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UN: Cities with a rich biodiversity can become resilient and self-reliant
07.10.2013 08:02 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
With a rich biodiversity, cities can have enormous potential to mitigate the effects of climate change, according to the world’s first global assessment on the relationship between urbanization and biodiversity loss.
The Cities and Biodiversity Outlook (CBO) publication was released on Friday, UN Radio reports.
The assessment argues that cities can become «carbon sinks» rather than emission sources by the preservation of green areas, green corridors, green roofs, and brownfields - land previously used for industrial and commercial purposes.
Professor Thomas Elmqvist is the scientific editor of the assessment and Theme Leader at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC).
«Investments in biodiversity and ecosystem services can significantly contribute to human health, could significantly contribute to food security - particularly in growing African cities - significantly contribute to water security by cleaning water and by securing water sources, and also contribute to urban resilience by a more effective climate change adaptation,» Mr. Elmqvist emphasizes.
The volume of research was produced by the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) together with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in partnership with UN-Habitat and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.
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