This new working paper from the UN proposes an urban-rural linkage perspective in relation to land and ecosystem restoration at a time of heightened urgency on multiple fronts at local, national and international levels. The combined impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss land degradation, and conflict are increasing at alarming levels. These biophysical transformations are themselves the product of human activities and population growth, and urbanization imposes enormous pressures on terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
This paper reviews and analyses how selected cities and subnational governments have cultivated entry points or pathways to restoration through, for example, land-use planning, biodiversity protection, urban forestry, open-space conservation, food systems and economic development. This progressive engagement with restoration has been assisted by city networks, research institutions, donors, and non-governmental organizations.
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