Box 3: Crafting the Biodiversity Message

Box 3: Crafting the Biodiversity Message

Urban biodiversity can be a difficult concept for some people to grasp. Although the term “biodiversity” has been used for many years by scientists and conservationists, it is not widely understood by the general public. To some, the term may indicate a diversity of human cultures; to others, it may mean a diversity of plant and animal species. A lack of resonance and clarity can be a barrier to promoting biodiversity work and getting ‘buy-in’ from stakeholders. However, educating a community about the importance of biodiversity will assist in mainstreaming the issue. Regardless of terminology, support for urban biodiversity is the goal and each community should find a communication strategy or approach that accurately reflects both the urgency of the issue and how people’s lives may be affected.

How to frame the biodiversity message

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Canada has had to think creatively about how to successfully maintain their biodiversity message while making the term understandable to the general public. To meet this challenge, they continually validate the term’s importance with context-dependent statements that include: “biodiversity is nature” or “biodiversity is all about connections and life around us.” ROM staff members reinforce the term’s meaning in their programs, outreach and promotional material with the goal that, one day, the term biodiversity will be in the mainstream and no longer require explanation. Clearly finding that definition and building community understanding around it will differ within Latin American cities and municipal authorities must consider their unique urban context when framing their particular biodiversity message.

Social connectedness has a role to play in the collective management of nature: to help build trust among community members, to develop new norms and social practices, and to make local environmental issues more prevalent and important to everyone. There is growing evidence that suggests when people are well connected and engaged in groups or networks, and when their input is sought and incorporated into planning and decision-making processes, they are more likely to become/ remain environmental stewards.

Urban greenspaces provide a pathway for people to come into contact with nature. However, natural areas need to be carefully designed to facilitate meaningful interactions, educate visitors and provide exploration opportunities. Developing social norms on environmental protection activities does this. The term ‘social capital’ is widely used to describe the role a community or group can play in the collective, multi-stakeholder management and in the understanding and protection of nature.

In order to create meaningful public awareness and engagement, as well as influence social behaviours, communities must act together towards a common goal. Often this will manifest through multiple organizations such as aid societies, naturalist and sports clubs, forest and fishery management groups and other local community organizations.

Lessons Learned for Biodiversity Planning in LAC Cities

This toolkit is a first step aimed at initiating biodiversity planning and management for Latin American and Caribbean municipalities. Biodiversity conservation is unique to each city and its communities and requires planning and management tools specific to each community and reflective of the multiple voices and perspectives of that community. The planning process must be scaled to fit the issues of concern to those in the community. Ideally, integrating current biodiversity projects, plans, programs, and policies into other departments is part of a comprehensive approach that focuses the Biodiversity Action Plan to the unique characteristics of each municipality.

Four key recommendations to do this are provided:

1. Risk management should be integrated in each step of the toolkit as a best practice. Evaluating risks incorporates a prevention culture in the management of projects and in the mitigation strategies that increase biodiversity conservation in cities.

2. A bold communication strategy should be a transversal axis and should be constantly implemented. Communications include data gathering, data analytics, managing expectations and obtaining stakeholder engagement and buy-in from technical, social or financial roles.

3. Measuring impacts and success does not only contribute to biodiversity but also to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. The SDG agenda should be promoted and aligned to public policies and private efforts. Biodiversity focused projects in cities can be one of the elements that has the greatest impact in achieving a sustainable world by 2030.

4. Projects are only executed if the time and cost estimates are viable, agreed upon and with a formal financing plan. Estimating budgets also involves evaluating and monetizing the benefit that will be obtained from achieving social and environmental goals.

It is hoped that the practical and realistic actions outlined in this document will inspire Latin American and Caribbean municipalities and mayors to initiate measures to promote biodiversity in their city. There is a clear need of urgency and a call for municipal action across LAC to understand the importance and value of biodiversity to cities. Governments need to fully integrate biodiversity and environmental issues into land use planning policies and municipal development strategies and to do so within the context of an organized governance structure and long-term planning framework. With over 50% of the world’s remaining biodiversity in nature outside of cities, and that already under serious threat, now more than ever is the time to act and incorporate biodiversity and its benefits into municipal policies, plans and projects throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region.