The most dangerous animal in the city

By Chantal van Ham, European Programme Officer, IUCN European Union Representative Office, Brussels

On my way to Hyderabad, I was reading a wonderful novel, The Life of Pi, about an Indian teenager who after a shipwreck ends up on a boat with an injured zebra, an orangutan, a very nervous hyena and a Bengal tiger. The story starts in his fathers’ zoo: “Just beyond the ticket booth father had painted on a wall in bright red letters the question: DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO? An arrow pointed to a small curtain. There were so many eager, curious hands that pulled at the curtain that we had to replace it regularly”.

These animals are not part of the average wildlife in cities in India, but as was presented during the Cities for Life Summit, which took place parallel to the UN Biodiversity Conferenc,  “Rich biodiversity can exist in cities and is extremely critical to people’s health and well-being." This is one of the findings compiled by Professor Thomas Elmqvist of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, scientific editor of the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook. The Cities Biodiversity Outlook offers a comprehensive assessment of how urbanization affects biodiversity and ecosystems.

Urbanization is fundamentally changing the nature of our planet. With the expected doubling in size of the world's urban areas by 2030, a new group of actors are coming forward: local and sub-national authorities. They have a critical role to play in implementing the Aichi targets.

Now you may think, what is the connection between these governmental authorities and the work of IUCN? During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, the majority of IUCN members voted in favour of strengthening the engagement between the nature conservation movement and cities, local and regional governments. There is more nature in cities than we usually imagine. For example, more than 65 % of Poland's bird species are found in Warsaw. There is a sizeable population (10,000–13,000) of Lesser Flamingos that since the mid-1990s have been wintering at Thane Creek in Mumbai. In Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, 40% of land is in protected areas. However, even with governments where environmental management issues receive recognition and support, it may be difficult to generate continued political momentum and action.

I believe that for IUCN the cooperation with local and regional authorities is essential. Imagine what can be achieved if we ensure the optimal functioning of green infrastructure, such as nature parks, green roofs, trees, ponds, city gardens and allotments in urban planning and development. Nature has an enormous potential in promoting cost-effective solutions to make cities more resilient to change. Urban green spaces can help to address some of the biggest challenges cities face today: climate change, air pollution, water retention and food and energy supply. They provide areas for recreation and an environment that offers health benefits for urban citizens while promoting economic development.

All of us here in Hyderabad should ensure that cities, local and regional authorities can, in the best possible manner, contribute to the CBD biodiversity targets and benefit more from investing in nature-based solutions. If support can be mobilised for the conservation, management and restoration of urban nature, urban citizens will hopefully no longer need to open the curtain in a zoo to experience beautiful nature and wildlife but will be surrounded by it in their urban environment.

View the original article here.