22 May is International Biodiversity Day
To preserve biodiversity and play a role in the global movement to conserve the earth’s precious web of life, five LAB cities have embarked on their 2010 Legacy Project, a long-term biodiversity management project aimed at conserving ecosystems, and the invaluable services they provide.
As part of the three year LAB programme, LAB participants launch one to three projects (depending on their level of participation) aimed at the conservation and management of local biodiversity. Of those the Legacy Project is a special project that will run over a number of years and will establish a legacy and commitment to biodiversity management for many years to come.
All of humanity relies on biodiversity for quality of life and survival as it provides essential resources, known as ecosystem services, such as clean water purified by a wetland or forest, vegetables grown in healthy soil and pollinated by insects, regulation of climate, shade and shelter, and provision of areas for spiritual and cultural purposes.
LAB is a global urban biodiversity programme that assists local authorities around the world with effective biodiversity management. The value of this programme lies with the fact that local authorities are in a unique position to implement projects effectively at local level.
Cities announcing their 2010 Legacy Projects around the world on 22 May 2010:
ABU DHABI (Emirates): Coastal Development Guidelines
Abu Dhabi released the interim version of the Coastal Development Guidelines (CDG) in November 2009. It established a zoning system to protect key habitats in the City of Abu Dhabi that were under pressure from coastal development.
The specific objectives of the Interim Coastal Development Guidelines were to: preserve natural & cultural heritage for future generations; provide opportunity for recreation, relaxation & enjoyment of Abu Dhabi’s unique coastal lagoon setting; maintain the ecological services provided by the lagoons, including shoreline stability, carbon absorption and water purification; help shape Abu Dhabi as a City of compact, mixed use communities with a unique sense of place (by preventing sprawl along the coast) and provide easy access & connectivity from the City and between the lagoons.
In the next stage of the process Abu Dhabi will zoom in on each of the four zones identified as containing key habitats, and provide a more comprehensive assessment for each. This will include: descriptions of the physical setting; descriptions of pre-development conditions; history of development in the area and a summary of key issues, development projects and plans.
This assessment will then be used to appraise the success of the policy direction contained in the interim Coastal Development Guidelines which are now gaining traction. The City of Abu Dhabi will measure the health of their natural systems through the setting of indicators and targets, and refine and expand the policies contained in the CDG on the basis of those measurements.
The final version of the Coastal Development Guidelines will be a dynamic document that evolves over time, based on continuous monitoring and refinement of policies to ensure the protection of biodiversity within the City of Abu Dhabi.
BRUSSELS (Belgium): Ecological management around railway lines
The Brussels 2010 Legacy project will see the development of a management plan for the ecological management of borders around railway lines in the city.
There has already been an experimental management plan in place on other sites which has been successful. The City of Brussels will promote and formalise their collaboration and partnerships with INFRABEL (Railway Management in Belgium) for the ecological management of railway line borders, and ensure compliance with the management plan. Additionally, Brussels has developed a communication plan for the International Year of Biodiversity.
DURBAN (South Africa): The Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project
The Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project aims to sequester some of the carbon emissions associated with hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in Durban, as well as restoring local biodiversity and the associated ecosystem goods and services. This project will see existing cane land restored to its previous forested state, resulting in important biodiversity gains and the restoration of important ecosystem services that will improve catchment management, e.g. through the protection of water quality and quantity. This is particularly important given that decreased water availability and increased flooding are both likely consequences of climate change in the Durban area.
The Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project also has many socio-economic benefits, as local community members will be trained in seed collection, plant propagation, planting and maintenance. Plants produced by local residents are traded at ‘tree-stores’ for food, construction materials, school fees etc. The project has to date planted 82 000 trees on 64ha of sugarcane farmland. This will result in the offsetting of several thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20 year period.
EDMONTON (Canada): Natural Area Acquisition Strategy and Borrowing Initiative
The City of Edmonton intends to borrow funding to purchase natural areas with higher biodiversity within the city limits before they are lost to land conversion to other land uses. The City of Edmonton’s goal is to increase the amount of land secured for conservation purposes from the current 5.3% (or 3,715 ha) to 8% (or 5,600 ha) of Edmonton's total area.
MEXICO CITY (Mexico): Conservation of native corn in Mexico City
Mexico has the greatest diversity of corn worldwide and boasts the greatest variety of species of corn. This diversity has been preserved thanks to the indigenous people and rural cultures.
Corn varieties are under threat from genetically modified corn, commonly called transgenic corn which has been detected within the territory of the City of Mexico. Genetically modified corn could merge with the native corn, and may put the conservation of the corn varieties of Mexico at risk.
The City of Mexico is addressing this issue by declaring the "Protection of the Altiplano Varieties of Corn in Mexico" grown and produced in the Conservation lands, and the Programme of Protection of Mexican Altiplano Corn Varieties, which lay the foundation for the in situ conservation of native varieties of corn.
Other events being held by participants of the LAB Programme
in celebration of International Biodiversity Day:
CAPE TOWN (South Africa):
The City of Cape Town is celebrating World Biodiversity Day by hosting an event to celebrate, recognise and thank the Friends Groups and other volunteers and organisations that assist the City in the conservation of Cape Town’s biodiversity. Managing biodiversity in an urban context, with unique and irreplaceable biodiversity found in our backyards and public opens spaces, presents itself with many challenges and opportunities. A healthy biodiversity is fundamental for human well-being as well as for development and economic growth, and the City acknowledges the great support it receives from its citizens in maintaining its biodiversity and working towards sustainable development.
The City is also launching the second edition of the popular book ‘City of Cape Town Nature Reserves – A network of amazing biodiversity’. This comprehensive and colourful resource showcases the City’s more than 30 nature reserves and natural areas, providing a description of the sites, their location and how to get there, activities and facilities associated with each site and an abundance of stunning photographs.
EDMONTON (Canada):
The City of Edmonton is celebrating International Biodiversity Day with a family orientated community event held in the city by the Edmonton Naturalization Group. It will include hands-on family activities, planting demonstrations, information on ‘beneficial backyard bugs’ and ‘how to create a wildlife habitat garden’. These activities will be followed by the screening of Lost Worlds: Life in the Balance and a discussion on ‘Building Communities though Biodiversity Protection’.
MEXICO CITY (Mexico)
To celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity through ICLEI's Optional Project, the Ministry of Environment and the General Direction of Mexico City Zoos and Wildlife planted bamboo on the Chapultepec Zoo grounds that will serve as feeding forage for the Giant Pandas, a highly endangered species.
The event included 60 children of 4 and 5 years old from two different schools (accompanied by their parents and teachers) who planted bamboo, which will grow in the gardens of the Chapultepec Zoo free of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or chemical derivatives. This produces bamboo plants, planted and cultivated organically.
Although the bamboo is not a native species from Mexico, it is the most important food for giant pandas - a highly endangered species that has lived at Chapultepec Zoo since 1975, when China donated to Mexico a breeding pair of giant pandas called "Pe-Pe" and "Ying-Ying” who produced 5 adult giant pandas. Currently 3 females, "Xiu-Hua", "Shuan-Shuan" and "Xin Xin" live at the Chapultepec Zoo and are visited every year by more than 8 million people.