25 January 2010, Paris (France). IUCN together with Natureparif launched a competition to reward European cities for innovation and excellence in preserving the wealth of nature.
“Every day animals and plants disappear from our planet forever,” said Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General. “From the smallest village to the largest city, local authorities are key players in conserving biodiversity.”
There is a wide variety of biodiversity within many European cities, towns and villages. This is due to the range of habitats available: gardens and parks, rivers and small forests, old buildings and walls, fallow land and much more. For many people this is their first, or even their only, contact with nature as they live far away from bigger natural habitats which are more commonly found in rural areas.
“The urban population is steadily growing. I am confident that this competition will increase awareness and encourage French local authorities to take concrete action for biodiversity” said Jean-Vincent Place, President of Natureparif, France.
The “European Capitals of Biodiversity” competition is organized in each of the five partner countries – Germany, Slovakia, Spain, France and Hungary – to recognise and reward local authorities that implement strong initiatives to conserve and enhance biodiversity. The contest runs simultaneously in the five participating countries and it is envisioned to have competitions in all European countries in the future.
A final report on the initiatives carried out by the municipalities will be compiled by the partners and disseminated amongst the municipalities by national partners.
The competition was launched on the same date in Hungary and Slovakia. Germany and Spain will host launching events in the near future.
The event took place right after the Nature Congress organized by the French Committee of IUCN (photo) and on the eve of the global launch of the International Year of Biodiversity hosted by UNESCO which involved heads of state and government, as well as high-level representatives of leading environmental organizations.
- Read more about the project
- Article on the IYB launch in Paris
- Natureparif on the Countdown 2010 website