Cities play a critical role in the global community to increase collective action and cumulative positive impacts for nature. Groundbreaking cities inspire and prompt other cities to take action, learn from each other, receive international recognition for their contributions and successes, and build the case for scaling up projects and attracting funding for nature.

A new Action Platform from CitiesWithNature, is now available to enable cities to make voluntary contributions towards achieving global and national biodiversity targets. Topics covered by the Action Platform include everything from nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration and conservation, to biodiversity mainstreaming, financing and circular economy.

“Cities and subnational governments are key to the successful implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is contributing to the Action Platform, housed by CitiesWithNature and partnered with over 200 cities globally. The CitiesWithNature Action Platform is aligned with the 2030 Action Targets in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and makes it easy for cities to share their commitments, set their own targets, track their progress, and see how their actions compare with other cities in their country, and globally. It also helps cities gather information on how they contribute to their countries’ National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and can support national reporting to the UN CBD.
With more than 80% of global GDP generated in cities and more than half of global GDP estimated to be dependent on nature, it is clear that cities have a critical role to play in ensuring nature is restored and protected. Local and subnational governments have the power to integrate nature into the way cities work, through policy reform, advocacy and on-the-ground interventions.

“By joining CitiesWithNature and using the Action Platform, cities across the world can commit ambitious actions that contribute to national and global biodiversity and nature goals, and easily track their achievements individually and collectively. It is fitting that the Action Platform is opening to coincide with Earth Hour, as a catalyst for urgent change to shape our future,” said Kobie Brand, Global Director of ICLEI’s City Biodiversity Centre.

Find the full article on the CitiesWithNature website here.