change, food and
water, scenarios of urbanization, governance, learning
• Extensive scientific peer-review
• Published by Springer (open access e-book + print on demand) spring 2013

7. Ten key messages…

8. Challenges – 1 key message
Opportunities – 9 key messages
Climate change adaptation
Food and water security
Health
Building community resilience
Reducing urban footprints

9. Key Message:
Incorporating biodiversity and ecosystems in urban
planning and design help reduce carbon emissions and
enhance adaptation to climate changes

10. Cities and climate change
IPCC 2007

11. Urban heat waves
Estimated 70.000 excess deaths as a result of a heat wave in
Europe in 2003 (Robine et al 2007)

12. Temperature 0 C Cooling effect of trees
Tree canopy cover (%) Saatchi et al 2010

13. Up to 2050, tree planting and green roofs in urban regions may have a significant
cooling effect on the planet
NASA 2012

14. Key Message:
Food and nutrition security depend on local and
biodiversity-based food systems

15. World food prices 1990-2011
Source FAO 2011

16. Urban Vertical Farming
• Reduce use of fossil fuel (production
and transport)
• Crop production possible during most of
the year, low losses due to wheather
• Re-use of water - eliminates
agricultural runoff (world’s greatest
source of pollution)
• Reduce pesticide use
• Energy generated through methane
production
• Return farmland in some areas to
generate multiple ecosystem services

17. Proportion poor in urban areas

18. Urban and peri-urban farming
Dakar - 60% of Senegal’s total production of vegetables and
65% of total production of chicken
(Mbaye and Moustier 1999)

19. Key Message:
Urban ecosystems can significantly contribute to improve
human health

20. Green areas and health
• Perceived health, mortality, green space (N = 250 782).
• The percentage of green space inside a three km radius from home had a
significant positive relation to perceived general health
Maas J, Verheij RA, Groenewegen PP, et al. 2006.
Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 60(7)

21. Green areas and health
An observational population study of the
population of England younger than retirement
age (N= 40 813 236).
A significant association between residence in
the most green areas and decreased rates for
all-cause and circulatory mortality in 2001-
2005 (366 348 deaths) with control for
potential confounding factors.
Mitchell R, Popham F 2008.
Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an
observational population study. Lancet 372(9650): 1655-1660.

22. Green areas and health
• A type of gammaproteobacteria – Acinetobacter - strongly linked to the
development of anti-inflammatory molecules
• The more gammaproteobacteria on the skin the larger immunological
responses which are known to suppress inflammatory responses
• Gammaproteobacteria more prevalent in vegetation such as forests and
grasslands, rare in built-up areas
Hanski et al 2012. Environmental biodiversity, human microbiota, and allergy are interrelated. PNAS vol. 109 no. 21 8334-8339

23. Solutions
• Establish urban parks and outdoor gyms, paths,
trails, etc
• Encourage planting of trees, urban reforestation
and urban farming
• Design and locate community facilities that use
the benefits of nature as a setting for other
activities, such as healing and wellness (hospitals,
elderly, or disabled care) and learning (schools,
childcare facilities) etc.

24. Tools - examples
• Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans
(LBSAPS) - CBD
• Cities Biodiversity Index (CBI) – CBD, IUCN, ICLEI
• TEEB for cities
• URBIS – Urban Biosphere Initiative, ICLEI-IUCN-
UNESCO- CBD
• Local Action for Biodiversity – ICLEI-IUCN-CBD

25. See you in Hyderabad!