Protect and enhance urban habitats

The roof garden is one of the most distinguishing features of JEG Tower @ One Acacia, a 22-storey commercial tower in Cebu City. [1] Featuring the purely endemic flora of Cebu, the roof garden offers a dedicated green space in the middle of the cityscape to tenants and visitors of the buildings. The project was created to contribute to the preservation of Cebu's Biodiversity, combat air pollution and improve the mental and physical well-being of residents and visitors. [1] It also includes an events space that people or companies could hire [4].

As part of the Green Pakistan Programme (GPP), the Ministry of Environment of Pakistan initiated a plantation drive on the Margalla Hills, threatened by climate change, droughts, floods and deforestation. Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) is a national park of Pakistan located in the capital city, Islamabad. It was established in the 1980s with a total area of about 173 square kilometres constituting Margalla Hills, Shakarparian Park, Rawal Lake and the Cultural Complex (2,5). The primary purpose of GPP was to protect the environment and revive forests, as Pakistan is a forest-deficient country having 5.01 per cent of its total area under forest cover. The park is under the supervision of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) which ensures the management, maintenance and preservation of wildlife and other species in the park vicinity. The campaign was set to take place over 5 years between 2017-2022. Furthermore, as part of the same program, an awareness campaign was started to generate knowledge about plants and make Islamabad green and beautiful. Thousands of people visit the national park daily to enjoy the natural environment and healthy recreational facilities and relax by looking at the serene landscape and natural viewpoints of the city visible from the different trails of the park. (1,2,3,4,5)

The green infrastructure master plan of Udon Thani aims to prepare the city for the future development challenges by offering a new infrastructure network that can mitigate flood and drought while enhancing community and public space within the municipality. Udon Thani is an important economic city in the northeastern part of Thailand and is growing rapidly. With urbanization and climate change trends, the city is experiencing water supply and flood challenges. The masterplan consists of four main design strategies including canal restoration, green streets, retention parks and wetland areas. All four mains strategies create multi-functional spaces that promote environmental and social benefits together. Aside from slowing water flow which allow infiltration and retaining water, these spaces act as park and community garden which offer passive and active recreational activities. In total, 14 sub-projects were proposed together with cost-benefit analysis. (Ref. 1,2,3,4) Currently, the first project is under construction, which is a canal restoration (Huay Mak Khaeng). The construction is expected to finish in 2024. (Ref. 6,7,8)

Pirojshanagar Township is an industrial and residential establishment of the company Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co Ltd (G&B), located in the Vikhroli suburb of Mumbai city along Thane creek, with diverse natural and human-made habitats (1,2). Of the 16 km2 area of the Township, approximately 12 km2 is occupied by the mangrove ecosystem and its associated habitats (1,2). Upon recognizing the importance of this ecosystem, G&B decided to prioritize the conservation of the mangroves that grew along the banks of the newly acquired land (along the Thane Creek west bank) (1,2). Pirojshanagar, with its biodiverse mangrove forest, is sandwiched between two solid waste dumping grounds of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which only increases its importance in the landscape and makes it a green oasis that acts as a carbon sink (1). It was a research-based project and the first successful mangrove conservation project in Mumbai, now serving as the Mumbai Metropolitan's green lung (1,2).

Benchakitti Forest Park was created as the extension of the existing Benchakitti Water Park, which is located near the central business district of Bangkok, Thailand. The Forest Park is built in an old Thai Tobacco Factory area. The main concept of the park is to bring the forest into the city and support urban biodiversity while offering leisure activities for the people. The main features in this project include constructed wetlands, nature learning and exercise trails (for running and bicycling), a learning centre, an urban farming area and multipurpose open space for gathering and event activities. Benchakitti Forest Park can be divided into 2 parts. The first part is a green outdoor area including the wetlands, all trails and an outdoor amphitheatre. This first part was completed and open to the public in 2022. The second part is the renovation of buildings into museums and the creation of an urban farm and other facilities associated with the building. This second part is still under construction. (Ref. 1,2,3)

Rapid urbanization and a steep increase in population determined a loss of open spaces in Dhaka, the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh. To counteract these issues, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (one of the two municipal corporations in Dhaka, a governmental unit responsible for administering and providing basic infrastructure to the city) has implemented the Green Dhaka Campaign. One of the initiatives under the Green Dhaka Campaign is the renovation of Justice Shahabuddin Park, located in a dense area of Dhaka. (1, 6)
The intervention was initiated in 2017 and consisted of revamping the park by revitalizing the existing pond, planting new trees, and providing amenities for the people living in the neighbourhood where the park is located. The design decisions were taken by prioritising the opinions of different user groups and in consultation with naturalists. The idea of the 9-acre park was to create a safe, "inclusive and accessible public space for all inhabitants, free of crime and violence". (2)
The renovation also consisted in retaining the majority of trees present in the park, as they offered a variety of species such as medicinal trees, fruit trees, and floral trees. This helped with preserving the biodiversity of the space as well as a healthy environment, lauded by the majority of visitors, making the park a favourite of the locals. Three distinct lanes are also made available in the park for jogging, walking, and cycling. (1,2,3,4)

This project aims to create a Butterfly corridor through the city of New Delhi by connecting local parks, residential gardens, biodiversity parks, and major forest areas (Ref 1, 2). For this, various locations, mainly maintained by citizens, are developed as habitats for the butterflies by planting various kinds of host plants which can be used to lay eggs. Overall, about 100 butterfly corridors are planned to be developed over time (Ref 3). The project is initiated by the Conservation Education Centre (CEC), a Delhi-based faction of the Bombay Natural History Society. With the help of CEC, community custodians of the gardens are trained to develop butterfly parks. A number of public and private land areas have now been designed as butterfly corridors throughout the city (Ref 1).
An underlying aim of the project is to allow butterflies to travel across locations, thus allowing genetic diversity among populations (Ref 1). The project has also helped educate the community about the importance of maintaining a healthy butterfly population. Through the organization of Butterfly month in September every year, citizens and, especially young kids, are encouraged to learn about butterflies through butterfly walks, counting, and photography contests, among other activities (Ref 1, 5).

To build "[a] airport in the forest, and [a] forest in the airport", a Jungle Broadwalk was created inside the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) between 2004 and 2009. KLIA is one of the world's largest airport sites, spanning over 100 square kilometres of land, and it is located in the Malaysian state of Selangor. The Jungle Boardwalk is a miniature tropical rainforest, recreated inside the airport grounds between the main terminal building and the contact pier, and in the central garden in the centre of each satellite building. Though the airport is functioning since 1998, the Jungle Boardwalk was implemented only in 2004 and is home to 3,660 trees of more than 39 species, serving almost 14 mils. passengers every year. The mini forest is home to an impressive variety of trees such as the Medang, Kelat, Tukas and Penaga lilin trees that are indigenous to Malaysia.
The intervention provides many benefits such as a cooling temperature level inside the airport, a space for passengers to decompress, and an exploration of the relationship between nature and humans. This project creates a miniature Indonesian rainforest inside the airport to keep alive the heritage of the country's nature. The implementer had in mind "the vision to share a piece of Mother Nature’s tropical heritage with our passengers through the refreshing experience of walking through our natural forest reserve.” This and the fact that the airport is Green Globe Certified makes the intervention unique. (1,2,3,4)

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is a private research university located in the main residential area of Lahore City and is spread over a 100-acre area and hosts various plant and bird species. The Life Sciences Department of LUMS collaborated with the Botany Department at the Government College University to plant some rare species of endangered trees at LUMS. The project aims to preserve the ecosystem on the LUMS campus and develop an inventory of plants and animals commonly found on the campus. Taxonomic expertise and the modern science of DNA sequencing are used in the analysis and identification of plants. Additionally, LUMS aims to be the first University in Pakistan to set up a national biosurveillance system that would track biodiversity at all documented sites with their GPS coordinates across the whole campus. It envisions creating knowledge and awareness about the importance of the diverse biodiversity found on campus. It will enhance the effective management of present resources to preserve them for future generations. These findings may potentially serve numerous disciplines from other departments and also increase information and effective management of wildlife on campus. (Ref: 1, 2, 3)

The Upper Kinta River Basin covers an area of about 31,470 hectares above Ipoh City, and it is the main water catchment resource for the residents of the city and its surrounding areas. The Kinta river basin is now threatened by land erosion, land development, improper sewage treatment and irresponsible waste discharges (Ref 1). In 2021, a pilot project was implemented near the city of Ipoh along the SimpangPulai Highway and experimented with river bio-engineering techniques to reduce soil erosion and subsequently prevent sedimentation downstream (Ref 3). The pilot site was established as part of the Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation into River Management project, which focused on applying nature-based solutions for mainstreaming biodiversity into riverine landscape planning and watershed management in Malaysia. To provide seedlings for the bio-engineering project and also other related initiatives, a nursery was established in the indigenous Pawong Orang Asli Village. The nursery also provided additional income for communities (Ref 4). The pilot was developed with the expectation to be upscaled and replicated in other parts of the UKB, especially along the SimpangPulai Highway. (Ref. 6)