Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity launched at IUCN World Conservation Congress

For the first time in history, the majority of the worlds’ population lives in cities. Urban areas in cities cover only 2% of the land surface of Earth, but cities and their residents consume up to 75% of the Earth’s resources. This increase in urbanisation is happening at different speeds across the world and affects the environment at all scales. To address this and the need to halt the loss of biodiversity, several agencies and networks of cities have been working together since 2006, developing action plans and projects, technical assistance and exchange systems to support cooperation between various levels of government, from international to local.

To consolidate the results achieved, the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity was launched on 7th October at IUCN World Conservation Congress which was recently held in Barcelona. It brings together UN agencies (including UNEP, UN_HABITAT, UNESCO and the CBD Secretariat), international organizations, including ICLEI, Local Action for Biodiversity and IUCN, and local governments to improve the management and conservation of biodiversity through technical cooperation, capacity building projects and communication campaigns.

For more information

ICLEI’s Biodiversity Initiative

International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN World Conservation Congress (4 to 17 October 2008)

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity