The Berlin Urban Nature Pact is an initiative by a number of cities building on and partnering with the Edinburgh Process in an ongoing, comprehensive consultation process for cities around the world that are ready to lead the transition towards implementation of bold biodiversity action. Once the consultation process is completed and the Pact finalized in 2023, signing cities will commit to and implement a small set of highly ambitious, SMART targets within the CitiesWithNature Action Platform as the next milestone after the Edinburgh Declaration and the Montreal Pledge focusing on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and renewed Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2021-2030).

Background - A Pact by Cities for Cities

The alarming loss of biodiversity poses an imminent threat to urban environment, infrastructures, value chains, economies as well as health and well-being. Spurring the necessary transformational change globally requires immediate, bold and inspirational action on the local level. Cities and urban regions already play a key role in driving local action and are uniquely positioned to step up action and do their part in reversing biodiversity loss as demonstrated in the Edinburgh Process for Subnational and Local Governments on the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and the renewed Plan of Action of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Already in 2021, the City of Berlin initiated the Berlin Urban Nature Pact to be the next milestone towards the implementation of the Edinburgh Declaration, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the Montreal Pledge. The current draft pact sets out 9 commitments that translate the Edinburgh Process’ proposed Plan of Action into ambitious and measurable targets, which signing cities would state and report on in the CBD-recognized CitiesWithNature Action Platform.

What’s in it - Target Areas

The final draft pact sets out 7 target areas that translate the Edinburgh Process’ proposed Plan of Action into ambitious and measurable targets covering the following key topics of biodiversity action:

7 Target Areas of the Pact

Green infrastructure, trees & forests

Blue infrastructure & water management

Food & agriculture

Education & nature experience

Soil health

Co-habitation

Species & habitats

Background - A Pact by Cities for Cities

Implementation Principles

Thus, the Signatory Cities and local authorities will lead the path towards a nature-positive urban century and commit to the following principles for the implementation of inspirational key actions by 2030.

Commitment to action & ambition

Link to & enhance policy & governance frameworks & financing for biodiversity

Stepwise implementation: Berlin Pact Action Plan with SMART Targets

Equal & just co-creation with local initiatives & stakeholders

Capacity building & collaboration of cities

Monitoring & reporting

The Pact within CitiesWithNature

The Pact Signatory Cities will state and track the progress towards their Pact commitments on the CitiesWithNature Action Platform, setting inspiring examples of bold action for other cities to follow. CitiesWithNature is a unique initiative that recognizes and enhances the value of nature in and around cities across the world. Its Action Platform is closely tied to the engagement of cities and regions in the CBD process and is recognized by the CBD in the Plan of Action on Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2021-2030), as the place where cities will monitor and report on their voluntary commitments to national and global biodiversity targets.

Founded by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) along with the support of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UNEP and other international partners, CitiesWithNature aims to fully integrate nature into urban planning and development as well as enabling collective and large-scale action to protect the biodiversity in and around cities to prevent irreversible loss and damage to the natural systems we depend on.

Timeline

In an initial consultation phase in late 2021 to early 2022, ICLEI, the City of Berlin and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation organized a couple of workshops with about 10 European cities to explore the potential of the initiative and to draft the Pact. Since late 2022, input from cities located across the globe is being collected in the second consultation phase to make the Pact relevant and applicable to different contexts worldwide.

2021

2022

2023

2023+

towards 2030

Edinburgh Declaration

Post-2020 global biodiversity framework for renewed Plan of Action

Berlin Urban Nature Pact

Signing Process
and
Launch Event at United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16)

Action Plans ready
and
Implementation Phase

The Way Forward

During the consultation phase to late 2023, ICLEI, the City of Berlin and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation organized workshops across the globe to explore the potential of the initiative and to draft the Pact. More than 30 cities participated actively in these consultations. The input from these cities was collected and makes the Pact relevant and applicable to different contexts worldwide.

The consultation process will culminate in an introduction event of the final draft for the cities which have been engaged in the process and development of the Pact. It will be conducted in two installments to accommodate different time zones on 20th November 2023 and 24th November 2023.

The third phase will include an official signing event at the CBD COP16 and a follow-up period in which cities can join the Pact (more information coming in February/March 2024).