Siembra y cosecha de agua de lluvia (SCALL), es un modelo hidrológico campesino cuyo enfoque es la crianza del agua de lluvia en el marco de la cosmovisión local. Es una práctica colectiva como respuesta a la creciente escasez de agua. La experiencia combina la infraestructura verde con prácticas culturales, sociales y ambientales. Los beneficios: formación de humedales, recarga de manantiales, fortalecimiento de la relación con la naturaleza, valoración cultural y una perspectiva de servicio ecosistémico a la ciudad de Huamanga.

Neek ’Capital es un company builder que nació en el 2017 con la misión de crear compañías mexicanas nuevas con potencial de crecimiento, dedicadas a la implementación del uso sustentable de la energía, el agua, los sistemas alimenticios y la biodiversidad a grande escala. El objetivo era crear empresas destinadas a resolver los desafíos planteados por el uso sustentable de los recursos naturales en un mundo con restricciones climáticas.

A través de nuestras operaciones de producción, procesamiento y comercialización, buscamos la regeneración del campo como fuente sustentable de proteína animal de alta calidad e invertir directamente en la restauración de la selva Yucateca.

Buscamos ser un ejemplo de sustentabilidad mediante el uso de sistemas productivos regenerativos que se mantengan en el largo plazo, mejorando así los ingresos de los productores y la calidad agroecológica de sus ranchos ganaderos.

El proyecto Restauración Cordillera Azul viene impulsando procesos de restauración ecológica en los poblados de San Juan y Lejía en la región San Martín desde el 2018, en 50 hectáreas que conectan con un paisaje de 500 ha, en la Zona de Amortiguamiento del Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul (PNCAZ). Para ello CIMA (organización que ejecuta el contrato de administración del PNCAZ) ha suscrito un convenio de cooperación entre la Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva, el caserío de San Juan y el centro poblado de Lejía. Las comunidades tienen Acuerdos Azules de colaboración, como estrategia participativa de planificación territorial y de los Planes de Calidad de Vida.

Durante los años 60 se desarrollaron muchos vertederos en el Río de la Plata, Argentina. Estas acciones crearon un nuevo ecosistema de origen antropogénico.

En 1985, un movimiento estudiantil comenzó a trabajar para proteger este sitio que se conocía como La Reserva Biológica y Parque para la Difusión de la Ciencia.

La reserva fue el primer área urbana de Buenos Aires. Con el apoyo de las autoridades, comenzó un trabajo de tres décadas, y en 2011 el lugar fue designado por ley como un área urbana protegida llamada Ciudad Universitaria, Reserva Ecológica.

Este sitio juega un papel esencial en la universidad y la ciudad de Buenos Aires, brindando servicios ambientales estratégicos para la salud humana. Es un excelente ejemplo de cómo los parques urbanos son esenciales para el bienestar de las personas que viven en las ciudades.

La régénération du Cèdre de l’Atlas est très sensible au parcours dû à l’élevage extensif, voir impossible. Il faut mettre la régénération en défens et compenser les éleveurs organisés en associations sur les superficies interdites au parcours. Dès lors, un texte législatif a vu le jour au sujet. On compense avec 250MAD/ha/an (bientôt 1000MAD), à financer par l’association sous forme d’actions de développement sur son Parc Pastoral en concertation avec le département des eaux et forêts. 

Grace au Parc National d’Ifrane les éleveurs sont organisés actuellement en dix associations comprenant 1127 éleveurs qui perçoivent un montant global de 2053750MAD. La régénération du cèdre évolue alors de plus en plus. Un travail commun est entamé par des projets générateurs de revenus autour de l’écotourisme, l’aménagement des parcours, l’agroécologie, l’eau…etc avec l’implication des jeunes et des femmes, sachant que le but ultime est la régénération du cèdre et la conservation de son écosystème.

L’ONF a associé les cultivateurs de Vanille en sous-bois (+ de 200 à St Philippe) à la restauration écologique de certaines parcelles forestières très envahies situées en Réserve Biologique, en leur attribuant des concessions. Les concessionnaires ont réalisé un important travail de lutte contre les plantes invasives (en particulier contre Schinus et Psidium), tout en conservant les arbres indigènes pour servir de tuteurs à la Vanille. Les autres espèces indigènes sont aussi conservées et la disparition des espèces invasives a favorisé leur retour dans le sous-bois (fougères en particulier). Dans ces parcelles concédées, les espèces indigènes dominent à nouveau le couvert forestier, tout en permettant une production de Vanille en sous-bois. Ce dernier fait l’objet d’un entretien par le concessionnaire, qui est régi par un cahier des charges et contrôlé par les agents de l’ONF. Ce dispositif permet le contrôle des invasives telles que Clidemia hirta et limite leur invasion dans les reliques avoisinantes bien conservées.

Nous avons réalisé un projet de planthotèque-école dans un espace de 4000 m² , situé en pleine zone urbaine de Fort-de-France (Quartier de Tivoli).

Ainsi, pendant douze mois, CCPYPM a sélectionné et planté 150 plantes médicinales et 20 espèces de plantes nutritives. Cette « plantothèque médicinale » permet aux visiteurs de s’informer sur les vertus des plantes grâce à des panneaux pédagogiques positionnés en face de chaque espèce. Les différentes espèces sont regroupées par indications thérapeutiques (ex: dermatologiques, gastro-intestinaux, nerveux, cardio-circulatoire, accessoire, respiratoire…) Un livre de plus de 300 pages a également été réalisé afin de regrouper les informations recueillies sur chaque plante (photo, description botanique, indications thérapeutiques, mode de préparation – source: TRAMIL, université Ribeiro Brésil…).

Enfin,  25 nouveaux référents ont été formés à la reconnaissance, l’entretien et l’utilisation des plantes médicinales.

La fixation des dunes a été réalisée par la combinaison des méthodes mécanique et biologique.

La méthode mécanique a consisté en l’érection de palissades en matériel végétal (tiges, herbes, branches, etc.) en quadrillage serré et en bandes d’arrêt. Quant à la méthode biologique elle a consisté à l’installation d’une végétation dans les quadrats.

Des plans de gestion simplifiés ont également été élaborés pour organiser une gestion plus consensuelle de ces sites qui sont souvent collectifs.

Cette solution a vu le jour dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre du Projet CODEVAL, qui se donne comme objectif la mise en oeuvre d’activités pour le contrôle de la dégradation des terres et de la promotion de leur valorisation.

Au travers d’une démarche opérationnelle, il a été question de solliciter auprès de la municipalité, un espace de droit de propriétaire communautaire, notamment l’affectation de la terre dans le but de concevoir une mise en défens pour une gestion rationnelle et durable des ressources naturelles.

Avant l’avènement du Projet CODEVAL, en 2012, ont été constatés une exploitation excessive et abusive des ressources naturelles, telles que la coupe abusive des espèces herbacées et ligneuses, les feux de brousse, une mauvaise gestion du pâturage, la déforestation, la carbonisation, la chasse, la sècheresse, les érosions hydriques et éoliennes, les défrichements et la surexploitation du bois de chauffe.

Dans le cadre d’un projet mené en 2017 par le Service Territorial de l’Environnement (STE) de Wallis et Futuna, avec le soutien financier du programme européen BEST 2.0, 2.5 hectares de mangroves ont été replantés. Le projet a impliqué les scolaires, les associations et les villages. Il a consisté à la construction de 6 pépinières dans différents villages de l’île par des associations, qui ont pu être accompagnées techniquement et financièrement.
Les associations locales ont été essentielles à la réalisation des principales activités. La Direction de l’Education Catholique (DEC) a également été l’une des principales parties prenantes concernant le volet sensibilisation. En effet, une étroite collaboration s’est nouée entre le STE et la DEC se traduisant par la réalisation d’un grand nombre de sorties scolaires et la réalisation de plantations par les élèves des écoles primaires. La chefferie est également une entité importante du projet, son aval étant indispensable pour réaliser ces actions.

Through a deliberate strategy of getting Parliament votes and media attention, the Murray Darling Basin Plan was passed through Federal Parliament in 2013. The Darling River is one of the largest in Australia and runs from north to south. The Darling River flows into the Murray River and had been reduced to a trickle at the mouth due to big ag’s water usage for irrigation. A consortium of community members spent 10 years getting this plan passed.

Reforestamos México developed a solution that allows Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) located near big cities to become a center point that brings alliances, hands and financial resources together in order to plant trees in degraded forests, improve the livelihood of local communities and increase forest awareness among urban people, which derives in better private and public political will to develop initiatives for the benefit of protected and unprotected forests.

The project entailed establishing a game reserve on a vacant piece of land near the town of Menongue in the Cuando Cubango Province, Angola. Wildlife were extirpated during the civil war and only low densities of wildlife occur in remote areas. Jose Recio is an Angolan business man who wanted to germinate the eco-tourism industry in Angola.

 Industries such as mining, forestry, and oil and gas have been trying for years to minimise their environmental and social impacts, but there is a growing expectation from civil society, regulators and investors that companies not only ‘do no harm’, but also make a positive contribution to the environment and society.

In many companies, projects follow procedures to avoid or minimise biodiversity impacts and restore biodiversity or offset impacts when these are unavoidable. This framework, known as the mitigation hierarchy, is increasingly used by companies and governments to improve environmental management and contribute to a net positive impact (NPI) or biodiversity net gain (BNG).

Following a NPI commitment by the mining company Rio Tinto, IUCN worked with the company to develop and trial a review protocol that could track its progress towards reaching NPI at an operational level. This protocol was tested at Rio Tinto operations in Australia, Mongolia and Madagascar.

The castanea henryi tree is an excellent kind of tree with great economic value. It grows in mountain regions with a temperature range between -16 celsius degrees and 41 celsius degrees, therefore it is suitable to be planted in many countries with a subtropical climate. Castanea henryi fruit (nut) is a kind of grain with high nutritional value, which can be introduced to be planted to help reduce the grain and food shortage problem. Castanea henryi tree stem are also quality timber for various purposes.

People can use hillside lands to plant Castanea henryi trees，the castanea henryi nuts can be sold as a kind of grain or raw materials used to make various foods, highly matured castanea henryi tree stems can be sold to make various wooden products. In consequence, people engaging in planting castanea henryi trees can have stable income from planting this kind of tree.

The Peaks National Park is home to the last remaining fragments of endemic cloud forest habitat on St Helena Island. It is a premier hiking destination for locals and tourists, but as tourism numbers increased so did the impacts on the national park. Foot traffic was eroding the trails, the trails were becoming unsafe, and it was beginning to affect the surrounding habitat. Wooden boardwalks, staircases, handrails and a hiking shelter were constructed to improve access, safety and reduce visitor impacts. The trails are now safe and accessible, the profile of conservation in the cloud forest has been improved, and the National Park is now an eco-tourism icon for St Helena. 

Biodiversity Sri Lanka in partnership with the Sri Lanka Forest Department, IUCN Sri Lanka and selected private sector partners, undertook a pilot project to establish a biodiversity baseline in a 10ha area of degraded rainforest, which was cleared for cultivation and subsequently abandoned, resulting in the colonization of it by the pioneer fern species Dicranopteris linearis, located in the Kanneliya Conservation Forest. The intension was to restore this area using principles of restoration ecology, to enhance its ecological functions, habitat quality, species diversity and its capacity to provide biodiversity and ecosystem services that is in close approximation to the surrounding wet lowland forest of which it was a part previously, before it was converted to its present state. The project aimed to develop a Biodiversity Credit Accrual System for Sri Lanka using the insights derived, with the objective of assigning a unit value for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services.

El proyecto de gestión del Área Ecológica de Conservación y Uso Sustentable (ACUS) Yunguilla ha sido el resultado de un proceso iniciado en el año 1995 , el cuál continúa en activo desarrollo. Se ha restaurado el ecosistema y su biodiversidad,  pasando de actividades no sostenibles y dañinas para el hábitat como el avance de la frontera agrícola, presión sobre los recursos naturales, tala de bosque y  quema indiscriminada a actividades sostenibles. La estrategia desarrollada en el ACUS ha permitido la implementación de sistemas agrarios más sostenibles y amigables con el ambiente, la explotación turística ecológica y responsable, la elaboración de productos artesanales y el consecuente mejoramiento de las condiciones sociales, económicas y  la calidad de vida de las familias en la comunidad, como así también, la continuidad de los servicios ambientales, lo que convierte a Yunguilla en  un  caso emblemático y potencialmente replicable  en otros lugares.

Growth corridors are regions where natural resource-based industries, such as agriculture and mining, are being developed to boost economic growth. SUSTAIN (Sustainability and Inclusion Strategy for Growth Corridors), an IUCN-led initiative, aims to shape the investment and design of these corridors so that they are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Located in a vast floodplain, Tanzania’s Kilombero district hosts wetlands, waterfalls and iconic wildlife species, such as elephant, hippo, antelope and lion. The mountain rainforests are a vital water source  for the surrounding area and its economy. As part of SUSTAIN, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is working with one of Tanzania’s biggest rice producers, valley farmers and mountain villages in Kilombero to increase agricultural productivity while conserving forests, water sources and wildlife at a coordinated landscape level. A pillar of the programme is a payment for ecosystems services (PES) scheme.

Mangroves and beach forests provide coastal greenbelts that act as a protective buffer to sea level rise and storms. Moreover, they are particularly effective in mitigating global warming and rising carbon dioxide levels by capturing and storing carbon in both above- and below-ground biomass. On Panay Island, protection of remaining mangroves and rehabilitation of degraded areas is carried out by local communities and supported by local governments.

The Eco-Corridor Fund for the Caucasus (ECF) is a funding instrument supporting community-based biodiversity conservation in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Eco-corridors are created by connecting various classifications of parks and protected areas across all three countries. ECF uses contractual nature conservation agreements and a clear set of processes to fund ecologically sustainable land use in specific regions and selected communities in Armenia. The result is an interconnected mosaic of managed and unmanaged habitats under various land categories and classifications. These community-managed landscapes protect, connect and support healthy native ecosystems while ensuring the socio-economic status of the communities involved is not harmed or diminish, and in many cases is improved. ECF is a not-for profit, practical conservation organization funded by KfW Development Bank and WWF Germany.

AGRUPAR was developed on the basis of a broad, large community consultation. It explicitly recognizes the role of urban agriculture for wider social, ecological and economic development and works along the entire food chain. Training programmes help support community, family and school gardens. With over 3,600 urban gardens growing on 32 hectares and more than 21,000 people trained, AGRUPAR fosters food security, increases incomes, and enhances ecosystem functions. Its participants produce now more than 870,000 kg of food products per year for the city and more than 6,600 bio-fairs have been organized so far. The programme is part of Quito’s mission to become an entrepreneurial, sustainable and innovative city. Due to its impressive socioeconomic and environmental impact, and its participatory and holistic approach, AGRUPAR was recognized with the Future Policy Silver Award 2018, awarded by the World Future Council in partnership with FAO and IFOAM – Organics International.

Utooni Development Organization (UDO) is a non-governmental organization established in 2002 and registered in 2005. It is based on the early works of Utooni Development Project, a community-based self help group formed by Joshua Mukusya in 1978. Its vision is to build peaceful, healthy and happy interlinked self-sufficient communities through justified sustainable development.

The organization supports disadvantaged communities living in the arid and semi arid lands to transform their environment in a sustainable manner, enabling them to improve water supply, food production, income and health.

The process to develop an adaptive, community-driven and resilient co-management plan for the Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary (PKWS) in Cambodia addresses the need for climate change adaptation through a participatory approach. This plan will support ecosystem and social resilience through maintenance and restoration of mangrove areas; the development of alternative livelihoods, as well as conservation of key species.

London Wetland Centre is a re-creation of a historic wetland through an unusual partnership between the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) NGO, a water utility company, and a housing developer. Under this arrangement, around 3 hectares of the site was developed for housing, with proceeds used to create over 40 ha of natural wetlands. The site is managed by WWT, under a 125 year lease, as an important urban site for both wildlife and for people engagement

Sharm El-mia, a small bay on the outskirts of Sharm El-Sheikh city; the bay is an integral part of RMNP that includes Ras Mohammad Peninsula and the coasts of Sharm El-Sheikh. Being the main marina for diving and live-aboard boats, the bay suffered the accumulation of boats effluents that smothered marine life. Moving the marina to another location gave way to restoring the afflicted bay. The restoration process, which was carried out through partnership with various stakeholders, set an example of how to successfully coordinate work between actors who in many cases have conflicting interests. Overcoming red tape was a daunting mission that had to be accomplished. Marine life re-inhabited the bay, and benthic living cover was recorded in values comparable to similar sites. Bio-remediation of the ailing aquatic environment and elimination of potential pathogenicity induced by boats effluents was achieved. Finally, the bay was rendered viable to recreational tourism activities.

Through an inclusive approach, involving the community in land use planning and natural resource governance, supporting agro-forestry, equitable benefits sharing and poverty reduction, the Ekuri Initiative has addressed problems caused by deforestation and forest degradation, such as exacerbated climate change including drought, fire and flood, as well as food insecurity, illiteracy and poverty in Ekuri community in Cross River State, Nigeria.

A rights-based approach is an approach to avoiding deforestation. The indigenous territorial management program in the Madidi Landscape of Bolivia demonstrates that the recognition of indigenous land rights, local autonomy, and internal regulations of access and use of natural resources can significantly reduce forest loss over large forest areas. A recent study by WCS has shown that forest conservation strongly depends on local capacities of land management.

This project is improving the ecological connectivity between 2 protected areas in Sabah, Malaysia: Kinabalu Park (World Heritage site) and Crocker Range Biosphere reserve. It addresses the issue of forest fragmentation due to uncontrolled deforestation and expansion of agricultural activities by establishment of several community conserved areas (CCAs) in between both parks, habitat restoration, improving agriculture production and creating alternative incomes.

The Lower Mekong River Region is a biodiversity hotspot. Forests, rivers, flood planes and wetlands support innumerable species, and are the foundations of rural livelihoods and local economies. Over the past 30 years, human development has forced many of these ecological systems to exist within landscapes and seascapes of anthropological pressures. Recognizing that communities and economies are better suited to adapt to climate change if natural systems remain intact, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam formed a region-wide partnership to adopt action plans for the strategic expansion of the region’s protected area (PA) network, and to formally integrate PAs into national, sector and regional development. The collaborative effort of governments, NGOs and corporations continues to study the nexus of conservation and development, examining the role of PAs in poverty reduction and climate change mitigation.

Melbourne, Australia, is a fast growing city. As its suburbs expand to meet the needs of a growing population, municipal leaders are looking to protect wildlife habitat, provide green space for recreation and ensure that trees are available to manage the effects of climate change.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Resilient Melbourne have developed an urban forest plan that identifies opportunities to maintain and restore natural areas in the city. The Living Melbourne Strategy presents a transformative approach to responding to urban challenges with nature, and is a result of over two years of collaboration and evidence accumulation on how to connect, extend and enhance urban greening across the metropole.

Living Melbourne is a bold strategy for a greener, more liveable Melbourne into the future. In an unprecedented effort, Living Melbourne has been endorsed by 41 organisations representing local government, Victorian government, water authorities, statutory agencies and industry bodies.

Tanzania is a fast urbanising society. At the same time, urban residents are reliant on nature. Peri-urban agriculture, artisanal fishing and nature-based tourism support thousands of livelihoods. Dar Es Salaam is also located in a globally important biodiversity hotspot, the ‘East African Coastal Forest’.  Dar es Salaam has a long history of greening but the spatial allocation of greening funds have not been strategic. Based on this need, ‘A Thematic Atlas of Nature’s Benefits to Dar es Salaam’ was co-developed with a wide range of stakeholders. The Atlas was based on ecosystem services thinking and each of seven ‘themes’ in The Atlas represents an urban challenge, such as rising urban heat or flooding. Descriptive information about nature’s benefits in Dar es Salaam and the maps were packaged as an easy-to-read report and which is downloadable for free. The information and maps in the Atlas facilitate evidence-based decisions on where to invest in greening to achieve social outcomes.

WILD Spaces is a pollinator garden conservation education program for elementary schools offered by the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). This program is designed to connect children to nature and help protect native pollinator habitat in some of Canada’s largest cities.

The program pillars are online learning in a virtual classroom, service learning by enhancing pollinator habitat in a school or community garden, citizen science made easy through photography in the garden, and celebrating with recognition through CWF’s Garden Habitat Certification.

Subject to funding, eligible schools also receive free pollinator-friendly plants, field trips to botanical gardens and in-school workshops.

The Greater Cape Town Water Fund (GCTWF) was established by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and a coalition of partners in response to serious water insecurity in the greater Cape Town region.

The GCTWF brings together private and public sectors stakeholders to restore the catchments supplying the city’s water. The Fund aims to support and align with existing initiatives and act as a catalyst for systemic change in catchment management by cost-effective use of resources, strengthened capacity, and robust monitoring and evaluation.

The Fund will stimulate funding and implementation of catchment restoration efforts and, in the process, create jobs and momentum to protect global biodiversity and build more resilient communities in the face of climate change.

In 2018, the Fund published a business case for ecological infrastructure investment which articulated the value of landscape-level interventions to secure and protect critical water catchment areas around Cape Town.

The site was a former private golf course, out of use since 2015 and is now operated by South Lanarkshire Council. The land was vacant and derelict, and safety concerns were raised due to vandalism, fly-tipping, vehicle abandonment and fires. The conversion of the site into a new urban park presented an opportunity to address such anti-social behaviour and create a desirable area for positive activities and community development. South Lanarkshire Council provided the match funding for the project and applied for additional funding from the Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention, which was granted in 2017. A ‘friends of’ group was established during the implementation period of the project and became involved in community engagement as well as the on-going management and maintenance of the new park. 

Key aims

• Increase social inclusion
• Preserve and protect greenspace
• Improve habitat and increase biodiversity

The Kumamoto region has benefited from abundant groundwater, which covers almost 100% of the total water supply. This was made possible mainly by the three following factors: 1) a large groundwater basin of approximately 600 km2,  2) easy infiltration and huge storage of rainwater due to unique soils layers developed by volcanic activities, and 3) relatively higher annual rainfall. However, the amount of groundwater has decreased in recent years due large part to increasing water consumption and lowering rainfall infiltration caused by urbanization. To manage and conserve groundwater resources in a sustainable manner, the group of more than ten municipalities in the basin developed a comprehensive plan to control groundwater. Also, a foundation sponsored by governments, companies, and residents financially supports various projects and research activities for groundwater conservation.

Gauteng is South Africa’s smallest and most transformed province, situated in the threatened Grassland Biome. Gauteng maintains pockets of grassland forming crucial ecological corridors for wildlife, and Modderfontein Reserve is a stepping stone in this network. The vision for the reserve is to provide an urban open space that is socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable, accessible, and a place for people to connect with nature and embrace the importance of urban green spaces.

The reserve hosts school and scout groups, and its six walking trails, cycling routes, picnic area, and bird hides are very popular. The successful operation of the reserve is a result of strong partnerships that allow for all of these activities to run concurrently. The Endangered Wildlife Trust assists landowners to rehabilitate disturbed and transformed areas, and monitor progress as per an Environmental Management Plan, adapting management interventions as needed to restore the reserve’s ecological functioning.

The Middlefield Greenspace and Regeneration Project, run by the Aberdeen City Council with support from the Green Infrastructure Fund, aims to create a public space that offers a host of social and environmental improvements through urban regeneration.

The intention of the project is to reduce the risk of flooding through stormwater infrastructure improvements. This is supplemented with improved accessibility of the park, a range of formal and informal play opportunities, exercise trails (for a range of abilities), play areas, short grass areas, and picnic areas. Outdoor learning in nature is encouraged with wildflower areas, wetland planting and ponds.

The project was developed in consultation with the community between 2014 and 2016 and work was completed in November 2019.

Building with Nature is the UK’s first benchmark for high-quality green infrastructure and introduces a set of standards developed in partnership with industry that define high-quality Green Infrastructure at each stage of the lifecycle of green infrastructure, from design, through to implementation, and long-term management. Building with Nature offers formal Accreditation of both physical development and strategic policy documents. 

The benchmark acts as a ‘how-to guide’ for developers and planners to better understand ‘what good looks like’ and mitigate the potential for deterioration of quality as a development application moves through the planning and construction process, and as Green Infrastructure features are maintained into the long-term. The Building with Nature Standards are free to use, but Accreditation includes a fee for Assessment and Audit. End-users include developers, housebuilders, local authority planners, and a wide range of design and construction professionals.

Urban wetlands can benefit local populations through improved water quality, biodiversity, air quality and microclimate (cooling). However, there is a lack of information on how best to manage multi-use wetlands to maximise their role as nature-based solutions. The Earthwatch Institute is working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and WWF China to investigate best practice for wetland management for agriculture, tourism and conservation, with respect to the benefits they provide. Different land management approaches are being compared in two major wetlands near Shanghai and Guangzhou to improve understandings on the best management practices, as well as to identify how wetlands can help mitigate the adverse effects of land-use change and climate change.

Urban areas are prone to the effects of extreme rainfall events due to their largely impermeable surface cover. Intense rainfall hits tarmac or paving slabs and runs straight to drainage channels, reducing infiltration and increasing pollution downstream. 

Bioswales are artificial urban wetlands placed along streets and urban areas to act as infiltration basins. Built using wetland vegetation and porous soils, they replace impermeable surfaces with natural cover and slow the movement of water allowing it to be filtered and stored.

In six cities across North America, 71 bioswales were studied to assess how their design, the environment and the climate affected their functionality. Citizen scientists measured infiltration rate, classified soil type, mapped bioswale features and installed real-time soil moisture sensors on site. The results of the study showed that hydrological functionality of bioswales was strongly influenced by their management, age, size and initial soil type.

Cities often rely on concrete drainage channels to handle urban rainwater, carrying it from the streets and impermeable areas to local rivers and ponds. This grey solution not only transports water but also pollution and does not resolve the core issue of impermeable surfaces. Trees and urban parks can provide significant pluvial flood mitigation along with other benefits. The soil and roots of trees improve groundwater infiltration, whilst their branches and leaves intercept rainfall and evapotranspire water back into the atmosphere. This green solution attenuates the intensity of pluvial flooding by slowing and storing water during intense rain events. Citizen scientists collected data on the absorption capacity of urban trees and green spaces. They measured soil characteristics in 36 locations and gathered over 520 samples in public parks in London, Birmingham and Paris. These metrics are being used to calibrate models of the infiltration capacity of soil and reduction in run-off to determine avoided urban flood risk.

A common problem in the urban landscape is that of hard, impervious surfaces such as pavements, concrete buildings or asphalt roads, preventing the infiltration of rainwater into the soil. This has the effect of increasing flood risk while limiting the recharge of groundwater reserves. Hard grey surfaces also retain large quantities of heat energy and contribute to the urban heat-island effect.

Plants, trees and green spaces on the other hand can intercept water allowing it to infiltrate into the soil. Through evapotranspiration and the provision of shading, vegetation can help to cool the urban environment.

To reduce the area of impervious surfaces, the City of Antwerp organised the initiative of “Break Out” (Flemish: BreekUIT) which made citizens aware of the issue through a series of webinars and encouraged them to depave their property. For each 0.1 m² of hard surface that citizens removed on their own courtyard, terrace, front or rear facade, they received a free plant in return.

Artisanal mining can significantly degrade the environment. It is also a difficult sector to engage with given its informality and lack of institutional identity.

The Frugal Rehabilitation Methodology (FRM) is a practical approach that is economically affordable, socially acceptable and equally importantly, ecologically viable. FRM is comprised  of the following six steps:

1. Preparation and Planning;

2. Technical Rehabilitation;

3. Topsoils: identification, conservation/storage and use;

4. Biological rehabilitation;

5) Mitigation hierarchy/whole mine cycle approach;

6. Handover of completed rehabilitation site to relevant government administrations for approval/sign-off.

The technical and biological rehabilitation prescriptions are specifically designed for application at degraded and abandoned ASM sites as well as active ASM areas that are soon to be rehabilitated. The prescriptions are specifically designed for artisanal mining of alluvial and hard rock deposits.

Biodiversity was one of five priority sustainability themes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012. The remediation and construction of the site of the Olympic Park (now known as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) provided for the establishment of a large urban habitat patch with 45 hectares of new wildlife habitat in addition to recreational space for visitors. Prior to redevelopment, the park site was heavily impacted by invasive species and pollution from previous industrial use, and provided few social or ecological services. The Biodiversity Action Plan was compiled by the company for the delivery of Olympic Works (Olympic Delivery Authority) to guide park management. The plan outlined joint goals of biodiversity conservation, social well-being and economic welfare, emphasizing the provision of natural habitat and education of park visitors. It included a list of ’species aspirations’, or particular species that the park aimed to support, which facilitated planning to reach specific biodiversity goals.

In the heart of Cape Town, South Africa, lies the 12.5 ha Green Point Park. This recreational green space was redesigned as part of the construction of the Cape Town Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup back in 2010. The redesign included the creation of the Biodiversity Showcase Garden. The main goal of this garden was to highlight the unique Cape Flats Sand Fynbos habitat, which historically could be found throughout the Cape Town region. The rich biodiversity found within this type of habitat is endemic to the region but threatened by pressures such as urbanization. Three thematic areas in the garden include people and plants, the discovering biodiversity trail and the wetland walk. Displays hidden in and amongst the plants feature original artworks and interpretive boards with illustrations and photographs for people to explore this learn about the city’s remarkable native biodiversity.

The Kenilworth Racecourse is a well-established horse racing venue in Cape Town, South Africa, which has been functioning for over 130 years. Besides hosting world-renowned racing events, it is also the home of the Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (KRCA), a small but valuable nature reserve situated within the racecourse itself. KRCA is regarded as one of the best examples of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos remaining in the Cape Peninsula. Being one of the largest stretches of natural vegetation remaining in Cape Town’s Southern suburbs, KRCA’s fynbos is of great historic and cultural significance. Its educational potential is of great value, seeing how the natural habitat is situated within the urban environment. The KRCA is a natural goldmine and is jointly managed and preserved by Kenilworth Racing, the City of Cape Town Nature Conservation and CapeNature Conservation. 

As part of the development of the Olympic Village for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, a new island was constructed in the highly urban Lower False Creek inlet to create a habitat patch for fish and other wildlife. The Olympic Village was constructed in a former industrial area with degraded shoreline, high pollutant concentrations and low biodiversity value. To offset an area of degraded shoreline filled for the construction of the Olympic Village, the developers designed Habitat Island, a new island adjacent to the Olympic Village site with features including a naturalistic shoreline and native vegetation. Special resources, including intertidal habitat and naturalised wetlands in Hinge Park, which connects Habitat Island with the Olympic Village site, were also added to increase the biodiversity value of the area

Lower Mill Estate has been designed as a landscape-led redevelopment of a former quarry, providing up to 575 holiday homes in a green and blue setting in the heart of the Cotswolds. The scheme, which been Awarded an Excellent accreditation from Building with Nature, integrates a network of green infrastructure features which perform varied functionality for people and wildlife, both within the boundary of the scheme and beyond. 

The key ecological characteristics of the Estate comprise a rich variety of rivers, tributaries, drainage channels and open water bodies; watercourses lined with riparian vegetation with prominent lines of willows; scattered pattern of woodland copses resulting in a sense of enclosure and an intimate landscape; floristically rich hay meadows and pastoral land use; level land form with wide open skies; and modern waterside development with distinctive architectural style, making the most of building materials which reflect local vernacular.

With an Excellent accreditation from Building with Nature, Silverlake is a great example of how the natural landscape can be used as the starting point for site design and how that landscape can be protected into the future. 

The site was an active sand extraction quarry with a former landfill that had been restored to heathland, with a number of areas of woodland around the margins of the site and several waterbodies of various size, age and permanence. The scheme identified these important local character features as the basis for the green infrastructure proposals and incorporated them into the development in order to reference, reflect and enhance the local environment, contributing positively to a distinct sense of place whilst creating a multifunctional network that provides clear benefit to both people and wildlife. 

The entire development comprises 227 hectares, with the final built footprint will only take up 18% of the site.  

Urban Harvest works with communities to design, install and co-manage ecological, beautiful and highly productive urban food gardens.

Working at the individual, family and community scales, our projects provide jobs, skills, purpose and fresh organic food to the most vulnerable communities.

Through valuable corporate social investment, we are able to provide quality infrastructure, training and ongoing support to ensure thriving and sustainable home and community food gardens.
 

Biomatrix specialises in water restoration. Our Floating Ecosystems are engineered to improve water quality within rivers, lakes, ponds and canals as they increase aquatic life, leading to a balanced and revitalised waterscape.

Floating Ecosystems inject life into an area, as the islands provide an opportunity for nature and wildlife to take hold. Islands break up open water surfaces and provide shade under water. Plant roots provide habitat for Microbes to break down pollution and nutrients, and are a shelter and feeding ground for small fish. Mechanical aeration can further improve water quality. Birds can find an undisturbed nesting and resting space in areas where there is often little safety.

The Biomatrix floating ecosystem structure is designed to make wetland creation and water restoration possible, even in locations with waves, changing water levels, hard edges and fast currents. The structural floating technology allows thriving wetland communities to be created in challenging and dynamic waterbodies.

The Siyakhana Food Garden, our flagship project, is regarded as one of the most successful urban food gardens in the wider Johannesburg metropole, as well as a hallmark of intersectoral collaboration. This is largely because of its mission to make far-reaching impacts at local, provincial, and national levels. It is not simply a garden; it also serves as a platform for other activities that address the following five key objectives:

• Improving the availability of a wide variety of good and nutritious food;
• Conducting relevant and appropriate action-research that is influencing policy and strategies;
• Offering training to develop capacity among emerging leaders in the area of food gardens and sustainable livelihoods;
• Engaging in advocacy and networking activities; and
• Achieving financial sustainability through a self-funding social entrepreneurship model.

Our aims are to:

• Address food and nutrition security;
• Promote public and environmental health;
• Enhance entrepreneurship; and
• Support and enable sustainable smallholder enterprises.

Prinzessinnengarten Kollektiv Berlin is a social-ecological urban agriculture organisation in Berlin. Our goal is to set low-threshold opportunities for environmental education and to develop urban gardens as places for community learning about biodiversity, climate adaption and sustainable living in urban spaces. We transform urban land into publicly accessible green spaces such as community gardens, environmental education spaces for local institutions and urban vegetable fields for the ecological production of food. Our team hosts regular community gardening sessions to enable public citizens to participate in the cultivation of plants, learn about the principles of regenerative agriculture and the importance of biodiversity.

The NGO Cities Without Hunger sets up community gardens on vacant urban land in the city of São Paulo’s socioeconomically deprived East Zone (Zona Leste) to provide jobs, income, and to enhance food sovereignity.

Cities Without Hunger aims to enhance local residents’ spatially and economically restricted access to high-quality fresh produce (high rates of unemployment, a low density of farmers’ markets or supermarkets, low mobility). 

The NGO provides agricultural training for people who have poor chances on the regular job market as community gardeners. Since 2004, the NGO has implemented 25 community gardens together with about 115 local residents who have started earning their livelihoods as community gardeners. After one year, gardeners are able to manage their plots autonomously and sell their produce directly to the people from the neighbourhood. Along with gardeners’ families, some 650 people benefit from the project by having their livelihood guaranteed.

Augustenborg experienced socio-economic decline and floods from overflowing drainage. This collaborative solution aimed to retrofit the area with Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems as part of a broader regeneration project, thereby creating a more sustainable neighborhood and benefiting biodiversity. The main goal was to handle 70% of storm water from roofs and sealed areas, thus eliminating combined sewer overflow by lowering the total volume of storm water and reducing the peak flow rates.

In order to address the issue of water and flood management in Panamá the Municipality of Panama, the Dutch government and its pool of water experts and the NGO Wetlands International initiated a multi-stakeholder ‘Water dialogue’ restoring trust of flood affected communities and planning infrastructure including urban wetland reservoirs and regulatory adjustments.

The Greater Easterhouse Green Infrastructure Project, funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal and the GI Fund, worked to increase and enhance green spaces by introducing surface water management features that will reduce the risks and impacts of flooding as well as introducing a mix of habitats including wildflower meadows, wetlands, woodlands and grasslands.

The project improved open spaces through an integrated green and blue network in two focus areas – Cranhill/Ruchazie and Blairtummock, which together create a green finger connecting to the 7 Lochs Wetland Area. The project transformed some 29 ha within an area that has been identified as one of Scotland’s most socially and economically deprived communities.

West Dunbartonshire Council has transformed a contaminated derelict site – previously a primary school – in Clydebank, Glasgow, into an attractive and exciting community greenspace with biodiversity areas, outdoor education spaces, raised bed allotments and new recreational and exercise areas.

The project has delivered an additional two hectares of green infrastructure in an urban area of poor health and relatively high deprivation, where 80% of the population live within 500 metres of vacant and derelict land and where there is a clear shortfall of quality green space.

By contributing to improved health and well-being, and a new positive identity for this part of the town within wider regeneration efforts, it is helping make the community more resilient to challenges such as the impacts of climate change

Southside Housing Association (SHA) have undertaken major regeneration of social housing in the area surrounding the Halfway project in the Cardonald area of Glasgow, which sits within the most deprived 10% of data zones in Scotland. In order to complement these improvements, SHA – in partnership with the local community and Glasgow City Council – has completely transformed an underused open public space into a community park. Through a combination of nature-based interventions and community-led management, Halfway Community Park is helping to provide local solutions to social well-being (tackling issues like community integration, sustainable and active travel, and food production), surface water management, and air quality issues. 

Desde 2008, el proyecto Revolución de los Baldes impacta en la comunidad necesitada de Chico Mendes, ubicada en el barrio Monte Cristo, en Florianópolis-SC. El objetivo de este proyecto es fomentar la gestión comunitaria de residuos orgánicos, promover la agricultura urbana y la inclusión socioeconómica de los participantes en la iniciativa. En esta práctica, se aplica el método de compostaje termofílico en las esterillas estáticas con ventilación pasiva con el fin de reciclar los residuos orgánicos transformándolos en abonos orgánicos. La logística del proyecto se basa en la distribución de baldes a las familias interesadas en la segregación de los orgánicos en sus hogares y el posterior descarte en bombonas situadas en puntos de entrega voluntaria estratégicamente distribuidos en las calles. Los jóvenes que participan en la iniciativa son responsables de la concienciación de la comunidad sobre la adecuada separación de los residuos orgánicos en origen.

AGRUPAR was developed on the basis of a broad, large community consultation. It explicitly recognizes the role of urban agriculture for wider social, ecological and economic development and works along the entire food chain. Training programmes help support community, family and school gardens. With over 3,600 urban gardens growing on 32 hectares and more than 21,000 people trained, AGRUPAR fosters food security, increases incomes, and enhances ecosystem functions. Its participants produce now more than 870,000 kg of food products per year for the city and more than 6,600 bio-fairs have been organized so far. The programme is part of Quito’s mission to become an entrepreneurial, sustainable and innovative city. Due to its impressive socioeconomic and environmental impact, and its participatory and holistic approach, AGRUPAR was recognized with the Future Policy Silver Award 2018, awarded by the World Future Council in partnership with FAO and IFOAM – Organics International.

A common problem in the urban landscape is that of hard, impervious surfaces such as pavements, concrete buildings or asphalt roads, preventing the infiltration of rainwater into the soil. This has the effect of increasing flood risk while limiting the recharge of groundwater reserves. Hard grey surfaces also retain large quantities of heat energy and contribute to the urban heat-island effect.

Plants, trees and green spaces on the other hand can intercept water allowing it to infiltrate into the soil. Through evapotranspiration and the provision of shading, vegetation can help to cool the urban environment.

To reduce the area of impervious surfaces, the City of Antwerp organised the initiative of “Break Out” (Flemish: BreekUIT) which made citizens aware of the issue through a series of webinars and encouraged them to depave their property. For each 0.1 m² of hard surface that citizens removed on their own courtyard, terrace, front or rear facade, they received a free plant in return.

West Dunbartonshire Council has transformed a contaminated derelict site – previously a primary school – in Clydebank, Glasgow, into an attractive and exciting community greenspace with biodiversity areas, outdoor education spaces, raised bed allotments and new recreational and exercise areas.

The project has delivered an additional two hectares of green infrastructure in an urban area of poor health and relatively high deprivation, where 80% of the population live within 500 metres of vacant and derelict land and where there is a clear shortfall of quality green space.

By contributing to improved health and well-being, and a new positive identity for this part of the town within wider regeneration efforts, it is helping make the community more resilient to challenges such as the impacts of climate change