Plan Urban Areas for Human Well-Being and Biodiversity
Significantly increase the area and quality, and connectivity of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces in urban and densely populated areas sustainably, by mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ensure biodiversity-inclusive urban planning, enhancing native biodiversity, ecological connectivity and integrity, and improving human health and well-being and connection to nature, and contributing to inclusive and sustainable urbanization and to the provision of ecosystem functions and services.
The Urban Biodiversity
Biodiversity is probably not top of mind if you live in a city. There’s so much going on. Getting on the subway, rushing to work, coordinating your life. It can be hard to remember that we are biodiversity, too. Nevertheless, if you like humans and humanity, if you care about the miracle that is us, our living conditions deserve some love.
The framework’s technical language may no invoke love, but its intentions are full of it.
There may not be a lot of love in the framework’s technical language, but its intentions are full of it.This target’s language could be translated like this:“We need to build more parks, gardens, and ponds in cities and other places where lots of people live. Existing nature areas could be made even nicer and should be easy to visit so that everyone can enjoy plants and animals and breathe clean air. We should make our cities safe and green because this will help us to be happy, healthy, and connected to nature.”
This target is very kind. It’s about all the lovely things we get from biodiversity if we start to value it right. So, what’s the value of invaluable?