3rd Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index (CBI)

The City Biodiversity Index, also known as the Singapore Index, is a self-assessment tool for cities to monitor and evaluate their biodiversity. This global Index was formulated by experts in consultation with cities from around the world. The CBI consists of 23 Indicators grouped under three sub-headings: Native Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Governance and Management, which result in an overall score for the city which can be monitored over time.

The 3rd Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index was held in Singapore and organised by the Singapore National Parks, in close consultation with the Global Partnership on Local and Sub-National Action for Biodiversity, from 11 to 13 October 2011.

Experts from a multitude of biodiversity organisations, including ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center and the ICLEI South Asia Secretariat, as well as cities from around the world, met to refine the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity, and to formulate a strategic roadmap for the Index towards the CBD Conference of the Parties 11 (CBD COP 11), which will be held in Hyderabad in October next year. The 23 Indicators were discussed in depth, and adjusted according to the experiences of the cities that had already tested them. The last day of the workshop was dedicated to providing input into the City Biodiversity Outlook: A Global Assessment of the Links between Urbanisation, Biodiversity and Ecosystems, on the key messages and outline, and particularly as a mechanism for reporting on the CBI.

More cities are needed to test-bed the CBI, especially seven of the Indicators which require more data to improve the scoring. ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center will be running two webinars on 3 November 2011(at 9am and 5pm South African Standard Time) to provide information and background on the CBI for cities who are interested in testing the Index (or starting out with testing). Cities that have already tested the CBI will also be invited to share their experiences with the group through questions and answers. Please contact the Cities Biodiversity Center for more information and for details on how to sign up for the webinars.

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