Biodiversity is the diversity of species and ecosystems. It is their organisation and function, and it is the ways this diversity enhances the productivity, resilience and richness of Life. Biodiversity is also one of the greatest potential forces available to cities and communities in preparing for the challenges we face.

Yet conventional approaches to assessing and managing for biodiversity may undermine our ability to elevate and sustain it as a priority, particularly for many cities and local communities. These approaches often focus on counting species or managing to restore historic conditions. Such approaches are not well suited to urban settings that are inherently a blend of both native and non-native species. They also fail to show how biodiversity is relevant to solving the growing list of challenges facing urban communities—from climate change impacts to social and economic instability.

We propose a new initiative to begin filling these gaps and identifying opportunities for the co-benefit of people and nature in cities.

Working together over the last year, four organisations representing urban biodiversity efforts in Europe (ICLEI-Europe), Latin America (Humboldt Institute), and North America (Center for Regenerative Solutions, City of Boulder, Colorado) have come together to jointly organise a trilateral dialogue on this topic between communities across these three continental and multi-cultural regions.

Register here.