Helsingborg joins LAB

ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Centre (CBC) is delighted to welcome the City of Helsingborg, Sweden, an active ICLEI member, as the latest city to join the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Pioneer project. Helsingborg joins international cities playing a global leading role in urban biodiversity management.

Being one of the oldest cities in Sweden, Helsingborg sits on the shores of Oresund Sound and is home to some of the best urban beaches in Scandinavia. Helsingborg is known for its parks and gardens which date back several decades. It is also home to the Palsjo and Bruce’s forest reserves which together account for a high diversity of fauna and flora species. Other green areas of great importance are the Landborgen Slope, Valley of River Raan and the meadows of Orby.

Helsingborg has demarcated nature reserves and new wetlands in the city including the Skalderviken Bay which is home to a great diversity of important birdlife that Helsingborg shares with other communities. Important tools and documents developed by the city include the comprehensive plan 2010, a Climate Adaptation description, a new Green Structure Plan and a new Nature and Culture Plan. The city received the “best environmental community” award in Sweden in 2009. Helsingborg is committed to enhancing and maintaining its biodiversity and is often referred to as the ‘Green City’.