IUCN launched the Urban Nature Alliance to improve human health and well-being through greener cities.
The Alliance will develop a ‘City Nature Index,’ which will serve as pilot for cities to determine the relative health of their stock of natural resources.
24 September 2018: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched the Urban Nature Alliance. Dedicated to improving human health and well-being through greener cities, the Alliance aims to standardize how cities measure their natural capital and raise awareness on the benefits of preserving urban ecosystems.
Urban forests and other green spaces, an IUCN press release notes, can help offset climate change impacts in cities, particularly flooding, storm surges, air and water pollution, and heat-island effects, where the city is warmer than surrounding areas. Highlighting the salience of the issues addressed by the Alliance, Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General, noted that over two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050.
The Alliance will also develop a ‘City Nature Index,’ through which IUCN seeks to pilot a way for cities to determine the relative health of their stock of natural resources. Doing so will enable cities to compare and track the status of their green infrastructure and other “natural capital assets.” The Index will be piloted in five cities, including Edinburgh, UK.
The IUCN Urban Nature Alliance is a collaborative effort, chaired by Jonny Hughes, CEO of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and supported by the Arcadia Fund. The Alliance responds to a 2016 resolution adopted during the 2016 World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, US. [IUCN Launches Global Alliance for Greener Cities]