Salzburg Global Launches New Forum on Urbanization and Nature

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Nov 08, 2015
by Heather Jaber
Salzburg Global Launches New Forum on Urbanization and Nature

Experts in health, nature, and urbanization will gather to discuss the unprecedented levels of population growth changing urban landscapes as well as the transformative potential of nature

By 2050, the world population is projected to be over 9 billion, with growth rates highest in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Most of the world will be living in towns and cities and experiencing rapid urbanization. Unprecedented changes will take place, requiring innovative approaches to health and development with a focus on the vulnerability and transformative potential of nature.

To foster new approaches to urbanization and nature, the first Parks for the Planet Forum, called Nature, Health and a New Urban Generation, will take place November 8-11. Experts in public health, urban planning, and nature conservation will gather to tackle some of the tough questions on urban youth, healthcare, business, and technology.

“Humanity is about to collapse under urbanization, industrialization, and jungles of concrete and steel,” said Program Director Paul Jansen. “We have to reconnect with nature, give urgency to the creation of protected green and natural spaces in our cities and beyond for our own health and well-being. If not, the future looks quite bleak for us with about 70% of the people on earth living in cities in 2045! Severe health issues in urban populations are already mounting and those will not go away with simply constructing more gyms.”

Participants will share unique perspectives relating to their diverse mix of background experience —  from health insurance, education, and media, to botanical gardens, zoos, and the arts, discussion promises to be comprehensive and fruitful. They will question how best to engage the youth with nature, the coordination of health and urban spaces, investment in the conservation of nature, and the use of technology as a driving force for change.

The forum is timely, as this year also marks the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals and a new Climate Change Agreement by international players. Outcomes of the discussions include strategic recommendations and actions for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Hawaii in September 2016 and initiatives to deliver the Promise of Sydney. Salzburg Global Seminar and IUCN are launching a ten-year project aimed at delivering The Promise of Sydney, a shared commitment to the conservation of nature as a vital link between health and humanity.

“The Parks for the Planet Forum, hosted by International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Salzburg Global Seminar,” said Jansen, “will develop the transformative agenda with concrete recommendations and next steps to come to sustainable, livable and green cities.”

Co-chairs of the forum include: Gil Penalosa, Founder and Chair of the Board 8 80 Cities; Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; Kathy MacKinnon, Chair of the IUCN/World Commission on Protected Areas; and Kobie Brand, Regional Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability Africa.


The Salzburg Global program Nature, Health and a New Urban Generation is part of the Parks for the Planet Forum. The list of our partners for Session 557 can be found here: www.salzburgglobal.org/go/557