Designing urban futures: How cities play a key role in the nature-positive movement

Biodiversity, ecosystems & built environment

Climate change & disaster risk reduction

Restoring nature requires global commitment, but meaningful restoration takes place locally, in the cities we call home. As we work toward the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), a nature-positive future is both an environmental and an urban imperative.

Why nature-positive urbanism matters

Cities play a critical role in the global economy, contributing over 80% to global GDP, but rapid urban expansion has often come at the expense of local ecosystems. Currently, more than 50% of global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and ecosystem services, and approximately 44% of global GDP is at risk from nature loss. By shifting toward a “nature positive” model, cities move beyond simply reducing their footprint. They become active stewards of the environment, integrating ecological integrity into municipal infrastructure, policy, design, and decision-making.

What is nature positive?

“Nature Positive is a global societal goal defined as ‘Halt and Reverse Nature Loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline, and achieve full recovery by 2050’. To put this more simply, it means ensuring more nature in the world in 2030 than in 2020 and continued recovery after that.”

Nature Positve Initiative, 2023.

Nature-positive aligns with the 2030 mission of the KMGBF and its 2050 vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. A nature-positive city protects and restores nature to create healthier, more resilient and climate-ready communities. From mitigating the effects of extreme heat through expanded canopy cover to managing disaster risks due to flooding through restored wetlands, nature-based solutions provide the structural defenses and public health benefits that traditional grey infrastructure cannot easily replicate.

Increasing tree canopy can lower urban air temperature by 2–8°C, reducing heat-induced illness and mortality.

World Resources Institute, 2026.

Turning ambition into action

Bridging the gap between global targets and local reality requires a fundamental shift wherein biodiversity is seen not as an “add-on,” but as a foundational municipal asset.

Local governments can lead this transition by:

Mainstreaming biodiversity: Embedding ecosystem considerations into policies, strategies and budgets, and integrating nature-related metrics into city planning, land-use policies, and development regulations.
Investing in green infrastructure: Prioritizing projects that restore connectivity between urban natural areas and regional ecosystems.
Fostering collaboration: Engaging indigenous peoples, local communities, and the private sector to ensure that conservation efforts are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable.

Making local action count: The CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature platforms

From the restoration of a small urban stream to the implementation of city-wide green corridors, every action contributes towards a more nature-positive future. For many local governments, the challenge lies in knowing how individual projects contribute to the “bigger picture” of national and global biodiversity goals. This is where CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature come in.

The CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature Action Platforms provide an intuitive, comprehensive framework designed to help local governments:

Showcase, monitor and report on local commitments and track their progress toward specific KMGBF targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Align local biodiversity strategies and action plans (LBSAPs) with national and global targets, creating a clear link from the municipal level up to the global stage.

Access a knowledge hub of tools, resources, and case studies that provide a roadmap for mainstreaming nature in urban operations.

By joining the CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature community, local governments join a global movement of action for nature. Every action contributes to the collective mission of a more nature-positive future.

Get inspired and make your city’s commitments count!