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Staff and Fellows discuss Parks for the Planet Forum and Emerging Urban Leaders
Staff and Fellows from Salzburg Global Seminar proudly presented at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Congress earlier this month.
At the Congress’ Urban Planet Pavilion, Jennifer Dunn, program development manager at Salzburg Global Seminar, shared details about two programs: Emerging Urban Leaders and the Parks for the Planet Forum.
She was joined by Fellows currently participating in Emerging Urban Leaders: Russell Galt, head of IUCN Urban Alliance, and Irene Gauto, a technical assistant for the “Asuncion Green City” project at UNDP Paraguay.
Emerging Urban Leaders and Parks for the Planet Forum have the inseparable relationship between people, nature, and the crucial role of urban environments in humanity’s future at their core.
These programs also support participants in finding ways to increase access to nature in urban spaces to improve health, well-being, a feeling of belonging and create a shared sense of responsibility to work in harmony with the environment.
It was the first time the Urban Planet Pavilion had been part of the IUCN World Congress, a key date in the conservation and nature calendar. This year, attendees convened in Marseille, France, between September 3 and September 10.
The IUCN Urban Alliance, a partner of Salzburg Global’s Parks for the Planet Forum, invited Salzburg Global to take part. The two organizations advocate for nature in cities and draw attention to the influential role cities, and their inhabitants have on nature in and around them.
As a growing majority of the world’s population lives in cities, they have a disproportionate influence on the environment, climate, and society relative to the amount of space they take up. But they also contain the significant potential to garner positive change and mitigate humans’ negative impact on the planet.
As well as presenting information on Salzburg Global’s programs, Jennifer hosted two sessions on behalf of the National Park City Foundation. This Salzburg Global partner aims to make as many National Park Cities as possible worldwide and, in the process, make them “greener, healthier, wilder and fairer places to live.”
Other events at the Urban Planet Pavilion underscored the importance and possibilities for nature in urban spaces. For example, a presentation on “Nature-based Solutions in Rapidly Urbanizing African Cities: Concrete Examples of Non-Concrete Solutions” was shared by urban design studio Kounkuey Design Initiative.
Meanwhile, Ines Hernandez, from the University of Cambridge, presented her work on “Urban Nature and Environmental Human Rights,” and Robert McDonald, a lead scientist at the Nature Conservancy, moderated an open discussion around the issue of equity and urban nature-based solutions.
On September 10, as the congress drew to a close, the IUCN published a finalized Marseille Manifesto to capture a number of the key messages from the week-long event.
Many of the commitments outlined, such as transitioning to a nature-positive economy, prioritizing investments in nature that advance social justice and inclusion, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cannot be achieved in isolation from urban environments.
Jennifer Dunn said, “Through our programs and our partnership with IUCN Urban Alliance and other like-minded organizations, we will continue supporting a better world in which nature is a valued part of society, accessible to all, and is unharmed by human activity.”