Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook
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Local Action for Biodiversity, an ICLEI and IUCN Program The Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Program is a global partnership between ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). ICLEI is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. ICLEI is the largest international association of local governments as determined by budget, personnel or scale of operations with well over 1,000 cities, towns, counties, and their associations worldwide comprising a growing membership (www.iclei.org/). IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network – a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and non-government member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries (www.iucn.org/). The LAB Program assists and interacts with local authorities in a variety of ways. Technical support is provided in the form of ongoing communication, provision of guidelines, document review, presentations, etc. as well as access to IUCN’s extensive network of scientists. As participants in the LAB Program, local authorities are provided various networking opportunities to share their challenges and successes, including regular international workshops. Profiling is also achieved at various international forums which showcase the efforts of participating local authorities through exhibitions, presentations and reports. Increasingly, the LAB Program is playing a critical role in global advocacy, providing a platform for local authorities to voice their input and to demonstrate the importance of their role in stemming the tide of global biodiversity loss (www.iclei.org/lab). The Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook: Biodiversity Management for Local Governments was prepared by the LAB Program Coordination Team, written by Shela Patrickson, André Mader and Kate Berrisford and edited by Marlene Laros and Lee Jones of MLA – Sustainability Matters. Shona Young of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability was responsible for the production management and design coordination of the Guidebook. Hayley Rowse of Fireworks Design undertook the design and layout of this publication. Supporting Local Action for Biodiversity: The Role of National Governments, published by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and UN-HABITAT, is a complementary publication to the LAB Guidebook. This publication includes guidelines on how national governments can support their local counterparts in the implementation of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (www.cbd.int/authorities/informationresources.shtml). Copyright information: Published by International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (Pty) Ltd. © 2010. Recommended citation: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. 2010. Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook: Biodiversity Management for Local Governments. Laros MT and Jones FE (Eds). Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information in this Guidebook at the time of publication and to correctly acknowledge photographs. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability accepts no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, any errors or omissions contained herein. This Guidebook is printed on SAPPI Triple Green paper, an environmentally friendly paper stock made from chlorine-free sugar cane fiber to support sustainable afforestation in South Africa. | 1 FOREWORD Mr. David Cadman President: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability ICLEI’s Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Program has pioneered a critical development in the field of biodiversity conservation, networking and working with leading cities around the globe towards enhancing the planning, management and mainstreaming of biodiversity in an urban context. The importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services to cities cannot be overemphasized, and nor can the importance of the role of cities’ managers and inhabitants in sustaining the integrity of the world’s biodiversity. Consider the fact that most of the world’s population now resides in cities and that urban biodiversity represents a rare opportunity to remind them of the central role played by biodiversity more broadly in the sustainability of humankind. As local governments and local government organizations, it is therefore our responsibility to take a leading role in the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. This LAB Guidebook is one of the most important contributions of the LAB Program, in collaboration with various cities and international organizations, and is a groundbreaking first in the international arena for cities and biodiversity. Dr. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka Executive Director: UN-HABITAT Societies’ well-being is totally dependent upon the continued flow of ‘ecosystem services’. The main beneficiaries of many of the services of ecosystems and biodiversity are the poor. The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of natural resources will therefore severely constrain efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. In the past, biodiversity conservation and ecosystems protection have been viewed as the domain and responsibility of national governments with little attention or focus on the local government level. However, more recently, it has been recognized that the role of the local level is increasingly relevant, especially in light of rapid urbanization. As a founding member of the Global Partnership for Cities and Biodiversity, we support the LAB Initiative as an integral, implementing component to ensure that the urban poor will profit from such an initiative focusing on local government. The Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook: Biodiversity Management for Local Governments is therefore essential, as it gives practical guidance for local government practitioners to manage local biodiversity. Dr. Ashok Khosla President: IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice. Our Countdown 2010 initiative has created a powerful network of active partners, including hundreds of local and regional governments, working together towards the 2010 biodiversity target, facilitating and encouraging action, promoting the importance of the 2010 biodiversity target and assessing progress towards it. We are pleased to have been involved with the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Program since its inception and to have been able to contribute to the production of the Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook: Biodiversity Management for Local Governments through our longstanding partnership with ICLEI and LAB. We see this publication as an invaluable tool to help cities around the world to meet global and local biodiversity targets. ii | Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf Executive Secretary: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity At its 9th meeting, in Bonn in 2008, the Conference of the Parties to the CBD formally adopted the decision of “Promoting engagement of cities and local authorities” (decision IX/28). This landmark decision is testament to the increasing recognition of the crucial importance of cities and local authorities in implementing the Convention. Furthermore, this is the first time that one of the three Rio Conventions (on biodiversity, climate change and desertification) has recognized the importance of the role of local authorities in implementing the Rio Agenda. The City Biodiversity Summit 2010: Local Governments Acting for Biodiversity held in conjunction with the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10), Nagoya, Japan will carry this mandate forward. Biodiversity loss needs to be addressed through integrated and synergized efforts that simultaneously address poverty, climate change, water scarcity, growth in demand, development, conflict, and the many other challenges that face our world. As the sphere of government ‘on the ground’, local authorities have a critical and direct role to play in these efforts. Therefore formal recognition of their role is a very significant step towards addressing these issues. The Local Action for Biodiversity Guidebook: Biodiversity Management for Local Governments is a pioneering example of the kind of coordinated action required and will be an invaluable global resource for cities and local authorities around the world. Ms. Nosipho Ngcaba Director General: Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa National Governments are increasingly recognizing the critical importance of local governments in taking direct local action to protect biodiversity which is a ‘societal asset’ and a national heritage. South Africa’s commitments to local action are reflected in the Indaba Declaration on the Environment, July 2009. As a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, our partnership with ICLEI has strengthened our commitments and improved our effectiveness in delivering key benefits to the local sphere of government. The Department of Environmental Affairs has been instrumental in developing