📣 A few years ago when I first became chair of the IUCN Urban Alliance, I set myself a core goal to help cities across the planet better understand, measure and set targets to improve urban nature. Fast forward a few years, and with help of a brillant team of young researchers led by Jennifer Rae Pierce, and generous funding from Arcadia, we are delighted to announce the publication of the Urban Nature Indicies (UNI) in Nature - Urban Sustainability 😊.
The UNI is a comprehensive tool that measures urban ecological performance under one standard framework linked to global commitments. We developed the UNI with a team of interdisciplinary experts before it was evaluated by practitioners from diverse cities to capture each city’s ecological footprint from local to global scale. The UNI comprises six themes (consumption drivers, human pressures, habitat status, species status, nature’s contributions to people, and governance responses) that encompass measurable impacts on climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem services, pollution, consumption, water management, and equity within one comprehensive system.
Cities then adapt the UNI to their context and capacity by selecting among indicator topics within each theme. This adaptability and holistic approach position the UNI as an essential instrument for nature-positive transformations. With the institutional support of IUCN, the UNI offers an opportunity for cities to assess and enhance their contributions towards a more sustainable and biodiverse future.
#urbanism #cities #urbanplanning #biodiversity
https://lnkd.in/eTfyQWkS
