Ecological restoration of ecosystems

The redevelopment of the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (Singapore) saw the naturalisation of the previously channelised Kallang River, as well as the installation of wetland cells as water cleansing biotopes and creation of butterfly habitats (Ref. 1).

The Kallang River was previously confined to a concrete canal that ran to the southern edges of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (Ref. 1). The channel segregated the two residential areas situated on either side of the park, with the river's 2.7km continuous concrete channel being crossable at only certain defined points (Ref. 3). Following its naturalisation, culminating in 2012, the now 3.2km meandering river is considered the park's highlight, "merg[ing] seamlessly with the park's greenery" (Refs. 1 & 6), and creating a "blue-green recreational network which is well-integrated with nearby residential areas" (Ref. 2).

In 2019 at the Gullele Botanical Garden in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian government launched a historic tree planting campaign. Over 350 million trees were planted in an ambitious move to counter the effects of deforestation and climate change. The Gullele Botanical Garden was selected as one of the 1000 sites all over the country involved in the Green Legacy Initiative, a national campaign against the effects of climate change. The United Nations estimates that Ethiopia’s forest coverage has declined drastically to a low of just 4 per cent in the 2000s from 35 per cent a century earlier. (1,2) The Botanical Garden was not selected aleatory as it is Ethiopia's only botanical garden and it is a nursery for various indigenous plant species. Its mission is to conserve and promote the Ethiopian diverse plants and tree population and it is a conservation initiative located at the northwestern tip of the Addis Ababa City Administration. The site covers an area of 1000 ha which is representative of the central plateau of Ethiopia. (3)

The Krubong landfill site has been proposed to undergo a "thorough and safe environmental rehabilitation program[me]" so that the site can be developed as a public park (Ref. 1). Following completion of a feasibility study, it is envisaged that significant rehabilitation work to address environmental degradation and restoration of natural habitats will be required, after which the site will be developed into a public park (Ref. 1). The programme remains in its planning stage, but seeks to address Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) 11.6 and 15.1 through protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of ecosystems and reversing land degradation and/or biodiversity loss; and reducing the environmental impact of cities by paying special attention to waste management and providing access to safe, open public spaces (Ref. 1). At a more local level, the programme intends to complement additional programmes laid out in Melaka's Resilience strategy document, including promoting both cycling and pedestrian networks and reshaping public spaces in the city (Ref. 1).

In 2019, the public initiative "Let's return the rivers to the city" campaign united public forces around the Podborenka river, which flows through the territory of Izhevsk along its entire length [1, 4, 5]. In an urbanised environment, the river was abandoned due to water pollution, poor treatment of stormwater, road and industrial runoff, soil erosion, and due to presence of landfills in the valleys [1, 4, 7]. Therefore, the project's primary goal is to increase the efficiency of urban resources and the creation of new scenarios for resource use on the example of the space of the riverbed of a small river [3]. The project implementation contributes to improving the ecological situation of the Podborenka River, its embankment zone and biodiversity [1, 9]. Also, the project implementers paid particular attention to the education of young people, the development of volunteer movements, and raising the level of the ecological culture of the population [1, 2, 6, 7].

The project is part of a bigger initiative aimed at restoring the coastal forest near the city of Mahajanga in western Madagascar. Alongside 2 international NGOs, the community located in the bay next to the city of Mahajanga implemented the intervention with the ultimate goal being to transition the land into a protected area as part of the greater "Mahajanga Green Belt Project". The regrowing forest will form the northwestern end of the greater Mahajanga Green Belt, with the southeast meets the Ankarafantsika National Park. The project also has a gendered aspect as it aimed to employ mostly the women in the suburbs of the city. (1,3)

Quelimane is a port city in Mozambique. It lies below sea level right alongside the Good Signs river (Rio Bons Sinais), and just a few kilometres from the coast. The frequent extreme weather phenomena such as rain and marine flooding render the city extremely vulnerable to climate risks. In 2013, the municipality concluded that one solution involves restoring large areas of mangroves, which act as a nature-based solution against flooding, helping to stem the tide by preventing soil erosion. In the past mangroves were cut down by the locals for building and cooking but now with the help of the municipality and local communities, the trees are restored and used as the first line of defence against climate change (1).

Xalapa is located beneath towering volcanic peaks in the Sierra Madre Oriental, and the city is crossed by at least five minor streams, seven rivers, and it has four man-made lakes and one lagoon in its territory. Its natural ecosystem represents “1% of the national forest area and hosts more than 12% of forest biodiversity” [1]. However, unplanned expansion has resulted in deforestation and the inadequate management of its waterways. In addition, forests, riparian corridors and wetlands have been cleared for agriculture and urban infrastructure. These disruptions to the environment have increased the frequency and intensity of flooding in the city [2]. To meet the environmental challenges, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources-SEMARNAT launched an initiative as part of UNEP's multi-city CityAdapt Project, backed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) [3]. The project focuses on four interventions to improve resilience to climate change through NbS: 1) riparian restoration along the Papas urban river; 2) ecological restoration of the Estropajo Hill; 3) installation of rainwater systems within the most vulnerable areas in Xalapa; and 4) implementation of an artificial wetland at schools [2,4].

The Ecological Wetland Park is a 630,000 m2 artificial wetland located in a high tech industrial pioneer zone, adjacent to the Tianjin Harbor. The project was initiated by an agency of the local government and constructed with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (1). The area of the park used to be "a natural coastal salt marsh, which become reclaimed land in the early 2000s. The resulting saline-alkaline area had minimal ecosystem value and use value (as it was not considered to be suitable for agricultural activities either)" (1 p20). The wetland park's objective is threefold: 1) to provide a natural wastewater treatment plant for the industrial area to decrease pollutant discharge into the Bohai Bay and improve water quality; 2) to rehabilitating and restoring the once thriving biodiversity in the Harbor Area and the Hai river's estuary 3) to create a place for recreation and leisure for residents. (1)

The Tagabe Riparian Corridor Regeneration Project is an integrated catchment project ‘designed to build resilience into the riparian system to safeguard human wellbeing in the face of current and future climate change challenges and key population/ resources demands’ (Ref. 4). The project is focused on the ‘riparian margins of mid to lower catchment streams in the Tagabe catchment’ (Ref. 4,5). Activities consist of ‘riparian revegetation and stream bank protection; sustainable land management of adjacent farmlands; and point source pollution prevention and remediation’ through a series of 5-year management periods (Ref. 4,5). The project was part of the larger PEBACC (Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change) project and is now supported by the Vanuatu Government and various other initiatives like the Pacific R2R – Ridge to Reef programme (Ref. 8,9).

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) is a bilateral project between Singapore and China with a large scale private-sector involvement with the objective to "transform the 34 km2 barren, non-arable land and polluted wastewater ponds into ... a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient – a model for sustainable development for 350 000 residents. (1,2). The Eco-Valley is an S-shaped, 11 km green spine that runs through the whole Eco-City connecting its centre with sub-centres, all four residential districts, community spaces, multiple parks, commercial zones, and waterside areas as a scenic park providing a place for connectivity, transit, leisure and recreation for residents (1).