Urbanization has been a major driver of habitat loss over recent decades, but this trend can be shifted with better planning for sustainable urban growth and use of natural solutions, careful management of protected areas near cities, and integration of habitat into cities.
Released in advance of the 2018 UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties meeting, Nature in the Urban Century calls for global action to conserve habitat for nature and for human well-being as global leaders work to revise goals for biodiversity protection within the convention. It provides an overview of urban growth trends, and the impacts of urban growth on biodiversity, protected areas, and climate change. It also quantifies the significance of natural habitat for climate mitigation and adaptation.
The report presents three potential solutions that can help avoid the negative impacts forecasted under a business-as-usual scenario: how cities can plan for their urban growth in ways that avoids potential negative consequences; how cities can manage urban protected areas, which are crucial for human wellbeing but pose some special management challenges; and how nature can be integrated into cities, by restoring or creating natural infrastructure that enhances human wellbeing. It ends with a call for four specific actions: integrate local governments in national planning from the start; empower cities to plan for a positive natural future; leverage international institutions; and create a Convention on Biological Diversity for the urban century.