PS 48-255 - URBIO (International Network for Urban Biodiversity and Design) as an important tool for protecting and reinforcing biodiversity in cities and towns

Abstract: The biodiversity supported by cities has only recently begun to be recognized as an important component of global biodiversity, but significant challenges impede conservation. URBIO (International Network for Urban Biodiversity and Design) is the largest international network of academics, practitioners, and stakeholders focused on urban biodiversity and design. Established in 2008, now with over 1150 members from 64 countries, URBIO has distinguished itself as a forum for all ecologists, providing conferences, workshops, webinars, and opportunities for ecologists from academic and non-academic settings to collaborate with each other and with design, planning, and government practitioners for effective conservation solutions in urban areas. This presentation will demonstrate the opportunities URBIO provides to ecologists and give examples of how the collaborations founded through participation in URBIO has resulted in significant scientific research on urban biodiversity and has informed on urban nature conservation. The objectives of URBIO are to: 1) encourage interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on urban biodiversity by involving urban citizens and decision-makers; 2) increase the role of the next generation of researchers, landscape architects and planners who will reinforce URBIO’s involvement in the activities of the Convention on Biological Diversity; 3) recognize urban biodiversity as a complex and specific component of urban nature that includes native and non-native biota but acknowledging the detrimental effect of invasive alien species; 4) promote urgent research of all components of urban biodiversity, especially in the global south and other fast-growing regions as well as in countries located in biodiversity hotspots; 5) expand the incorporation of key concepts from urban ecology, planning, ecological design, and the activities of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s work in cities into the university curriculum and training; 6) reinforce integration of biodiversity and design using ecological planning, design, nature-based solutions, and green-blue infrastructure concepts; 7) continue to provide opportunities for collaboration among urban ecologists, planners, geographers, landscape architects, sociologists and artists; and 8) reach out/supply scientific input to implementation platforms such as the GEF-8 Cities program, the WB’s Cities4Biodiversity, and the ICLEI-supported Berlin Pact cities as support. URBIO provides a critical platform to promote biodiversity research and conservation, as well as implementation of integrated urban policy and planning to realize sustainable and resilient cities.