URBIO workshop 2013 - Global Research Agenda for Urban Biodiversity, Ecosystem services and Design

Erfurt/Germany 22 and 23 July 2013 with pre-excursion 21 July

 

Please find here for download the Proceedings of the workshop as PDF (3,3MB).

You can also view and download the presentations and results of the workshop.

Please find here for download the summarised results as PDF (6,1MB).

Please read more about and do the URBIO research agenda online survey.

 

 

Aims:
Detect the research needs in and create ideas for a global research agenda on urban biodiversity, ecosystem services, and design for the CBD Major Group “Local Authorities”.

Organisers:
URBIO Headquarters, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) & ICLEI

Workshop Chair:
Norbert Müller, URBIO President & Headquarters, University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, Germany
 

Funding:
German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) & German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

Participants:
URBIO Advisory Board members, CBO contributors and representatives of ICLEI & IUCN - by invitation only

Background:
The CBD "Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity 2011-2020" provided options for national governments and their partners in implementation for facing the challenges of biodiversity loss from the urban perspective. During the workshop the research needs will be discussed among the URBIO Advisory Board, the contributors of the CBO (Global Biodiversity Outlook) and representatives of the SCBD and ICLEI. The discussion should be based on existing bibliographic studies on urban biodiversity, ecosystem services and design, the findings of Cities and Biodiversity Outlook; as well as the needs stated by local governments.
A goal of the workshop is the creation of a global and regional research agenda for the necessary scientific fields and skills needed for effective work in urban biodiversity; monitoring and measurement tools for urban ecosystem services and footprints; policy and governance instruments for sub-national and local action (linking all levels of government); urban studies on fragmentation and connectivity; and design considerations of urban biodiversity.

Questions:
Main Questions are:

• What are our main research needs in urban biodiversity, ecosystem services and design aspects of urban biodiversity?

• What useful knowledge is currently available and what are critical knowledge gaps?

• What information do decision makers in government and other sectors need from researchers and experts now? How can we learn what decision makers need to know?
   

These questions should be more detailed:

• Learning: How can we do a better job of translating practitioners’ and citizens’ questions and needs for urban biodiversity conservation into our science research frameworks? How do we do a better job of translating scientist’s questions and needs into our design, planning, management and policy frameworks?

• Communication: How can we infuse our ‘science’ into the actions of managers and urban professionals? How can we infuse the activities and pressures on managers and urban professionals into the actions of scientists studying urban biodiversity? How can we create a better model for connecting in both directions scientific knowledge and management action — that is, creating an enduring and productive dialogue?

• Scale: How can we effectively apply science (social & ecological) findings determined from local, regional and global scales to the site scales (e.g., individual parks) that are the focus of most urban professionals?

• Creating useful knowledge: How do we translate our scientific results (social & ecological) into useful knowledge to address the needs of urban professionals for ‘place based’ outcomes (e.g., parks, streets, neighbourhoods and local government areas)?

Organisation:
The workshop will consist of short initial presentations (30 minutes) of the participants on the first day and thematic workshops and discussion in plenary on the second day.

Outcome:
The results of the workshop will be available after the meeting on the URBIO and CBD Website. The discussion will be continued with scientists and representatives of cities during the next URBIO conference and City Summit in 2014 in South Korea. Results of this dialogue will be brought to COP 13.
To include more scientists in the process first results of the meeting will be presented on the SURE World congress in Berlin in July 2013.

Time & Place:
The workshop will take place at the URBIO Headquarters, University of Applied Sciences Erfurt – Campus Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Forestry (Leipziger Straße 77, 99085 Erfurt, Zeichensaal 1 (Room Nr. 2.E.01))
Timeframe is 08:30 on 22 July (Monday) to 22:00 23 July (Tuesday) 2013.
There will be a pre-excursion to the Wartburg Castle on Sunday, 21July 2013 from 10:00 to 17:00.

Workshop fee & funds:
There is no fee for attending the workshop. We have no funds to help with any of the expenses of the participants.