Photo: Heloísa Vilicic on Unsplash
From the tropics to the tundra, the steppe to the savannah, cities have emerged as a global phenomenon of geological proportions. The survival of the natural world is now contingent upon the sustainability of the unnatural world. As the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has an important role to play in shaping our collective urban future.
At the 2016 World Conservation Congress, IUCN Members adopted Resolution 29 on “Incorporating urban dimensions of nature conservation into the work of IUCN.” In order to implement the resolution, the Members called on Council—IUCN’s highest decision-making body—to establish the IUCN Urban Alliance as a broad coalition of IUCN constituents. With the financial support of Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, the IUCN Urban Alliance was launched in late 2018.
The IUCN Urban Alliance envisages nature thriving in urban areas and providing solutions to multiple social, economic and environmental challenges. Pursuant to this vision, it has three objectives:
- Create a platform for debate and knowledge exchange on urban dimensions of nature conservation;
- Catalyse new projects and partnerships for greener cities; and
- Develop an ‘Urban Nature Index’ for monitoring the ecological performance of cities.
The IUCN Urban Alliance is governed by a Strategic Board chaired by Global Councilor Jonathan Hughes. Its work is undertaken by a Technical Group comprising representatives of IUCN Members and Commissions.
For further information, please visit the IUCN Urban Alliance website or contact Russell Galt, Head of Urban Alliance, at russell.galt@iucn.org.
