Speaker
Description
As the world population living in cities continues to increase –expecting its current size to double by 2050– the need to consider the more-than-human as an integrative part of urbanization, inspiring broader thinking about ecological processes and human-nature relationships, has become more pressing. Alongside the capacities and resources that all levels of government and society need to mobilize to achieve a nature-positive future, there is increasing evidence in the scientific and policy debate that local governments can play a pivotal role in attaining global biodiversity conservation targets, goals and commitments (Bulkeley et al., 2021), through initiatives that preserve species and habitats, improve ecological connectivity, mainstream biodiversity–sensitive planning, and enhance residents’ knowledge and stewardship of biodiversity (Rega‑Brodsky et al., 2022). One approach through which local governments organize their effort to address biodiversity loss and sustain the multiple benefits of biodiversity in cities in addressing the climate crisis is the development of Urban Greening Plans (UGPs), recognized by the EU Biodiversity Strategy as key tools to comprehensively guide and sustain the nature restoration process in urban areas and systematically incorporate and promote green infrastructure thinking and nature-based solutions (European Commission, 2021).
This research assesses the contribution of UGPs to achieving objectives of biodiversity conservation, restoration, and enhancement within the challenges of climate transition. Through a systematic content analysis of UGPs adopted by provincial capital cities in Italy, the study investigates which biodiversity-related attributes are relevant for greening plans and what level of commitment local governments demonstrate in planning, implementing, and monitoring biodiversity actions (Lazzarini et al., 2024). The research highlights that, despite being sectoral, voluntary, and soft-policy instruments, quality UGPs have the potential to metaphorically generate a “butterfly effect,” sparking small-scale transformations that lead to broader, transformative changes, influencing socio-ecological structures and re-orienting institutional dynamics. However, the analysis poses significant challenges, including a lack of baseline data and standardized protocols for measuring urban biodiversity, which undermines the translation of the objectives into concrete actions (Hjortsø et al., 2023; Pierce et al., 2024). Additionally, a weak commitment to implementation, reflected in the limited use of monitoring indicators and biodiversity-related targets, is underlined. The study identifies examples of high-quality greening plans that benefit from strong political support and institutional backing, as evidenced by the allocation of financial and human resources, and the use of shared governance tools that foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders and enhance the likelihood of successful implementation.
References
Bulkeley H., Kok M. & Xie L. (2021), Realising the Urban Opportunity: Cities and Post-2020 Biodiversity Governance Policy Brief, The Hague: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
European Commission (2021), Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives, retrieved from: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en (accessed on November 26th, 2024).
Hjortsø, C. N., Epprecht, B., & Hansen, T. (2023), A framework for assessing the sustainable transition potential of municipal climate change mitigation plans, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1–27, https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2023.2260090
Lazzarini L., Mahmoud I.H. & Pastore M.C. (2024), Urban Planning for Biodiversity, TeMA – Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, SI 1: 45-60, http://dx.doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/10197
Pierce, J.R., Costadone, L., Mannetti, L. et al. (2024), Urban Nature Indexes tool offers comprehensive and flexible approach to monitoring urban ecological performance, npj Urban Sustainability 4, 22, https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-024-00143-2
Reckien, D., Buzasi, A., Olazabal, M., Spyridaki, N.-A., Eckersley, P., et al. (2023), Quality of urban climate adaptation plans over time, Npj Urban Sustainability 3(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00085-1
Rega-Brodsky C.C., Aronson M.F.J., Piana M.R. et al. (2022), Urban biodiversity: State of the science and future directions. Urban Ecosystems 25: 1083–1096, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01207-w.
| Keywords | Urban greening plans; urban biodiversity; shared governance; climate transition |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
