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).
A wood for the city: the urban forest of Mount Urpinu
In the city of Cagliari, in the location of Mount Urpinu, 6400 new trees have been planted. The project, initiated in 2022, sought to restore the area's biodiversity and to revitalize the park for the benefits of the citizens (Refs. 1, 3 & 8). In fact, in previous years, the park has been subject to various environmental and social hazards because of its conditions: the area has been subject to wildfires and abandoned wastes, and with time, it became a gathering point for drug addicts and homeless people, thus becoming unsafe for citizens and especially for children (Refs. 1 & 6).
Therefore, the Metropolitan City of Cagliari decided to reclaim the area and plant thousands of trees of various species (holm oaks, oaks, pine, carob and olive trees) over more than 6 hectares of land (Refs. 3 & 8). The project's goal is to restore biodiversity, mitigate temperatures, decrease air pollution, and increase citizens' sense of community (Ref. 1).
Therefore, the Metropolitan City of Cagliari decided to reclaim the area and plant thousands of trees of various species (holm oaks, oaks, pine, carob and olive trees) over more than 6 hectares of land (Refs. 3 & 8). The project's goal is to restore biodiversity, mitigate temperatures, decrease air pollution, and increase citizens' sense of community (Ref. 1).
The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area
The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is a urban green space that transformed a former 5-mile-long city dump into a thriving riparian corridor (2, 3, 7, 9). The project, spearheaded by the City of Phoenix in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maricopa County Flood Control District, and the Arizona Water Protection Fund, has revitalized a degraded ecosystem (9). Through decades of concerted effort, involving government agencies, non-profits such as the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, and community engagement, the area has been restored to a lush habitat supporting diverse wildlife, including over 200 bird species (1, 2, 7). The project aimed to mitigate the pressing issues of urban heat, air pollution, and habitat loss that Phoenix grappled with (1). By creating green spaces, improving air quality, and offering recreational opportunities, the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area stands as a testament to the power of collaborative conservation and community resilience (1, 6, 7, 9). The restoration area now boasts hiking and biking trails, a nature center, and various educational programs, making it a community space (3, 7, 9).
Da Nang Tree Planting Initiative
Danang, a prosperous port city in Central Vietnam, is home to a population of 1.2 million inhabitants. Throughout the years, the city went through several boats of urbanization, which allowed its economy to thrive but its environment to be negatively impacted. The city's green areas were reduced, leading to socioeconomic and environmental impacts, including loss of landscape and more energy consumption. (4) Furthermore, the city became vulnerable to natural disasters, which caused destruction and uprooting of trees and vegetation and aggravated soil erosion. (3,4)
To counteract many of these issues, the municipality of Danang initiated several greening activities that included the creation of parks, the greening of street alleys, and the greening of schoolyards as a supporting mechanism for one of Vietnam's nationwide programmes "Plant 1 billion trees in the 2021 - 2025" (5). Recently, the municipality planted 900 Than Mat trees (one of the typical flowering plants of Son Tra Peninsula and scientifically known as Millettia nigrescens Gagnep) along the route from Green Lake to Bai Bac, in the Tho Quang ward, in February 2023. The activity also aims to have an educational role as tree protection is highlighted and build a clean and green city environment (6).
So far, as of February 2023, as part of the 1 billion tree programme, 15,000 trees have been planted in Danang. (2)
To counteract many of these issues, the municipality of Danang initiated several greening activities that included the creation of parks, the greening of street alleys, and the greening of schoolyards as a supporting mechanism for one of Vietnam's nationwide programmes "Plant 1 billion trees in the 2021 - 2025" (5). Recently, the municipality planted 900 Than Mat trees (one of the typical flowering plants of Son Tra Peninsula and scientifically known as Millettia nigrescens Gagnep) along the route from Green Lake to Bai Bac, in the Tho Quang ward, in February 2023. The activity also aims to have an educational role as tree protection is highlighted and build a clean and green city environment (6).
So far, as of February 2023, as part of the 1 billion tree programme, 15,000 trees have been planted in Danang. (2)
Rain Garden and Bioswales in Central Jakarta
Jakarta City in Indonesia deals with inundations during heavy rain periods (1,2). To overcome such flooding issues, the Central Jakarta City Government, through the Parks and Forests Sub-Department, planned and implemented four bioswales and one rain garden at five locations in Central Jakarta City (1,2,3,4). This project was aimed at saving groundwater through stormwater management and minimizing puddles around the site locations (1,4). The Head of Central Jakarta City Parks and Forests Sub-Department, Mila Ananda, conveyed this project completion in 2021 (1,2). After the successful implementation of this project, the Jakarta City Government further plans to identify similar more locations prone to inundation and implement such green infrastructure initiatives in other parts of the city (1,2,3).
Green Roof of Banyuwangi International Airport
Banyuwangi International Airport in East Java is the first green airport in Indonesia and was recognized with an award from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) in 2021-22, the world's oldest and most prestigious architecture awards (1,2,3,4). This project was designed and implemented by Architect Andra Matin in 2018 as a corporate social responsibility project for the Banyuwangi Regional Government, Java, Indonesia (1,2,4). The project building was extensively inspired by the houses of the local Osing tribe (1,2). The project aimed to embody a highly efficient passive design, with its remarking green roof feature of a total area of 4765m2 that is planted with grass and routinely maintained (1,2,3,5,6). The green roofs act like a sponge for heat, light and water and conserve energy by maintaining a constant temperature inside the building, and as a result, the airport does not require air conditioning in the main area (5). The green roof of the airport improves air quality as it captures airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition, and the plants on green roofs also filter noxious gases (5). The eco-friendly airport terminal construction utilizes 'Fast Flow Siphonic System', especially for conventional roof drainage (5). The regional government declared a 10 km radius 'No Development Zone' around the project, protecting the existing paddy fields and villages, which is an exceptional move given the general tendency to exploit land around airports commercially (1,2). The current airport site caters to around 300,000 passengers annually and allows for future expansion to accommodate up to 3 million passengers without encroaching on the No Development Zone (2).
RISE Indonesia Project
Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) is one of the pilot projects carried out in the Batua neighbourhood (1.9 km2 area) of Makassar City (119 km2 area), province of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, which was commenced in 2017 and concluded in 2022 (1,2,3). Batua neighbourhood (six settlements of around 1,600 people) was the first demonstration site for this project which was completed in 2019 (3,4,5). The main challenge was that many households who lived in informal settlements lacked access to centralized urban infrastructure and faced threats from climate change (3,4). The project was proposed to reduce the impact of climate change on marginalized communities in Makassar by providing localized, water-sensitive interventions that addressed issues related to sanitation and water management (1,2,3,4). The introduction of water-sensitive solutions enabled targeted communities to recycle wastewater and rainwater, restore natural waterways, improve water quality, and reduce vulnerability to flooding (3,4). The RISE program initiative integrated nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, bio-filtration gardens (the process of using beneficial bacteria to clean water on a molecular level to remove contaminants), stormwater harvesting, filtration paths and new sanitation structures to improve wastewater management and diversify water resources through community-driven development (1,2,3,4).
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).
Selangor Maritime Gateway and Klang River Rehabilitation
The rehabilitation of the Klang River or Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) is a project that was put into effect in 2018 by the Selangor State Government. The project aimed to transform the Klang River, considered the most polluted river in Malaysia, into a beautiful and clean river which can be a new source of economic growth in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The river has been polluted with trash, plastic bottles, and sewage, which harmed the vegetation and the aquatic ecosystem (1). The project proved to be highly complex as it included rehabilitation of the river through several green solutions such as the creation of a community park, the conservation of various species of mangroves, and the implementation of riverfront greens as a measure of slope protection. The intervention is set to be developed on an area of 56 Km along the Klang River corridor. It is expected to promote and support the integrated management of river basins with particular emphasis on ensuring that biodiversity and wetland conservation and community considerations are incorporated into river basin management that includes the development of eco-city (3,5,6). Furthermore, the project intends to conduct an awareness campaign about river cleaning and rehabilitation activities to educate the public on the importance of rivers and the environment in our lives while consequently highlighting the critical state of pollution faced by the River (1).
City of 1,000 Tanks
The ‘City of 1,000 Tanks’ project offers a holistic solution to the problems of floods, water scarcity and pollution in Chennai (Ref. 1). The project's primary objective is to develop a "Water Balance Model" for the city, which involves collecting rainwater, treating wastewater and runoff pollution with decentralized nature-based solutions, as well as prevent climate-change-induced droughts and saline intrusion due to sea-level rise (Ref. 1, 2). This is achieved through developing various nature-based water management solutions and improving the recharge capacity of traditional temple tanks (Ref 1).
The project began in 2018, following the call for action event of the "Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia" (a bilateral program spanning several Asian countries). The Water Balance Model is developed as a strategy with an incremental implementation process (Ref 1, 2). The project started with pilot projects and then progressed to flagship projects before full city-wide implementation (Ref. 3).
The project began in 2018, following the call for action event of the "Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia" (a bilateral program spanning several Asian countries). The Water Balance Model is developed as a strategy with an incremental implementation process (Ref 1, 2). The project started with pilot projects and then progressed to flagship projects before full city-wide implementation (Ref. 3).
