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  EurekAlert 28 Feb 06
World Conservation Union President Valli Moosa highlights the role of cities in biodiversity conservation

The battle to save the earth will be won or lost in cities--that is the resounding message from conservation leaders at the World Congress of the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI).

Valli Moosa, President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), provided a keynote address at the ICLEI opening ceremony. Moosa challenged city managers and residents to better understand, protect and value the ecosystems that sustain urban environments and highlighted "the key role that cities have to play in the conservation of biodiversity".

He similarly called on the conservation community to "not to take for granted that urban areas are lost to biodiversity."

An international gathering of local government leaders dedicated to building sustainable communities and cities, the ICLEI Congress takes place this week in Cape Town, South Africa. The opening panel, comprised of local political leaders including South Africa's Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, and representatives from international organizations including Charles McNeill from the UNDP, Dr Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of UNEP and Konrad Otto-Zimmerman, Director General of ICLEI, echoed the Congress's theme of cities developing local solutions to global challenges.

The resounding message from all leaders was that the battle to save the earth would be won or lost in cities.

Mr Moosa Drawing on South African examples of urban environmental challenges and opportunities, Mr Moosa noted the important role of communities in the sustainable development and management of their cities, and the central role of nature in the wellbeing of urban residents. Moosa said that cities should allow "all people to enjoy the wonder and beauty of nature on their doorsteps."

He provided examples from recent events, such as the earthquake in Pakistan and the 2004 tsunami in Asia, where intact ecosystems helped to improve the resilience of communities in the face of environmental disaster.

Illustrating recent efforts to jointly address urban and conservation issues, Mr Moosa referred to the work of the Union's World Commission on Protected Areas Cities and Conservation Task Force, and two resolutions adopted at IUCN World Conservation Congress encouraging the Union to address urban conservation issues and to work more closely with local governments.

Countdown 2010, a partnership initiative that aims to support governments and other stakeholders in achieving the 2010 biodiversity target, is engaging city managers at the Congress as partners in its campaign to significantly reduce the loss of biodiversity by 2010.

In his intervention Sebastian Winkler, Head of Countdown 2010 said "biodiversity is falling off the political agenda and the conservation community has to engage with cities as the centers for economic and political decision-making."

ICLEI--Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments and national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development, addressing key issues, such as water and climate that affect the sustainability of cities. More than 475 cities, towns, counties, and their associations worldwide comprise ICLEI's membership. The objective of the Congress is to define the mandate for ICLEI's programme, particularly in terms of the contributions of local governments towards global development targets.

Mr Moosa highlighted opportunities for a closer working relationship between the Union and ICLEI to work together on biodiversity issues with local governments.

Countdown 2010 provides a target for concrete actions and the successful work of ICLEI on climate change could be expanded to include the biodiversity agenda. He concluded, "a partnership between the Union and ICLEI is a natural fit and 2010 can provide one means for implementing local actions in response to global challenges".

The Congress continues until 3 March 2006. Given that this is the first ICLEI Congress to take place in the southern hemisphere, Anthea Stephens, Acting Head of the Union's South Africa Office noted "that it is crucial to keep the momentum alive from this Congress and that urban environmental issues have already been reflected as a priority area for IUCN South Africa's Programme over the next four years."
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