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1July 2022.
Introduction:
India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions was launched at the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland. The forum was collectively launched by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), World Resources Institute India (WRI India), Climate Centre for Cities (NIUA C-Cube), and their partners launched India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions.
Highlights
- It is India’s first national coalition platform for urban nature-based solutions (NbS).
- It has been launched under Cities4Forest initiative.
- It is aimed at creating a collective of NbS entrepreneurs, like-minded organizations and government entities to help in scaling urban nature-based solutions by:
- Defining a shared language and by communicating benefits that caters to actions at the local level including scaling up of existing NbS interventions.
- Creating awareness about urban ecosystem-based services and nature-based solutions in India through informing policy, plans and project interventions.
- Driving investment and promoting delivery mechanisms with coordination from multi-stakeholder.
Nature Based Solutions (NbS)
As per IUCN, NbS are defined as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.”
Cities4Forests Initiative
- It is voluntary grouping of more than 60 cities from around the world involving mayors’ offices and other city agencies such as public water utilities and offices of sustainability.
- It aims at supporting cities around the world to recognize their interdependence with the world’s forests, and use their own political, economic, and cultural power to ensure forest health and vitality.
- The Cities4Forests initiative helps cities around the world connect with and invest in inner forests (such as city trees and urban parks), nearby forests (such as green corridors and watersheds) and faraway forests (such as tropical and boreal forests).
- Three Indian cities under this initiative are-Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi.
World urban forum (WUF)
- United Nations had established WUF in 2001 to examine the problem of rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, economies, climate change, cities, and policies.
- The first WUF was held in 2002, in Nairobi, Kenya.
- It is being held since then. It is co-organised by UN-Habitat, Municipal Office of Katowice and Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland.