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by Martha Rojas Urrego This year, the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will adopt an ambitious global biodiversity roadmap to guide progress toward a future in which humans genuinely live in harmony with nature. To achieve that goal, conservation and restoration of the world’s declining wetlands is essential. GLAND, SWITZERLAND – It’s […]

    PopUP Forests are temporary immersive natural area experiences in un-natural places. This year, PopUP Forest is mobilizing civic engagement in urban wild places to locally address the global extinction crisis. In 2020, cities around the world in New York, Santiago, Nairobi and beyond will activate, creating a groundswell of support and media attention.

As the CitiesWithNature platform continues to grow, we encourage many more cities to join this global initiative aimed at protecting and enhancing nature, and building resilience in cities across the world.  

Washington, D.C. (August 19, 2019) – Today, ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI) unveiled new guidance that enables U.S. cities and counties to include forests and trees within their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting, a key activity to ensure representation of local forestry and land use consideration in climate action planning. Developed in partnership with the […]

CitiesWithNature: ­­ #1 Recognizes that all cities depend on healthy, interconnected ecosystems within and around them, and that now, more than ever, there is a need to unite and embrace nature. #2 Connects cities and other levels of subnational government directly with each other, and with experts and urban communities, through a ‘whole of society’ […]

Mayor Valérie Plante of the City of Montréal will take up the role of ICLEI’s Global Ambassador for Local Biodiversity. The position will shine a spotlight on the role of cities to address the biodiversity extinction crisis and advocate for the protection of nature and biodiversity by local governments. In May, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform […]

London recently became the world’s first National Park City and launched the NPC Universal Charter. ICLEI and CitiesWithNature endorsed this vital step to creating stronger human-nature connections in cities and welcomes London as it proceeds to join CitiesWithNature. On 22 July 2019 London became the world’s first National Park City (NPC) when it launched the […]

Today, 22nd July 2019, marks the occasion where London launched the National Park City Charter. Yesterday, in London, the National park City Universal Charter was also launched to spread this incredible initiative to other cities. As a growing network of cities, researchers, practitioners, individuals, communities, and partners dedicated to urban nature, CitiesWithNature endorses this momentous […]

In Portland, Oregon, annual rainfall exceeds a staggering 37 inches (the US average is about 32). When it rains, excess storm water collects dirt, soil, and other pollutants and then drains into the main water system. In 2017 it was estimated that Portland has spent a cumulative $370 million on infrastructure, such as pipes and […]

Last week at the Manchester Festival of Nature celebration event at Heaton Park, Manchester became the first UK City to sign up to the International CitiesWithNature portal, a Global network aimed at sharing best practice approaches around Nature conservation. CitiesWithNature is a partnership between ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability, IUCN (International Union for the Conservation […]