Recalling chapter 28 of Agenda 21 adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, on the role of cities and local authorities, and objective 4.4 of the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity (“Key actors and stakeholders are engaged in partnership to implement the Convention and are integrating biodiversity concerns into their relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral plans, programmes, and policies”),
Noting that, while responsibilities for implementation of the Convention rest primarily with the Parties, there are multiple reasons for promoting the engagement of cities and local authorities in the implementation of the Convention, including the following:
(a)The accelerated rate of urbanization, particularly in developing countries, increasingly concentrates decision-making and resources in cities, creating opportunities for managing better the consumption of resources that impact on biological diversity;
(b)Urban experiences in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use can contribute to strengthening national policies, regional strategies, and global agendas on biodiversity;
(c)Cities and local authorities play a critical role in designing and implementing land-use and zoning planning tools, urban development and infrastructure guidelines, investment promotion, and consumer awareness campaigns, all of which have direct effects on biodiversity, and in particular on water, climate change, protected areas, agriculture and forests, marine and coastal biodiversity and communication, education, and public awareness;
(d)Cities and local authorities are in direct contact with, and have direct influence on biodiversity managers and users at the local level;
Reiterating paragraph 8 (s) of
decision IX/8, urging Parties in developing, implementing and revising their national and, where appropriate, regional, biodiversity strategies and action plans, and equivalent instruments, in implementing the three objectives of the Convention, to promote and support local action for the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, by integrating biodiversity considerations into subnational and local-level assessments and planning processes, and, as and where appropriate, the development of subnational and local biodiversity strategies and/or action plans, consistent with national strategies and action plans,
Noting the meeting on Cities and Biodiversity held in Curitiba, Brazil, from 26 to 28 March, 2007, which highlighted the crucial importance of the involvement of cities and local authorities in the global efforts towards the implementation of the three objectives of the Convention,
Noting the contribution of UN-Habitat, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Urban Environment Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme, and other United Nations agencies and organizations, in mobilizing key cities and promoting the exchange of experience on urban biodiversity best practices, and the importance of voluntary initiatives such as ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability and its Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Project, IUCN’s Countdown 2010 initiative, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Mayors’ Council on Climate Change (WMCCC) and its biodiversity component, the World Association of Major Metropolises (“Metropolis”), and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, inter alia, in addressing biodiversity issues efficiently through local action,
Recognizing the importance of the cooperation between key cities for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which also stand as global references for their initiatives on urban biodiversity, such as Bonn, as host of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Curitiba, as host of the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Nagoya, as representative of candidate cities for the hosting of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and Montreal as host of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Acknowledging the contribution made by the Mayor’s Conference on Cities and Biodiversity held in Bonn, Germany, on 26-27 May 2008, organized by the City of Bonn, InWent and ICLEI, prior to the high-level segment of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
1.Takes note of the Declaration on Cities and Biodiversity adopted in March 2007 in Curitiba, Brazil, by 24 cities and international organizations;
2.Welcomes leading international events to promote sustainable urbanization and biodiversity-friendly cities, such as the World Cities Summit (“Livable and Vibrant Cities”) in Singapore, 23 to 25 June 2008, and the World Expo 2010 (“Better City, Better Life”) in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010;
3.Encourages Parties, in accordance with national legislation, to recognize the role of cities and local authorities in their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, to facilitate the adoption by cities and local authorities of practices that support the implementation of these strategies and action plans, and to support the development of local biodiversity strategies and action plans consistent with National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans;
4.Invites Parties, other Governments, regional and international development agencies and banks engaged in projects that include infrastructure development for cities and local authorities, to integrate biodiversity considerations into those projects, where relevant, and explore options for specific capacity-building and programmes on biodiversity for local officials responsible for their implementation and maintenance;
5.Invites Parties, other Governments and international development agencies to support and assist cities and local authorities in encouraging and promoting practices, activities and innovations of indigenous and local communities that support the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and achievement of the 2010 biodiversity target;
6.Invites Parties to engage their cities and local authorities, where appropriate, in:
(a)The application of relevant tools and guidelines developed under the Convention with a view to contributing to the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention and its goals and targets; and
(b)The compilation of information on biodiversity status and trends, including communicating to national Governments any commitments and activities that will contribute to the targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
