Cities

Nature Science-Based Targets

Launched in 2023, our Nature SBTs for Cities Program focuses on guiding cities in setting effective, science-based targets for nature and biodiversity. Our aim is to equip cities with an overarching guidance – built on existing frameworks – that can reduce complexity and help cities navigate the best target setting methodologies for nature in their context. The new guidance, available in spring 2025, will help cities align with the planet’s safe and just operating space

Consortium

SBTN is bringing together the world’s leading cities networks, research institutions, and advisory organisations. The program is a collaborative effort between Arup, C40, CDP, Durham University, ICLEI, The Nature Conservancy, WRI and WWF. At the heart of the consortium, Metabolic and Urban Biodiversity Hub act as core delivery partners. Our collaborative approach creates a standardised methodology and makes it easy to compare between cities.

Co-developing with city experts

In our program we invite government officials, frontline practitioners, academia and sustainability experts to contribute in the form of workshops, interviews, surveys and roundtable discussions.

Did you miss these? No problem, we invite you to have a look at the documents and recordings through this page. Feel free to contact Sophie Hendriks with your remarks or questions.

Program milestones

May 2024 – Cities Kick-off

City practitioners joined a presentation about the program’s objectives, initial outcomes and assessments of existing nature frameworks.

Watch the webinar recording: Part 1 and Part 2.

Go here to Download presentation slides.

June 2024 – Workshop: current challenges, opportunities and lessons learned

During this workshop session we learned from cities’ experiences and their approach to setting targets for nature. We discussed valuable lessons learned and the current needs and challenges in moving forward. View the Recording.

September 2024 – Roundtable discussions

City representatives delved into the practical application of target setting for the Pilot Theme of Land Use and Sprawl.

The roundtable session tackled some of these issues:

Defining the key indicators, targets and structure of the guidance to make it actionable and easy to integrate into existing city planning.
Ensuring that the targets are flexible enough to be applicable to cities of varying sizes, climates, economic activities, and stages of sustainable development, while still maintaining their effectiveness in promoting nature-positive outcomes.
Identifying current capacities of cities to implement and monitor these targets, and potential resource needs to carry out the framework.

View the recording and presentation slides

October 2024 – United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16)

At COP16, we had the opportunity to present our guidance framework for setting science-based targets for nature in cities during two sessions on October 27 and 30, 2024. The session, From Global to Local – Setting Science-Based Targets for Nature Positive Cities, covered key questions:

- Why set science-based targets for nature in cities?
- How is the guidance framework being developed?
- How will the framework support cities in taking action?

View the presentation slides