WCC 2020 Res 067 - Activity Report

As part of the global strategy on the roll-out of the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes (UNI) and its web-platform, the Secretariat is developing a professional certificate on measuring and monitoring urban nature, set to kick-off in February 2025. The course will focus on the themes and structure of the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes and will leverage existing applications of the methodology. IUCN staff, Commissions and partners will teach how to use the UNI to evaluate, plan, and measure the impact of urban conservation initiatives; train attendants on scientific methodologies to assess cities’ influence on urban biodiversity and tackle challenges related to nature conservation as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation; and finally present case studies from initiatives applying these lessons to local contexts.

The adoption of IUCN’s Urban Nature Indexes has been a pivotal step in advancing the implementation of the resolution "Call for Nature in Cities Agendas and Strengthening the IUCN Urban Alliance." These Indexes provide a standardized framework to measure, monitor, and report on the ecological performance of urban areas, empowering cities to integrate nature-based solutions into their planning processes. By highlighting key indicators such as green space accessibility, biodiversity health, and ecosystem services, the indices enable policymakers, urban planners, and IUCN members to evaluate progress toward achieving nature-positive outcomes in cities. Their uptake has fostered collaboration among local governments, civil society, and private sectors, ensuring that urban agendas prioritize biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. This tool has also reinforced the Urban Alliance’s mission to mainstream nature in urban development globally, demonstrating how data-driven approaches can scale up urban nature solutions. The IUCN urban nature indexes were already applied by cities such as Guatemala City, Mexico City, Berlin, San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina),

The Secretariat has coordinated urban-related sessions at different international events to promote the Union’s work on urban conservation and highlight some key strategic partnerships. Some examples include the 19th session of the Global Forum on Human Settlements (New York, USA, 24 October 2024), where IUCN was a co-organiser and developed a session on urban Nature-based Solutions. The 16th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Cali, Colombia, 21 October – 1 November 2024) was a platform where conversations around nature-positive urban development, monitoring frameworks for urban biodiversity and subnational government engagement took place. The Berlin Urban Nature Pact, a new framework for cities to contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework which is supported by IUCN and ICLEI was launched at CBD-COP16.Finally, the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (Cairo, Egypt, 4-8 November 2024) hosted an IUCN-led high-level panel on green infrastructure. As part of these events, partner organisations, subnational governments, IUCN members, Secretariat staff and IUCN Councillors have been mobilised to raise awareness of the urban programme of work.