Protect and enhance urban habitats

The International Cultural Garden Park (IC Park) is a comprehensive, private-sector-led, green development project in Yarmag, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Initiated in 2021 by the Ikh Uilsiin Ereld Group LLC on its own property land as part of its social responsibility, the planned area covers a 35 hectares (86 acres) site. First, an international design competition was announced to plan the project. As a result of this competition, a contemporary park concept was developed for Ulaanbaatar's New Center to convey an international concept, with designs of significant cultural and historical elements from over ten different nations. The IC Park will also serve as a venue for a variety of international events, including conferences, sporting competitions, cultural festivals, and more. Green technology is being used with particular attention throughout the park's construction, and more than 90 species of trees and about 50 species of natural perennials growing in Mongolia are planned to be planted with the cooperation of professional tree planting and gardening organizations, specialists, researchers, and scientists. As of today, more than 7,000 trees have been planted in the project area, and professional personnel are diligently working on their care and pruning. The project is expected to reduce the negative consequences of global warming, create a greener environment, and secure long-term employment. (Ref. 1, 2, 4, 7)

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) Myanmar and its local collaborative organizations developed a community garden at Inn Dein village to ensure access to diverse and safe food amidst the current internal crisis in Myanmar. The community garden is a part of the wider research project “Climate-smart villages as platforms for resilience building, women empowerment, equity, and sustainable food systems”, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The expected outcomes are to benefit over 4,200 internally displaced persons (IDP) (due to COVID-19 and internal conflict) in Inn Dein and the Yangon Monastery Camp in Nyaungshwe. The community garden was established in the close vicinity of the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp. The garden area is about 1.5 acres and rented for three seasons from the owner. Saplings were supplied for agroforestry purposes and a community support fund has also been provided for income generation and livelihood activities. Sprinkler irrigation has been installed to cover the whole land area, and 20 types of crops, including several legumes crops and vegetables such as mustard, radish, carrot, coriander, okras, eggplant and pumpkin are being cultivated. This project is particularly important in the current situation "[because of the lack of opportunities to direct support to IDP camps and the risky situation in food supplies, access to food and nutrition for IDPs is critically important." This project benefits both addressing food insecurity and increasing green space in the neighbourhood of the IDP camps. (Ref 1).

Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), as a part of its annual development programme, has been leading the coastal afforestation programme to stabilize Bangladesh’s coastline and create green belt. In order to establish mangrove forests in coastal areas, specifically chars in the southern coastal zone, the Forest Department undertook an afforestation project in the new deltas developed in the Bay. Afforestation is being used in vulnerable coastal areas, where the initiative brought mangrove species to the region in order to act as shelters for the exposed coastal communities subject to powerful cyclones, tidal surges, coastal erosion, and other disasters. In terms of the severity of the effects of climate change, Bangladesh is at the forefront, especially for coastal populations, as their livelihoods are wrecked by storms. Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are emerging as significant instruments for coping with climate change, while traditional methods of prevention, such as hard flood defence, have proven to be impractical and unsustainable. Additionally, the project includes greening of the whole coastal regions including creation of strip gardens and home gardens to improve the biodiversity of the area and to stabilize the newly found land. Furthermore, the coastal afforestation project will also help to develop newly accreted land of an island (char) in the Bay of Bengal, which is being included with Bangladesh's mainland from 2021. [Ref 1,3,4,6]

As early as 2010, the then authorities of Malaysia announced plans to transform certain Malaysian cities into green cities. Motivations behind these actions focused on addressing environmental challenges such as carbon emissions, high temperatures, and a reconnection with nature. One of the cities where green ideas were to be implemented was Putrajaya, located 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur (Ref 3). As this is a very complex project, the initiative was being led by the Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPJ), which is a local authority that administers the Federal Territory of Putrajaya and is under the Federal Territories Ministry of Malaysia. In transforming Putrajaya into a green city, PPJ undertook 38% of its area to be developed into parks, lakes, and wetlands while the rest is reserved for government offices, commercial and residential development, public utilities, and amenities (Ref 1). Green actions involved the creation of a wetland (the largest constructed freshwater in Southeast Asia), the implementation of an Urban Farming Programme and Rooftop Farming programmes, as well as large-scale tree planting (Ref 2, 3). PPJ aims to transform Putrajaya into a green city by 2025 including Putrajaya Inter-Parks Ride, Pedestrian Walkways and Bicycle Lanes. Putrajaya’s efforts in the implementation of these green initiatives have received numerous awards & recognitions (Ref 3).

The Neela Hauz lake, part of the Neela Hauz biodiversity park, is a natural depression that was once a major source of drinking water for south Delhi, India (Ref 1). Due to nearby road construction and neglect, the lake was filled with solid waste and construction debris for many years. In 2015, based on the request of neighbourhood colonies, the Delhi High Court ordered the restoration of the lake. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystem (CEMDE) of the University of Delhi, carried out the restoration and revival of the lake using a Constructed Wetland System (CWS). Using the help of natural landscaping composed of oxidation ponds, pebble beds, and furrows having aquatic plants, now the sewage from nearby residential colonies is treated before passing it to the lake (Ref 2). The wetland now converts approximately 1 million litres of sewage per day which has resulted in satisfactory water quality levels (Ref 1). The lake, along with the surrounding biodiversity park, attracts many migratory birds and is also a tourist attraction point in the city. The success story of the lake now has become a model case for the revival of other lakes in the city (Ref 1).

APEC Park is located on the banks of the Han River, in Binh Hien Ward, Hai Chau District, Da Nang City. At first in 2017, the APEC Park was constructed as a cultural work preserving the unique cultural features of 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. In 2020, The Danang local government decided to expand the park as an effort of the city to increase trees and green space in public parks and residential areas to achieve the “green and smart city” goal by 2030 (1,4).
The new APEC Park comprises a public park, a stroll garden associated with an existing sculpture garden, a main stage, a water fountain, a stage for organising cultural events, a playground for children, green areas, a parking space, a lake and underground public toilets ( 1,4). The park is built in an area of more than 8,600 m2, next to the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture. The brickyard and footpath have 25% of the area (752 sqm), and the rest of the land is planted with green trees, grass and statues representing 21 economies of APEC 2017 members in Vietnam (2,4).
Since its inauguration in January 2022 until now, the APEC site has become an ideal place to organize many cultural, artistic and other activities in the Hai Chau district (2).

The Misheel Botanical Garden is a large park located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, established in 2021 along the Tuul River. The project was carried out by "Misheel Group" LLC in cooperation with public actors and more than 100 customer organisations, within the framework of social and environmental responsibility. The project cost 2.1 billion MNT and covers 110,000 square meters of green space, which was beautified without disturbing the native vegetation. The center aims to maintain and restore the ecological balance of flora and fauna, increase the flow of the Tuul river basin by planting trees each year, and provide citizens with more leisure and recreation opportunities. The botanical garden includes a combination of green-blue infrastructure and offers the opportunity for people to relax and expand their knowledge about a healthy environment. The center features a laboratory for students of natural sciences, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, leisure areas for the elderly and infants, a dedicated sand area, and access for strollers and people with disabilities. The center also includes a terrace with a view of the Tuul River, where visitors can relax, and host events and activities throughout the year, including the winter.
[Source: Information provided by the management team of this project, Ref. 1, 5]

Iloilo River Esplanade is a promenade and linear park along the Iloilo River, created as part of the Iloilo River Rehabilitation Project. It is the largest linear park in the Philippines and was designed by the landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren. The esplanade is one of a kind in the country that aims to foster biodiversity, store carbon by mangroves and provide protection from possible flood damages. Furthermore, the project aspires to build a lifestyle hub for the locals and promotes educational eco-tourism. The site was an existing dike road devoid of shade and originally built just as a flood control measure. The redesign has showcased its effect on public amenities, received several recognitions and has become a magnet for tourists in this city. [1, 3, 6, 7]

Mérida city developed a Municipal Green Infrastructure Plan (Plan Municipal de Infraestructura Verde), in order to "strengthen the green infrastructure system through planning, design and implementation of urban strategies at different scales of actions and projects that contribute to enriching ecosystem services in the public and private space of the Municipality of Mérida" (Ref. 1). The plan has four axes, providing a comprehensive and transdisciplinary approach to integrating nature-based solutions into city planning and the design of public spaces in order to provide climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits (Ref. 1).
The Mérida Green Infrastructure Plan shares strong ties with a state-wide strategy, 'Arborizando Yucatán', which promotes reforestation efforts across the 106 municipalities of the state in order to "help reduce the effects of climate change, have more areas green and a better climate for the benefit of current and future generations of Yucatecans" (Refs. 3 & 4). At both the municipal and state level, the relevant administrations (Mérida City Council and the State Government, respectively) have signed an agreement (Declaration for Mérida 2050), whereby both pledged to plant at least 200,000 native trees in the City of Merida, running alongside both the Mérida Municipal Green Infrastructure Plan and the Aborising Yucatán Strategy (Ref. 2).

In April 2021, the Kochi City Corporation in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and ICLEI South Asia inaugurated the Subhash Bose Park after a thorough renovation. The project was part of the overarching project "INTERACT-Bio" by ICLEI South Asia and the KAWAKI initiative by the WRI (part of the Cities4Forests movement in Kochi). The initiative was launched to demonstrate the application of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for climate mitigation in Kochi. The project aims to develop urban grooves similar to the traditional grooves that once existed in Kerala. Additionally, with this project, ICLEI South Asia aimed to address the problems of climate change through mainstreaming biodiversity objectives across the city. The park plays as a major carbon sink at the heart of the city that is home to over 300 species of native trees and many more species of native plants. Furthermore, the Kochi City Corporation is focused on increasing native biodiversity and communicating the importance of this biodiversity to residents in order to ensure long term conservation efforts. This was a key motivator for the city in the conceptualization of the garden which not only improves the native biodiversity of the city but also serves as a demonstration site for nature education. The park also includes a newly built pollinator garden that has augmented the pollinator base in the city. [1, 4, 7, 10]