Declaration of nagoya
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The document is a declaration from Mayors and Governors meeting in Nagoya, Japan recognizing that rapid urbanization is a major driver of biodiversity loss. It acknowledges that local authorities have an important role to play in implementing objectives to prevent further loss. It outlines key actions that cities and local authorities can take to better manage and support biodiversity, such as through urban planning, resource management, and education. It pledges support for a plan of action to engage local governments in biodiversity conservation efforts through 2020.
Declaration of nagoya
- 1. AICHI/NAGOYA DECLARATION ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND BIODIVERSITY We, Mayors, Governors and other high‐level officialsi meeting in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, from October 24‐26, at the occasion of the City Biodiversity Summit 2010 during the International Year of Biodiversity: recognize that rapid urbanization is one of the drivers of global biodiversity loss, and local authoritiesii have a critical role to play in implementing the objectives of the CBDiii to prevent the continuation of this loss, and we commit to pursuing this goal; appeal to all local governments of the world and their citizens, as well as the CBD Parties and the international community, to support us in this endeavor. This Declaration outlines our reasons, our actions, and our intentions. Cities, local authorities and biodiversity Cities and local authorities are heavily dependent on ecosystems and their services, within and beyond their jurisdictions. Cities in particular are home to more than half of the world’s population, and are responsible for a disproportionately large ecological footprint, which threatens the health of the planet’s ecosystems. At the same time local authorities have a profound potential to affect positive change. Innovations in lifestyle, technology and governance crucial to the transition to a sustainable world economy, are driven by city life. Local authorities are well placed to affect action on the ground, for example as follows. 1) Services of urban ecosystems: The loss of biodiversity impairs the functioning of ecosystems within and around cities. This creates problems such as the heat island effect, urban flooding, freshwater scarcity, the spread of diseases such as malaria, and the reduction of the self‐purifying capacity of natural ecosystems. Climate change exacerbates many of these effects. We need to value and manage ecosystems as important “green” infrastructure that supports cities. 2) Potential of urban ecosystems: Despite the enormous pressure that urbanization exerts on ecosystems, a large number of species inhabit cities. Appropriate design and management of cities’ green areas and blue areas (wetlands) is essential not only for the maintenance of existing biodiversity but also for the recovery of species and habitats. We must embrace the potential of the urban ecosystem for supporting biodiversity; and for re‐connecting people with nature to foster appreciation for the natural world and to build healthier societies. 3) Dependence on ecosystems outside cities: Cities usually rely on the ecosystems of non‐urban areas for most resources, including such critical services as the supply of water. City dwellers’ demand for global resources is one of the greatest drivers of global biodiversity loss. The decline of the Earth’s ecosystems poses a serious threat to the sustainability of cities, as it does to the Earth as a whole. But if cities exercise their strong influence over production, distribution, and consumption in an appropriate manner, cities can contribute substantially to the recovery of the Earth’s ecosystems. 4) Problem‐solving ability of cities and local authorities: Local governments provide many services that affect biodiversity both positively and negatively, such as procurement choices, land use planning, strategic investment decisions and the management of water and waste. Increasing partnerships with citizens, businesses, NGOs and governments will achieve outcomes that local governments cannot achieve alone. The contribution of cities and local authorities Biodiversity and ecosystems need to be valued and managed as part of cities’ infrastructure and integrated into all aspects of local governance including urban planning, financial planning, transportation, trade and economic incentive mechanisms, procurement policies, infrastructure development and service delivery. We recognize the importance of efforts that have been, and can be, made by cities and local authorities and we encourage an increase and enhancement of these efforts, such as: 1. Managing the urban environment to benefit biodiversity and to expose citizens to nature 2. Implementing strategic city and regional planning to reduce urban sprawl 1
- 2. 3. Managing the entire landscape, in partnership with neighboring authorities, through an ecosystem approach 4. Managing urban and peri‐urban agriculture and forestry, and nurturing supply links to city markets 5. Facilitating more sustainable consumption of resources that impact on biodiversity through green procurement 6. Establishing synergistic partnerships (with citizens, the private sector, organizations, institutions, other levels of government and other local authorities) 7. Raising biodiversity awareness amongst the public, especially the youth, about the value of ecosystems and biodiversity and their importance to life on Earth 8. Supporting global or regional networks of cities and local authorities with common missions related to biodiversity, such as the ICLEI and IUCN’s LAB programiv, the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Citiesv and others” International cooperation among cities and local authorities Various efforts have been made by local authorities and their partner organizations to move forward their biodiversity mandate. This is demonstrated through: countless initiatives conducted by local authorities around the world; key declarations and commitments by local governments towards recognizing the pivotal importance of biodiversity conservation at the local levelvi; the coordinating and facilitating efforts by relevant organizations and bodies including the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversityvii and its Advisory Committee of cities and other core participants. Research and academic institutions with output focused specifically on biodiversity assessment, planning and design of resilient and biodiversity‐friendly cities have also begun to play a supportive role and we welcome further contribution through studies such as TEEBviii; forums such as URBIOix; and organizations such as UNESCO; and encourage relevant institutions to convene scientific conferences at the margins of future COPs, in line with the opportunities for exchanges presented by Bonn and Aichi/Nagoya. This should be complemented by increased research on various aspects of urban biodiversity, including its importance as a means for connecting people and nature. Cities and local authorities support the Plan of Action on Sub‐national Governments, Cities and other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2011‐2020) We acknowledge that critical efforts are also being made at the level of the Parties to the CBD to support local authorities. COP9 Decision IX/28x historically acknowledges the “…multiple reasons for promoting the engagement of cities and local authorities in the implementation of the Convention”. Realizing the need for this landmark decision to be advanced into clear actions to support and facilitate actions by cities and local authorities, we hereby pledge our support for the Parties’ adoption of the Plan of Action on Sub‐national Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2011‐2020) at COP10. We furthermore pledge our support for our national governments in implementing the objectives of the CBD and other biodiversity‐relevant multilateral environmental agreements at the local level, in addition to our local‐level contributions, by: 1. Cooperating with national governments and others in the development of relevant tools, best practice examples, capacity building programs and innovative financial mechanisms to implement the 2011‐ 2020 Strategic Plan of the CBD; 2. Developing, enhancing and implementing Local Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans in line with national guidelines, frameworks and updated NBSAPs; 2
- 3. 3. Simultaneously addressing various elements of a sustainable society, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, water resource management, poverty alleviation, education, health etc., in the recognition that these elements are all closely linked; 4. Monitoring and evaluating our progress on biodiversity initiatives as an integrated part of the overall reporting system; setting benchmarks for local level biodiversity management in line with the 2011‐ 2020 CBD indicator framework to be developed in the future; and using tools such as the City Biodiversity Indexxi; reporting on progress to national governments in line with their CBD reporting obligations; 5. Participating, as appropriate and feasible, in CBD activities, meetings and initiatives, in support of their national delegations; Taking the voice of local authorities to the COP high‐level segment We mandate our hosts, the Governor of Aichi Prefecture and the Mayor of Nagoya City, to represent us all at the high‐level segment of COP10 by sharing this Declaration as a statement of the outcomes of the City Biodiversity Summit. The Governor and the Mayor will thereby also share with the Ministers representing all CBD Parties our support of the Plan of Action on Sub‐national Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2011‐2020) being considered, as well as our commitment to support its implementation at local level. Acknowledgements We thank Aichi Prefecture, the City of Nagoya and the Aichi‐Nagoya COP10 CBD Promotion Committee for hosting the City Biodiversity Summit 2010. We hope that the next COP host city will continue the successful example demonstrated by Curitiba, Bonn and Aichi/Nagoya, providing cities and local authorities worldwide with an essential opportunity to engage with one another and contribute, on the global stage, to the movement towards stemming the tide of biodiversity loss. i Leaders from more than 200 local governments attended the City Biodiversity Summit 2010 ii “Cities and local authorities” in this context includes rural towns and human settlements smaller than cities, as well as regional authorities iii CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) (online): http://www.cbd.int/convention/about.shtml entered into force on 29 December 1993. It has 3 main objectives: 1) The conservation of biological diversity; 2) The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; 3) The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources iv For more information see www.iclei.org/lab v For more information see www.aseansec.org/network vi CURITIBA DECLARATION ON CITIES AND BIODIVERSITY (on line): http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/biodiv/mayors‐01/mayors‐01‐ declaration‐en.pdf; CITIES AND BIODIVERSITY BONN CALL FOR ACTION (on line): http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/template/project_templates/LABbonn2008/user_upload/Press/BonnCall_FINAL_29May08.pdf; ERFURT DECLARATION, URBIO 2008 (on line): http://www.fh‐rfurt.de/urbio/httpdocs/content/ErfurtDeclaration_Eng.php; DURBAN COMMITMENT (on line): http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/template/project_templates/localactionbiodiversity/user_upload/LAB_Files/Durban_Commitment_14_Aug 2008.pdf; SECOND CURITIBA DECLARATION ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND BIODIVERSITY (online, in six languages): http://www.cbd.int/authorities/informationresources.shtml; The Nagoya Declaration‐URBIO2010: http://www.cbd.int/authorities/doc/NagoyaDeclaration‐URBIO‐2010.pdf vii The Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity Advisory Committee consists of the cities of Nagoya, Montréal, Curitiba and Bonn. Others playing a leading role in the Partnership are the CBD Secretariat, ICLEI and IUCN and their Local Action for Biodiversity Programme, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‐HABITAT), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Singapore. viii The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: http://www.teebweb.org ix URBIO 2010(URBIO2010 International Conference Website): http://www.jilac.jp/URBIO2010/doku.php x COP 9 DECISION IX/28: PROMOTING ENGAGEMENT OF CITIES AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES (on line): http://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop‐09/cop‐09‐dec‐28‐en.pdf xi For more information see www.cbd.int/authorities/gettinginvolved/cbi.shtml 3