2010 United Nations’ policy report more relevant than ever!

Extract from the Foreword:
‘The world is on the brink of a confounding crisis, which is brought about by a cumulating cascade of factors such as rapid changes in our natural climatic conditions, environmental degradation brought about by unsustainable production and consumption practices, depletion of  environmental and biological resources, and a sharp decline in various indicators of well-being.  […] This would require us to pay more attention to the enhancement and maintenance of natural resources and processes as wellfunctioning ecosystems with the diversity of resources contained therein so as to enable sustainable production, consumption, and related livelihood activities. […] In this context, I am pleased to state that the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has been actively contributing to advancing awareness of various concerns related to biodiversity and ecosystems among a variety of stakeholders. Our research has straddled areas in the interface between the natural world, human aspirations, and wellbeing consequences. We have focused especially on the notion of fostering equitable transactions between different stakeholders over the years.’
(Govindan Parayil, Director UNU-IAS and Vice-Rector UNU)

In section 4 of the publication, Instruments for Improving the Contribution of Cities to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the authors state:
‘As the rule of interdependent adjacencies in urban ecology has it: the more diversity, and the more collaboration between “unlikely partners”, the better the chances for biodiversity, sustainability, and resilience (Hester, 2006). Linked to this idea is the concept of Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPULs), which represent a powerful urban design instrument for achieving local sustainability while reducing cities’ ecological footprints (Viljoen, 2005).’

Reference: Puppim de Oliveira, José A., Balaban, Osman, Doll, Christopher N.H., Moreno-Peñaranda, Raquel, Gasparatos, Alexandros, Iossifova, Deljana and Suwa, Aki (2010) Cities, biodiversity and governance: perspectives and challenges of the implementation of the convention on biological diversity at the city level, Policy Report, Yokohama: United Nations University.