PON Metro Cagliari - Green Areas
In January 2024, the municipality of Cagliari inaugurated three new green areas in the city, adding five and a half hectares of green spaces for residents to enjoy. These areas are located between Keplero, Avicenna, and Parigi streets, not far from the city center (Refs. 1 & 2).
The primary goal of this initiative is to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly rising temperatures. The green areas are designed to reduce the city's heat island effect and contribute to carbon sequestration. The planting of new trees will also help maintain ecosystems and improve environmental conditions in targeted areas . Special attention was given to soil quality, with most projects incorporating walkways equipped with drainage systems (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). Additionally, the new infrastructure aims to foster social engagement and attract more citizens, who will benefit from these improvements. (Refs. 1 & 2).
This initiative is also expected to boost the local economy by encouraging the development of small complementary services (Ref. 3). It is part of a larger municipal project co-funded by the EU.
The primary goal of this initiative is to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly rising temperatures. The green areas are designed to reduce the city's heat island effect and contribute to carbon sequestration. The planting of new trees will also help maintain ecosystems and improve environmental conditions in targeted areas . Special attention was given to soil quality, with most projects incorporating walkways equipped with drainage systems (Refs. 1, 2, & 4). Additionally, the new infrastructure aims to foster social engagement and attract more citizens, who will benefit from these improvements. (Refs. 1 & 2).
This initiative is also expected to boost the local economy by encouraging the development of small complementary services (Ref. 3). It is part of a larger municipal project co-funded by the EU.
Cerro de la Popa recovery Project
Reforestation project for the "Cerro de la Popa", which is Cartagena's highest point and one of the main tourist attractions because of the view and its colonial convent (Ref 6). The hill currently faces illegal occupation and environmental deterioration caused by deforestation, poor solid waste management, burning, logging, and the loss of vegetation cover (Ref 4, 5). The intervention in La Popa consists of reforestation activities, environmental education activities with children, and awareness-raising activities with adults about caring for fauna, flora, and water bodies (ref 2, 3). SSince 2020, the Establecimiento Público Ambiental (EPA Cartagena) has led the recovery initiative, prompted by the urgent need to counter the increasing encroachment by migrants and vulnerable populations (Ref 4). The project comprises reforestation efforts, environmental education sessions with children, and community outreach to raise awareness among adults regarding the protection of local fauna, flora, and water bodies (Refs 2, 3). As part of a broader municipal agenda, the initiative remains active, with the most recent intervention conducted on July 11, 2024 (Ref 2).
Monsanto Forest Park's Management Plan
The Monsanto Forest Park Management Plan focuses on enhancing the Monsanto Forest Park as an urban ecosystem, thereby improving ecological health and biodiversity while promoting sustainable resource use and integration with urban areas. Key interventions include managing invasive species, preventing forest fires, and supporting native habitats. The plan also aims to improve recreational and educational facilities, reduce automobile traffic, and enhance public accessibility. It aims to cover conservation efforts, recreational use and urban integration as well as promoting the park as a model for sustainable urban forestry. The implementation is overseen by the Lisbon City Council. (Ref 1,4).
In 2021, this historic urban forest received the Forest Management Recertification under the Forest Stewardship Council®, "the most important global certification in terms of environmental compliance of forestry operations (Ref. 6).
In 2021, this historic urban forest received the Forest Management Recertification under the Forest Stewardship Council®, "the most important global certification in terms of environmental compliance of forestry operations (Ref. 6).
The Lommas Programme
Lomas are endemic seasonal ecosystems found in Peru and Chile. They provide a variety of benefits such as soil stabilisation, air purification, recreational spaces, water retention, and are habitats for endemic and threatened species (Ref 7). They are of great ecosystem value to the city of Lima, as green areas have been reduced in the urban area, occupying up to 24% of urban green ecosystems. These ecosystems are threatened by unplanned urban growth, traffic, pollution and lack of government regulation. Given this context, Eab Lomas is a project that focuses on the conservation, management and rehabilitation of the ecosystems found in the Lomas of Lima (Ref 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). It focused on 4 lines of action: conservation of Lomas' ecosystems; implementation of territorial planning; economic diversification focused on the conservation and recovery of vegetation through low-impact recreational activities; and management of water resources (Ref 1, 2, 3, 4).
Bangpu Nature Education Center
Due to the decreasing number of mangrove forests in the inner Gulf of Thailand, WWF Thailand aspires to protect the remaining mangroves. Supporting this objective, WWF worked with Royal Thai Army (RTA) and several other partners to establish the Bangpu Nature Education centre. The centre is located on the land of the army, which contains one of the last indigenous mangrove forests in the inner Gulf of Thailand area. The education centre offers knowledge about mangroves, mudflat ecology and biodiversity through educational programs tailored for different visitor groups. Apart from the main visitor center and auditorium, the educational centre also has an outdoor area that includes an existing mangrove forest, salt marshes and mudflats with natural trails, observation towers and canopy walkways. The natural area is home to various native plants and wildlife, especially local and migratory birds. The site harbours 65 floras and 60 benthic faunas, and between 8,000 and 15,000 birds are estimated to use the site annually. Part of the area is an abandoned shrimp farm, waiting for nature to restore
(Ref.1,2,8).
(Ref.1,2,8).
Nong Peung Wetland Rehabilitation
The frequent and severe floods that many cities in Lao PDR have been experiencing are causing a significant impact on the livelihood of local and vulnerable communities. To address the issues of flood and climate events, the Green Climate Fund has provided funding for the Lao DPR government to initiate the 'Build Resilience of Urban Populations with Ecosystem-Based Solutions in Lao DPR' project. The Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment of Lao, in collaboration with other related departments, universities, and provincial governments, is leading this project. The funding was approved in 2019, and the project is set to conclude by 2025. The project consists of four sub-projects, which will be implemented in four cities, including Paksan, Vientiane, Savannakhet, and Pakse. One of the sub-projects involves rehabilitating the Nong Peung wetland in Paksan city, which currently has no management plan and is negatively impacted by human activities and has been degraded in certain aspects. Natural vegetation has been lost in parts of the wetland, invasive alien plants are encroaching, and the natural water flow has been disrupted in places. The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive management plan for Nong Peung wetland and implement various nature-based solutions to improve the ecosystem. This will involve removing invasive alien plant species, eliminating human-made barriers that obstruct natural flow, and planting appropriate native species. Currently, the project is in the planning stage with relevant stakeholders to determine the physical implementation site. (Ref.1,2,3)
IKEA's biodiverse extensive rooftop garden
IKEA opened its doors in Budapest in 1990. This was the very first store in Hungary. Twelve years later, the store announced that it would install a green roof. The main purpose of the green roof was to compensate the locals for the loss of green space. The green roof was intended to create a biologically active surface that fits in aesthetically into the suburban landscape and provide a home for animals such as pollinators. The green roof, built in 2002, was covered with a Sedum carpet. In 2014, when the original Sedum vegetation died out, the green roof was completely removed. Then, during the autumn 2014 planting, four types of Sedum shoots were seeded. This was followed in the spring of 2015 by the seeding of herbaceous dicots seed mixes, which contained seeds of roughly 50 plant species. The vegetation is regularly monitored by ecologists: in 2021, more than 160 different taxa were recorded, including spontaneously occurring species. The green roof is closed, not accessible to the public, however tours are occasionally organized for professionals [3] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11].
The Urban Forest of Bandung-Baksil ForestWalk
Located in downtown Bandung, with an area of 3.8 hectares, Babakan Siliwangi (more commonly known as Baksil) has been declared The World City Forest on September 27, 2011, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is part of the green belt of Bandung and is a place of recreation for residents and features a canopied walking path. Declaring the forest as part of the urban green belt of the city has not been an easy task for the management team of Baksil as in 2011, there was a plan to build privately-owned multistories building at the site, which would greatly reduce the environmental quality of the area. In response to this challenge, the team initiated a series of awareness actions as well as a planting campaign to raise the profile of the forest, as well as to address several environmental challenges such as emissions reduction, noise pollution, soil degradation, and fauna and flora conservation. The intervention proved to be very successful as it established the Baksil forest as a new public space that enabled people to get to know and better appreciate their city forest. Several communities have been holding events in this area to activate the idle space, while inviting more people to interact with the forest, making it to be invaluable for the local community and the city of Bandung. (1,2,3,4,5)
Angkor Botanical Garden
Angkor Botanical Garden is Cambodia's first botanical garden, located in the city of Siem Reap. It is a popular tourist attraction for visitors from around the world who visit the famous Angkor Wat Buddhist temple. The garden was developed by APSARA National Authority with multiple benefits, including preventing forest land encroachment, conservation of natural resources, development of tourism, conservation of the Angkor archaeological site, environmental education, and preservation of rare and endemic plants (Ref 1, 4). Moreover, the garden has been also well-received as a place for relaxation and recreation. (Ref 1 and 2)
The garden was initially a 2-hectare spice garden, which has been transformed into a 15-hectare garden with an automatic irrigation system linked to the Siem Reap River and landscaped with hills, ponds, canals, and waterfalls (Ref 1). The garden has more than 500 different species of plants and is developed to showcase the relationship between plants and animals (Ref 4). In the future, the garden is planned to be expanded into an area of 130 hectares. (Ref 2)
The garden was initially a 2-hectare spice garden, which has been transformed into a 15-hectare garden with an automatic irrigation system linked to the Siem Reap River and landscaped with hills, ponds, canals, and waterfalls (Ref 1). The garden has more than 500 different species of plants and is developed to showcase the relationship between plants and animals (Ref 4). In the future, the garden is planned to be expanded into an area of 130 hectares. (Ref 2)
Sumatra Merang Peatland Project
Indonesia’s peatlands are among the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth and also have significant potential as carbon sinks (1,2). Fire risk in Sumatra's peatland areas is high due to canals that were dug for logging and plantation development (1,2). The Sumatra Merang Peatland Project was thus launched to restore the area as the massive forest fire in 2015 destroyed thousands of hectares of biodiverse tropical forest (1). This project includes restoring more than 22,900 hectares of peatland rainforest in the Merang region, located within Musi Banyuasin Province, South Sumatra in Indonesia (1,2,3). The project targets the Merang biodiversity corridor, one of the largest and deepest peat swamps in South Sumatra, which protects an area more than 3.5 times the size of Manhattan (New York City) (1,2,3). This project is a part of the Althelia Climate Fund and was implemented on the ground by Indonesian Companies named PT Global Alam Lestari (GAL) and Forest Carbon (1,2,3,4,5). The project aims and contributes to climate change mitigation and ecosystem resilience by peat rewetting and reforestation, protecting biodiversity and working with local communities to build and improve livelihoods (1,3).
The first stage of the project is considered completed and is considered to achieve positive impacts already, but it still aims to upscale certain activities until 2025 (3,4,5). The total lifetime of the project extends to 2062 (4).
The first stage of the project is considered completed and is considered to achieve positive impacts already, but it still aims to upscale certain activities until 2025 (3,4,5). The total lifetime of the project extends to 2062 (4).
