City nature targets
Science-based targets for nature in cities: guidance for local governments
Cities are major drivers of biodiversity loss — but also key actors for solutions. Local governments control land use, infrastructure, and planning decisions that directly affect nature.
Actions cities take this decade will determine whether urban areas contribute to, or help reverse, biodiversity loss by 2030. To become leaders in nature-positive solutions, cities need more than broad global goals: they need practical guidance for local action.
Science-based targets for nature translate those goals into city-relevant targets grounded in Earth’s limits.
New guidance to support cities in setting science-based targets for nature
Initial guidance, launched in 2026, offers a practical step-by-step approach for cities to assess, prioritize, and set targets for urban nature – with flexibility to adapt to different data availability, governance contexts, and capacity levels.
Rather than offering a brand-new framework, the guidance builds on and aligns with existing initiatives. It’s a clear, science-based approach that can help cities validate and strengthen existing targets, identify potential gaps, and move forward with confidence without starting from scratch.
A three-step framework supports practical action
The Science-based targets for nature in cities guidance offers a three-step framework to help cities understand their relationship with nature and set meaningful, equitable targets:
- Understanding the city context – helping cities identify their ecological, social, and governance context, including dependencies on and impacts to nature.
- Assessing pressures and prioritising action – supporting cities in analysing key pressures on nature, with a pilot focus on land use development and sprawl, one of the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss.
- Setting science-based targets – guiding cities in defining realistic and ambitious targets aligned with Earth-system limits and global biodiversity frameworks.
Access the guidance
To support different audiences and needs, the Science-based targets for nature in cities guidance is available in two formats:
An Executive Summary offers a concise overview of the framework, key concepts, and intended use for decision-makers and senior leadership.
Full-length Guidance provides detailed methodological explanations, technical considerations, and practical guidance for city practitioners and technical teams.
A collaboration between leading city networks, research institutions, and advocacy organizations
The Science-based targets for nature in cities guidance was created through a collaborative effort between Arup, C40, CDP, Durham University, ICLEI, IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, WRI, and WWF, coordinated by Metabolic and Urban Biodiversity Hub as the core delivery partners. Our collaborative approach creates a standardized methodology and makes it easy to compare across cities.
Action on climate and nature together
Nature loss and climate change crises are fundamentally interlinked. Local and national governments are called to tackle them side by side. In 2020, SBTN’s core cities partners developed a guide for climate science-based targets in cities. The guide reviews three science-based climate target methodologies and their criteria. It helps cities choose the right methodology to determine interim and net zero targets.
