World Conservation Congress Session 790 URBAN DIMENSIONS OF NATURE CONSERVATION: ROLES FOR IUCN

1. 1900 Introductory remarks:Ted Trzyna and Dongwon Shin 1905 Ted Trzyna: Urban dimensions of nature conservation: Why IUCN must take them much more seriously – and options for doing so Discussion 1930 Glen Hyman: The Urban Protected Areas Best Practice Guidelines Project Comments: Fook Yee WongBrief remarks: Russell Galt, Shahid S. Khan, Mary-Lou Dixon Discussion 2000 Bong-Ho Han: Ecological urban management of a buffer zone by ecosystem service function: The example of Bukhansan National Park and Seoul, Korea Junghoon Ki: Mudeungsan Provincial Park: Role of buffer zones and proposals for national park status Discussion Rapporteur: Mike Paparian World Conservation Congress Session 790URBAN DIMENSIONS OF NATURE CONSERVATION: ROLES FOR IUCN

2. URBAN DIMENSIONS OF NATURE CONSERVATION:Roles for IUCNTED TRZYNAChair, Urban Specialist GroupIUCN World Commission on Protected AreasIUCN Commission Chair Emeritus(Environmental Strategy and Planning, 1990-96)President, InterEnvironment Institute(IUCN Member)Senior Research FellowClaremont Graduate University

3. The context UN HABITAT Global Urban Observatory

4. Our message simply put: • Conservation needs urban people • Urban people need conservation

5. On one hand . . . Conservation needs urban people

6. Conservation needs urban people The wildest and remotest places on earth, the most imperiled species on earth, The chain of life sustaining human life on earth will be protected only if urban people care about nature.

7. Conservation needs urban people Nature conservation depends on support from urban voters and urban donors. But in an urbanizing world, urban people have less and less contact with nature. People will value nature only if they know it.

8. Conservation needs urban people Conservationists must take urban people and urban places much more seriously. Unless they do so, they will struggle for relevance in the years to come.

9. On the other hand . . . Urban people need conservation

10. Urban people need conservation • People need nature for their wellbeing Reservoir in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, India

11. Urban people need conservation • There are “natural solutions” to the challenges posed by climate change in urban areas Mangroves protect Mumbai from storm surges

12. Urban people need conservation • Urban farming depends on healthy natural environments Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: pop. 1960, 0.5m; 2010, 6.1m; 2015, 9.4m

13. Other reasons • Urban areas are often rich in biodiversity Cape Town, South Africa, and the Table Mountain ghost frog (IUCN Critically Endangered) found only on the mountain

14. More reasons • Urban sprawl is a major threat to biodiversity San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA The highly endemic Alameda striped racer (California and U.S. Threatened; IUCN not assessed)

15. Even more reasons • Urban protected areas are important components of urban ecological design Hong Kong Country Parks framing the heart of the city

16. Still more reasons • Urban ports, airports, and gardens are entry points for invasive exotic species The Asian clam Corbula amurensis came in ballast water and spread quickly through San Francisco Bay

17. Final reasons • Concentration of people in urban areas is energy efficient and can alleviate pressure on wild and rural areas • Cities can have major negative impacts on surrounding ecosystems

18. What is not our message This initiative is notmainly about: • Cities as governments • Conventional urban parks • Urban “greening” defined as promoting solar energy, recycling, etc. (although these are all important)

19. The IUCN Urban Initiative • Started 2002 • The Urban Imperative: 2003 workshop and book (accessible online)

20. The IUCN Urban Initiative • Participated in numerous meetings and projects around the world • Secured passage of an IUCN Resolution

21. Findings • The mainstream conservation movement has a cultural bias toward remote, wilder places • This needs to change • Those engaged with the built environment tend to have a bias against the mainstream conservation movement • Bridge-building is needed

22. We’re at a turning point • Recommendations to IUCN President Ashok Khosla, October 2011 • IUCN Council action, February 2012

23. IUCN Council action • This workshop and the work leading up to it and to follow • A task force

24. Who has been involved Some of the IUCN leaders involved: • Adrian Phillips, former IUCN Programme Director and Commission Chair • Jeff McNeely, former IUCN Chief Scientist • George Rabb, former Commission Chair • Ted Trzyna, former Commission Chair

25. Australia Brazil Canada China Croatia France Germany Guyana Hong Kong Hungary India Israel Italy Kenya Korea, Rep. of Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Philippines Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Taiwan UK USA SPREP UNESCO The World Bank Urban Specialist Group members

26. What IUCN can do (1) First, keep in mind that we should: • Build on existing activities of Members, Commissions, and the Secretariat • Take IUCN’s general two-track approach: Influence policy-making and demonstrate and exchange experience on the ground

27. What IUCN can do (2) We can: • Contribute expertise on linking cities and nature to intergovernmental processes • Promote broader awareness globally of the inter-connectedness of cities and nature

28. What IUCN can do (3) We can: • Build alliances between conservationists and those concerned with the whole range of issues facing cities • Design and test better methods of connecting urban people, urban places, and nature

29. What IUCN can do (4) We can: • Include urban dimensions in projects that traditionally have focused on rural areas • Make progress on the ground in several pilot urban areas

30. What IUCN can do (5) We can: • Encourage urban zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens and natural history museums to include exhibits and outreach on nature in the local environment • Link these to urban protected areas

31. What IUCN can do (6) To support this, we can: • Recruit as IUCN Members, or connect with, organizations concerned with urban dimensions of conservation • Recruit more “urban specialists” to the membership of IUCN’s six Commissions

32. Criteria for an IUCN structure First, keep in mind that any structure should: • Be led by people who understand how IUCN works • Draw on people with the skills needed to work with those concerned with the built environment

33. Criteria for an IUCN structure . . . and remember that: The challenge is not to incorporate urban expertise in IUCN, but to connect to it

34. Best options for IUCN structure A combination of: • Forming an IUCN Urban Coalition • Strengthening the Urban Specialist Group • Designating an urban advocate on IUCN Council • Including urban dimensions in IUCN projects

35. An IUCN Urban Coalition A “self-organizing” coalition of: • IUCN Member organizations • Units of Commissions • Units of the Secretariat (regional and thematic) • Other organizations to be invited

36. Less desirable options (Reasons are given in the online paper) • Establishing a Secretariat unit on urban affairs • Relying on umbrella organizations • Setting up an intercommission task force • Forming a separate NGO with other partners • Creating a new Commission • Creating a group similar to IUCN’s high-level Science Advisory Board

37. Next steps • Action by the newly elected IUCN Council • An IUCN Urban Coalition • An IUCN urban strategy • Continue to strengthen the WCPA Urban Specialist Group

38. Information and contacts IUCN Urban Portal: IUCN-URBAN.ORG