Following a stringent selection process, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has officially selected 19 cities to join the Generation Restoration project.

The restoration projects will contribute to filling the gap in Urban Ecosystems under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to achieve the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Eight of the cities will implement pilot projects for ecosystem restoration in urban areas with financial support from UNEP and technical assistance from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, while 11 cities and mayors will act as restoration champions given their successful track-records in implementing nature-based solutions (NbS).

Urban areas occupy less than one per cent of the Earth’s land surface but house more than half its people. Yet, left unchecked, urbanization has devastating impacts on natural ecosystems, well beyond their geographic footprint and negatively affects the well-being of urban populations and their prospective resilience to climate impacts.

Adopting NbS at the urban level to protect, conserve and restore these degraded ecosystems, and mainstreaming greenery in urban planning is key to reconnecting cities with nature and mitigating the impact of climate change on urban communities.

Read the full article on UNEP’s website