User's Manual for the City Biodiversity Index _27Sept2010_
Contents
1. Species found in the city data will be used for the calculation of Indicators 3 4 5 6 7 8 and 10 Mandatory species Number of species of vascular plants birds butterflies and 2 other taxonomic groups of the city s choice The 2010 data will form the baseline for future monitoring Optional species Cities can also list the total number of species for other taxonomic groups if they have the data This would give a more complete picture of the species diversity in the cities Quantitative data on populations of key biodiversity indicators These include quantitative data on major taxonomic groups which are used to determine the conservation status of the species vii viii 27 SEP 2010 Relevant qualitative biodiversity data These include write ups on the natural history of the cities ecological rehabilitation and restoration initiatives special biodiversity features re introduction of native species etc Administration of biodiversity Relevant information include agencies and departments responsible for biodiversity how natural areas are protected through national parks nature reserves forest reserves secured areas parks etc with information like what are the categories where are the protected areas how large are they what are the aims of conserving these areas and functions of these areas etc Links to relevant websites including the city s website environmental or biodiversity specific websites2. ii ii 27 SEP 2010 As the CBI is developed primarily as a self assessment tool the actual score of the indicators is secondary to the change in the score over time Hence the differences in the scores by cities in different ecological biomes hence should not be a cause for concern as cities are comparing how well they did in relation to their own past scores over a time period The comparison among cities arose due to the availability of the data but is not the reason for the development of the CBI Issue The validity of a single score based on the summation of the scores of a diverse range of indicators was questioned Another system segregating different characteristics of the indicators into 5 sectors i e A B C D and E and summing up scores of the different elements separately was counter proposed Discussion and Conclusion The participants deliberated on the merits and drawbacks of the single score and the counter proposal The consensus of the workshop was that a single score which was a total of the scores for all the indicators was preferred as long as the indicators were fair Issue It was suggested that the ecological footprint of the cities should be included in the Index Discussion and Conclusion The participants were informed that this issue had been raised at the previous workshop Since many other indices like the World Economic Forum s 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index and 2008 Environmenta
3. roadside plantings are not considered as natural However natural ecosystems with dominant native species within parks can be included in the computation HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR Total area of natural areas Total area of city WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data on natural areas include government agencies in charge of biodiversity city municipalities urban planning agencies biodiversity centres nature groups universities publications etc Google maps and satellite images also provide information for calculating this indicator BASIS OF SCORING Based on the assumption that by definition a city comprises mainly man made landscapes the maximum score will be set at more than 0 20 of the total city area would be covered by natural areas O point lt 0 01 1 point 0 01 0 06 2 points 0 07 0 13 3 points 0 14 0 20 4 points gt 0 20 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 2 CONNECTIVITY MEASURES OR ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS TO COUNTER FRAGMENTATION RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Fragmentation of natural areas is one of the main To ensure a more realistic and unbiased threats to the sustainability of biodiversity in a city Total area of natural areas that are linked scoring range cities are requested to Hence it has been selected as an indicator to chart Total area of natural a
4. BASIS OF SCORING Governance and Management Education can be divided into two categories formal through the school curriculum or informal Two aspects will be evaluated i e formal education and public awareness Whereas Indicator 14 gives an indication of school children s use of recreational services provided by ecosystems Indicators 22 and 23 highlight i whether biodiversity is included in the school curriculum and ii the number of outreach or public awareness events are held per year Most cities have no jurisdiction over school curricula The incorporation of this indicator creates the opportunity for city officials to liaise with education officers so that biodiversity courses are taught at pre school primary secondary and tertiary levels Indicator 22 Is biodiversity or nature awareness is included in the school curriculum e g biology geography etc Indicator 23 Number of outreach or public awareness events held in the city per year WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Education department city councils NGOs Indicator 22 0 point Biodiversity or elements of it are not covered in the school curriculum 1 point Biodiversity or elements of it are being considered for inclusion in the school curriculum 2 points Biodiversity or elements of it are being planned for inclusion in the school curriculum 3 points Biodiversity or elements of it are in the process of being implem
5. Thailand Chiang Mai 13 Thailand Krabi 14 Thailand Phuket 15 United Kingdom London 9 00 SOOT ONS Some of the cities did not score on all the indicators due to lack of information Ol Oe Australia Joondalup Cambodia Phnom Penh Cambodia Siem Reap Canada Montreal Ottawa European cities participating in the European Capitals of Biodiversity Competition from five countries France Germany Hungary Spain and Slovakia France Paris Indonesia Padang Indonesia Pekanbaru Lao PDR Vientiane Lao PDR Xayaboury Malaysia Sibu Malaysia Kuantan Philippines lloilo City Philippines Puerto Princesa City Philippines Quezon City Spain Ourense USA Montpelier USA Kings County Viet Nam Danang Viet Nam Hanoi 27 SEP 2010 MILESTONES 20 5 The following highlights the key milestones for the CBI leading up to COP 10 in Nagoya Japan in October 2010 November 2009 Posting of the draft Users Manual for the CBI on the CBD website for feedback from cities academics etc 6 7 January 2010 Discussion of the CBI at the Second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity Curitiba Brazil 1 3 July 2010 Second Expert Workshop on the Development of the CBI to finalise the indicators of the CBI 18 29 October 2010 Discussion on the CBI at the City Biodiversity Summit Nagoya 24 26 October 2010 Tabling of the CBI as a self evaluation tool for post 2010 monitoring
6. biodiversity enhancement projects restoration projects procurement of green services etc Number of projects that are being implemented by the city authorities private sector NGOs etc per year WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data include city authorities private sector NGOs etc To ensure a more realistic and unbiased scoring range cities are requested to send in their actual data so that statistical analysis can be applied to the data using the mean as the reference for 2 point score scoring range to be determined 26 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 17 RULES REGULATIONS AND POLICY EXISTENCE OF LOCAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Governance and Management To ensure that there is good governance sound policies must be formulated To facilitate the implementation of biodiversity management policies rules and regulations must be put in place This section evaluates the existence of biodiversity relevant policies rules and regulations in particular whether they are aligned with the national agenda and CBD s initiatives like the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NBSAP Some of the CBD initiatives include plant conservation forest biodiversity global taxonomy initiative invasive species programme marine biodiversity c
7. e any other taxonomic groups that they have data on in Part Profile of the City e The indicators will measure the change in number of species over time rather than the absolute number of the species e The year 2010 will be taken as the baseline year for the species count The net change in species numbers increase in number of species due to re introduction or restoration efforts minus the number of species that went extinct will be incorporated in the 2012 calculations of the CBI Total increase in number of species as a result of re introduction rediscovery new species found etc minus number of species that have gone extinct WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data include government agencies in charge of biodiversity city municipalities urban planning agencies biodiversity centres nature groups universities publications etc 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 9 PROPORTION OF PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Protected or secured natural areas indicate the city s Area of protected or secured natural areas To ensure a more realistic and unbiased commitment to biodiversity conservation Hence the Total area of the city scoring range cities are requested to proportion of protected or secured natural areas is send in their actual data so that statistical an important indi
8. effect of To ensure a more realistic and unbiased are carbon storage and cooling effects provided by vegetation scoring range cities are requested to vegetation in particular tree canopy cover Climate send in their actual data so that statistical regulation services are affected by many factors Tree canopy cover Total terrestrial area analysis can be applied to the data using including the size of trees the different of the city the mean as the reference for 2 point characteristics of tree species and other variables score etc 9 WHERE TO GET DATA FOR With regards to carbon storage plants capture CALCULATIONS scoring range to be determined z carbon dioxide during photosynthesis hence capturing carbon that is emitted by anthropogenic City councils and satellite images activities Canopy cover of trees which includes 3 those that are naturally occurring and planted in a z City is accepted here as an indirect measure of the 8 carbon sequestration and storage services Ww Plants through shading evapotranspiration and decreasing the proportion of reflective surfaces reduce the ambient heat in the air and the surface temperature in the urban landscape As a general rule a 10 increase in vegetation cover reduces the temperature by about 3 degrees hence cooling the ambient temperatures Planting of native trees to increase the canopy cover is encouraged This is an indicator that is optional for cit
9. how to calculate the indicator where to get data for the calculations and basis for the scoring The method of scoring is quantitative in nature To ensure that the scoring is unbiased and fair to a broad spectrum of cities of different characteristics over a wide geographical range statistical analysis will be applied to the data provided by the cities A minimum of data sets from 20 cities is required to ensure a sample size suitable for statistical analysis 18 During the preparation of the User s Manual more appropriate measurements were proposed A maximum score of four is allocated for each indicator and currently with 23 indicators the maximum score of the CBI is 92 UPDATES ON THE TEST BEDDING OF THE CBI 27 SEP 2010 19 As of 6 September 2010 the table below indicates the cities which have test bedded the November 2009 of the CBI and those which are in the various stages of test bedding A map showing all the cities that have test bedded the CBI and the ecological biomes will be on a website which will be announced soon Cities which have test bedded and provided their preliminary scores for the CBI Cities which have agreed and are in various stages of test bedding Brazil Curitiba Belgium Brussels Capital Region Canada Edmonton Estonia Tallinn France Montpellier Germany Frankfurt Indonesia Bandung Japan Nagoya New Zealand Waitakere City 10 Singapore 11 Thailand Bangkok 12
10. websites of agencies responsible for biodiversity PART Il INDICATORS OF THE CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE Native Biodiversity INDICATOR 1 PROPORTION OF NATURAL AREAS IN CITY RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR Natural ecosystems harbour more species than disturbed or man made landscapes hence the higher the percentage of natural areas compared to that of the total city area gives an indication of the biodiversity richness However a city by definition has a high proportion of modified land area and this is factored into the scoring Taking into account the inherent differences in the richness in biodiversity of tropical vs temperate regions new vs mature cities large vs small cities developing vs developed countries it was agreed at the Second Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index that the working definition of Natural Areas is as follows Natural areas comprise predominantly native species and natural ecosystems which are not or no longer or only slightly influenced by human actions except where such action is intended to conserve or enhance native biodiversity Natural ecosystems are defined as all areas that are natural and not highly disturbed or completely man made landscapes Some examples of natural ecosystems are forests mangroves freshwater swamps natural grasslands streams lakes etc Parks golf courses
11. 27 SEP 2010 USER S MANUAL FOR THE CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX BACKGROUND 1 The ninth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity COP9 in Bonn Germany recognised the role of cities and local authorities and the fact that the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans NBSAPs requires the close collaboration with sub national levels of government In light of the above the Minister for National Development of Singapore Mr Mah Bow Tan proposed the establishment of an index to measure biodiversity in cities at the high level segment of COPY on 27 May 2008 Following up on his proposal the First Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index CBI took place from 10 to 12 February 2009 at the Singapore Botanic Gardens at the invitation of the National Parks Board Singapore NParks the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity SCBD and the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity GPCB FIRST EXPERT WORKSHOP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CBI 10 TO 12 FEBRUARY 2009 2 The workshop was organised in close consultation with the members of the GPCB The key objectives of the workshop were to develop the City Biodiversity Index CBI as a self assessment tool to i assist national governments and local authorities in benchmarking biodiversity conservation efforts in the urban context and ii help evaluate progress in reducing the rate of biodivers
12. I 1 TO 3 JULY 2010 7 The Second Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index was held from 1 July to 3 July 2010 at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Singapore The objectives of the workshop were to i Review comments by cities which have test bedded the Index ii Refine and improve the indicators of the CBI based on the essence of the components that was agreed at the First Expert Workshop paragraph 4 and iii Finalise the User s Manual for the CBI 8 Thirty two participants including the SCBD the Technical Task Force representatives from ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities Brussels Capital Region Curitiba Edmonton Montpelier Montreal Nagoya Waitakere City and Singapore resource experts representatives from Aichi Nagoya COP10 CBD Promotion Committee and international organisations attended the workshop 27 SEP 2010 9 The deliberations of the workshop were recorded in the Report of the Second Expert Workshop on the Development of the City Biodiversity Index will be available at the following CBD webpage http www cbd int doc meeting EWDCBI 02 The participants examined the general approach to the selection of the indicators crafting of the measurement of the indicators and scoring of the indicators Special attention was paid to ensure that the selection and scoring of the indicators were unbiased Written feedback given was shared at the workshop and any concerns that wer
13. N OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Governance and Management The first two components measured the biodiversity in the city and the ecosystem services provided by the city This indicator evaluates what programmes and projects are put in place to ensure the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity in cities Amount spent on biodiversity related administration Total budget of city Computation should include the city s or municipality s manpower budget as well as its operational and biodiversity related project expenditure WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data include government agencies responsible for biodiversity conservation and finance departments To ensure a more realistic and unbiased scoring range cities are requested to send in their actual data so that statistical analysis can be applied to the data using the mean as the reference for 2 point score scoring range to be determined 25 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 16 NUMBER OF BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY THE CITY ANNUALLY RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Governance and Management Projects are not limited to the conservation of protected areas but could include those pertaining to species conservation e g plants birds and butterflies species recovery biodiversity surveys
14. aces predicted to result Proportion of all permeable areas including To ensure a more realistic and unbiased in increased variability in precipitation which in urban areas identified in Indicator 1 plus other scoring range cities are requested to landscapes may translate into high peaks in water parks roadside greenery private gardens send in their actual data so that statistical flow and damage to construction business and streams rivers etc to total terrestrial area analysis can be applied to the data using transport Vegetation has a significant effect in of city excluding marine areas if the mean as the reference for 2 point reducing the rate of flow of water through the urban applicable score landscape e g through presence of forest parks lawns roadside greenery streams rivers Total permeable area Total terrestrial waterbodies etc area of the city scoring range to be determined WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data include government environmental agencies city municipalities urban planning water and land agencies satellite images etc Ecosystem Services 22 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 12 CLIMATE REGULATION CARBON STORAGE AND COOLING EFFECT OF VEGETATION RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Two important aspects of climate regulation services Carbon storage and cooling
15. be applicable to more cities and to be more scientifically robust The strengths of the CBI are that it is the only Index that focuses on biodiversity its coverage is diverse and comprehensive incorporating indicators on biodiversity ecosystem services and good governance and management cities can do their own assessment hence building their capacity in biodiversity conservation and databases the scores are quantitative hence it is objective and it is possible to monitor change over time and a diverse range of experts and stakeholders contribute to the design of the CBI The weaknesses of the CBI are that it is difficult to select indicators that all cities have data on ii iii 27 SEP 2010 the scoring of some of the indicators is difficult due to the different ecological zones that cities are located in and indicators for ecosystem services are difficult to design as this a new field of study GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE DRAFT USER S MANUAL FOR THE CBI 15 16 i ii iii iv 17 The CBI comprises three parts Profile of the City where the city lists some background information relevant to biodiversity conservation supplementing the data captured in the indicators Indicators to be evaluated by the city Calculation of the Index The table in Part Il of the CBI page 16 and following contains explanation and guidelines on the 23 indicators the rationale for selection of the indicator
16. cator WHERE TO GET DATA FOR analysis can be applied to the data using The definition of protected natural areas should be CALCULATIONS the mean as the reference for 2 point broadened to include legally protected formally score secured areas and other administratively protected Possible sources of data include areas as different cities have different terminologies government agencies in charge of and means for protecting their natural areas biodiversity city municipalities urban scoring range to be determined D planning agencies biodiversity centres L nature groups universities publications 5 etc 2 m o 2 z 20 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 10 PROPORTION OF INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES AS OPPOSED TO NATIVE SPECIES RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Invasive alien species out compete native species To ensure that the comparison of invasive The scoring range is based on the and thus threaten the survival of native species and alien species with that of native species is premise that the more invasive alien the integrity of ecosystems As cities are very open meaningful it would have to be a species that are in the city the more to influx of alien species this indicator measures the comparison of identical taxonomic groups destructive impact will be to the native status of this threat species Number
17. dise throughout the Index proportions are used rather than percentages The scoring will be based on normalising the data provided by the cities The statistical treatment of the cities data would ensure a scientific basis for the scoring fairness and objectivity Statistical analysis will be applied to Indicators 2 Connectivity 3 Native biodiversity in built up areas 9 Proportion of protected areas 11 Regulation of water quantity 12 Climate regulation carbon storage and cooling effect of vegetation 15 Budget allocated to biodiversity and 16 Number of biodiversity projects that are implemented by the city Indicator 2 Diversity of Ecosystems in the 21 November 2009 version iv vi vii 27 SEP 2010 This indicator has been deleted in the present version as it was not likely that the number of ecosystems would change significantly over a medium time period which is the reporting time frame of the Index However information on the number of ecosystems in cities is still deem important and hence it will be recorded under the Profile of the City of the Index Indicator 3 Fragmentation in the 21 November 2009 version To emphasise the positive solution approach of the index this indicator re numbered as Indicator 2 will measure the connectivity measures or ecological networks efforts to counter fragmentation Indicators 5 6 7 8 and 9 Number of native species in the 21 November 2009 version The numbers of thes
18. e i e plants birds and butterflies have been TOSt easily available and to enable some In 2012 cities will calculate the net change in selected as core indicators To ensure fairness and COMMON comparison SL ae for the Ea eee an aa tivity ni l e scoring range below is based on the react A R Se naan ahs Cities can select any 2 other taxonomic groups acceptance that it is not easy to recover or re IXONOS group for Indicators 7 and 8 e g bryophytes fungi introduce species successfully over a short gt biodiversity amphibians reptiles freshwater fish molluscs period of time However species recovery ai ee dragonflies carabid beetles spiders hard re introduction and restoration efforts must be 5 To ensure that these 5 indicators on species are corals marine fish seagrasses sponges etc given due recognition gt unbiased against any city based on its geographical S location ecological history size land use etc it was The above data for 2010 would be recorded in 0 point 0 species or less oO decided that Part Profile of the City as the baseline 1 point 1 species o e All cities and local authorities are requested to list 2 points 2 species Z the number of native species of a vascular plants Net change in species from the previous survey 3 points 3 species S b birds and c butterflies d at least 2 other to the most recent survey is calculated as 4 points 4 species or more taxonomic groups and
19. e brought to our attention were addressed at the workshop The decisions made during the workshop on the amendment of the indicators have been incorporated into the revised indicators attached in parts 1 and 2 of the attached City Biodiversity Index dated 6 September 2010 10 The following issues pertaining to the general approach to the formulation of the CBI were discussed extensively i Issue It was recognised that cities in the temperate region have inherently a lower diversity than cities in the tropical region The age of the cities human intervention and other processes of succession could also be factors affecting the biodiversity richness of cities The size of the cities too is an important factor in determining the biodiversity richness of the city Discussion and Conclusion To ensure fairness and reduce bias a number of amendments were made First it was agreed that the total number of ecosystems and total number of specific species be listed in the Profile of the City The net change in species over time where 2010 is set as the baseline year has been identified as an indicator to replace the total number of species Secondly statistical analysis based on the data from cities would be carried out For the statistical analysis to be reliable data input would be required from at least 20 cities For a 4 point score the mean from data given by the cites will be calculated and be used as the reference for the 2 point score
20. e indicators have been changed to 4 5 6 7 and 8 respectively in this current version due to the deletion of the indicator on ecosystems It was agreed that to be fair to all the cities see paragraph 10a above the indicators should measure change in species number rather than the absolute number of species 2010 has been identified as the baseline year and cities would record the number of species of the mandatory taxonomic groups of vascular plants birds and butterflies and two other taxonomic groups of the city s choice in the Profile of the City Indicator 12 Freshwater Services in the 21 November 2009 version Many cities had problems with this indicator hence the need to revise it This indicator has been re numbered as Indicator 11 Regulation of Quantity of Water As a result of climate change there is increased variability of the quantity of precipitation and impermeable surfaces will further aggravate the problem Hence this is an indicator that highlights the importance of permeable surfaces in particular wetlands and natural ecosystems that would help regulate and moderate the flow of water due to extreme climatic conditions Indicator 13 Carbon storage in the 21 November 2009 version While cities were agreeable with the number of trees in principle there were issues that were difficult to resolve like species of trees girth size of trees trees planted by the city council or should it include trees in private land etc Re numb
21. e other 2 Rio Conventions climate change and desertification Decision IX 16 notes that efforts at the national and local levels are of high importance to the achievement of synergies between activities addressing biodiversity combating desertification land degradation and climate change and invites Parties and other Governments where appropriate and based on national circumstances to implement the activities contained in the indicative list in the annex to the decision the same applies to local authorities Listing and identifying species decision VIII 3 paragraph 11 e on the Global Taxonomy Initiative invites Parties to undertake as part of the Global Initiative on Communication Education and Public Awareness programme and in collaboration with relevant partners activities demonstrating the importance of taxonomy for the general public including information on products lessons learned and accomplishments of taxonomy related projects and activities encouraging public participation recognising the importance of volunteer naturalists and local and indigenous people as a source of expertise the request applies as well to local authorities in particular relating to the first component of the City Biodiversity Index urban biodiversity assessments Local networks of protected areas sub national governments can contribute substantially to any 2011 2020 targets of the CBD on protected areas The national protected areas network of Brazil fo
22. ented in the school curriculum 4 points Biodiversity or elements of it are included in the school curriculum Indicator 23 0 point 0 outreach events year 1 point 1 59 outreach events year 2 points 60 149 outreach events year 3 points 150 300 outreach events year 4 points gt 300 outreach events year 30 27 SEP 2010 PART Ill CALCULATION OF THE INDEX INDICATOR CALCULATION SOURCE SCORE Native Biodiversity in the City oOo an eo of A wo N oO Ecosystem Services Provided by Biodiversity in the City 11 12 13 14 Governance and Management of Biodiversity in the City 15 16 27 SEP 2010 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 32 27 SEP 2010 ANNEX Brief Explanation on CBD s Relevant Thematic Areas to Cities and Local Authorities The thematic programmes of work and cross cutting issues of the Convention see http Awww cbhd int programmes for a complete list apply in general both to the national as to the sub national level For this reason local authorities developing and or reviewing their biodiversity strategies and action plans can be guided by all of them However for ease of reference below is a list of the most recent COP 9 decisions of the CBD with a direct bearing on local authorities Agriculture decision IX 1 on Agricultural Biodivers
23. ered as Indicator 12 using area under tree canopy as a proportion of the total area of the city would be a good indirect measure of both the carbon storage and cooling effect of vegetation viii 12 27 SEP 2010 Indicator 14 Recreation and educational services as in the 21 November 2009 version This indicator measuring number of visits per person per year was deleted as there were differences in the desired number for different types of areas For example the carrying capacity of nature reserves and national parks are lower than that of parks Achieving high and increasing numbers of visitors is not a desired outcome for nature reserves and national parks but would be for horticultural parks with less natural ecosystems While it is recognised that there are some other indicators that could be included in the CBI due to the urgency of completing the CBI for submission to COP10 in October 2010 minimum additions were made to the current version Indicators that measure cities efforts at restoring native biodiversity ecosystem ecosystem services native biodiversity in landfill sites green roofs and vertical greening initiatives proximity to nature parks and brownfield sites etc have been identified as important gaps that need to be addressed Further revisions will include indicators that address these unrepresented areas The CBI is a dynamic process evolving for the better continuously so as to be more useful to allow it to
24. ies in the desert or arid zones or other ecological zones where this might not be applicable 23 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATORS 13 14 RECREATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Biodiversity provides invaluable recreational Indicator 13 Indicator 13 spiritual cultural and educational services It is Area of parks with natural areas and O point lt 0 1 ha 1000 persons essential for physical and psychological health protected or secured natural areas 1000 1 point 0 1 0 3 ha 1000 persons persons 2 points 0 4 0 6 ha 1000 persons 3 points 0 7 0 9 ha 1000 persons Some cities refer to this as accessible 4 points gt 0 9 ha 1000 persons green spaces Indicator 14 Q Indicator 14 0 point O formal educational visit year S Number of formal educational visits per 1 point 1 formal educational visit year 3 child below 16 years to parks with natural 2 points 2 formal educational visits year E areas or protected or secured natural areas 3 points 3 formal educational visits year S per year 4 points gt 3 formal educational visits o year 2 WHERE TO GET DATA FOR AT CALCULATIONS Indicator 13 City councils Indicator 14 School records 24 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 15 BUDGET ALLOCATED TO BIODIVERSITY RATIONALE FOR SELECTIO
25. in this oO features etc Some built up areas and brownfield indicator scoring range to be determined g sites have more biodiversity than others By ao enhancing certain features in such areas the WHERE TO GET DATA FOR 2 biodiversity could improve Hence native biodiversity CALCULATIONS o in built up areas and brownfield sites should be an indicator City councils universities NGOs etc Z Most cities have data on bird species Hence this taxonomic group will be used as an indicator The number of native bird species in built up areas and anthropogenic green spaces is inevitably lower than that found in sites with natural ecosystems 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATORS 4 8 CHANGE IN NUMBER OF NATIVE SPECIES RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATORS BASIS OF SCORING The total number of native species is used for As this is an index focussing on biodiversity in cities it Indicators 4 to 8 The 3 core groups are Data listed in Part Profile of the City will be is essential that the native flora and fauna diversity be Indicator 4 vascular plants used to measure change in species diversity incorporated as indicators j Indicator 5 birds i every 2 years The 2010 data will be the Indicator 6 butterflies baseline for monitoring in 2012 Three key taxonomic groups that are most surveyed These groups have been selected as data are ii worldwid
26. ith which the city is partnering in biodiversity activities projects and programmes WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS City councils BASIS OF SCORING Indicator 20 0 point No routine formal or informal process 1 point Formal or informal process being considered as part of the routine process 2 points Formal or informal process being planned as part of the routine process 3 points Formal or informal process in the process of being implemented as part of the routine process 4 points Formal or informal process exists as part of the routine process Indicator 21 0 point No formal informal partnerships 1 point City in partnership with 1 6 other national or sub national agencies private company NGO academic institutions international organisations 2 points City in partnership with 7 12 other national or sub national agencies private companies NGOs academic institutions international organisations 3 points City in partnership with 13 19 other national or sub national agencies private companies NGOs academic institutions international organisations 4 points City in partnership with 20 or more other national or sub national agencies private companies NGOs academic institutions international organisations 29 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATORS 22 23 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR
27. ity in the city including those pertaining to regulation of water carbon storage and recreational and educational services The third component is concerned with the governance and management of biodiversity encompassing budget allocation institutional set ups number of biodiversity related projects public awareness programmes administrative procedures etc The experts divided into three groups discussed in depth each of the components and decided on 26 indicators 1 Twenty six indicators were identified at the 1 Expert Workshop As two of the indicators were very similar one of them was removed during the preparation of the User s Manual for the CBI resulting in a total of 25 indicators in the November 2009 version 27 SEP 2010 5 A technical task force comprising Dr Nancy Holman London School of Economics Mr Peter Werner Institute of Housing and Environment Darmstadt Germany Professor Thomas Elmqvist Stockholm Resilience Centre Mr Andre Mader ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability LAB Initiative Ms Elisa Calcaterra IUCN Mr Oliver Hillel SCBD and Dr Lena Chan NParks was delegated to prepare the User s Manual for the CBI 6 In recognition of Singapore s innovative contribution and leadership the SCBD has informally named the CBI The Singapore Index on Cities Biodiversity In short it may be called The Singapore Index SECOND EXPERT WORKSHOP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CB
28. ity loss in urban ecosystems 3 A total of seventeen technical experts on biodiversity indicators as well as city executives and city representatives responsible for implementation and or management of biodiversity and urban projects and programmes attended the workshop These included four 27 SEP 2010 cities Curitiba Montreal Nagoya and Singapore experts from the London School of Economics Stockholm Resilience Centre Institute of Housing and Environment Germany National University of Singapore the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability s Local Action for Biodiversity LAB Initiative and the East Asian Seas Partnership Council From the SCBD Mr Oliver Hillel Programme Officer for Sustainable Use Tourism and Island Biodiversity attended the workshop 4 Over the three day workshop the experts deliberated on the format of the index and agreed that it should comprise three components that is i native biodiversity in the city ii ecosystem services provided by native biodiversity in the city and iil governance and management of native biodiversity in the city The first component focuses on different aspects of native biodiversity in particular what native biodiversity are found in the city how they are conserved what are the threats to native biodiversity etc The second component concentrates on the ecosystem services provided by native biodivers
29. ity states in its consideration that Parties recognize the challenge to secure sustainable food production globally and increase agricultural production for local needs as an important step to eradicate poverty and sustain livelihoods Urban agriculture has increased in economic and social importance and land use planning in the agricultural expansion frontier is a key mandate for local authorities Local authorities are invited to implement as appropriate projects and activities on urban agriculture The CBD Food and Nutrition initiative see htto Awww cbd int agro food nutrition also relates to the work of local governments Ecosystem approach This is the conceptual framework for the Convention and in practice it means the full involvement of local authorities see http www cbd int ecosystem Decision IX 7 on the Ecosystem Approach mentions in item c that although the ecosystem approach is not being applied systematically to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss many examples of successful application at the local scale are available and should be widely promoted and communicated inter alia in National Reports Most of these examples can be considered as positive outcomes for both biodiversity and human well being Local authorities are invited to report to their National Governments on such cases Climate change desertification and biodiversity Local authorities also retain critical mandates on the links between biodiversity and th
30. ive at a common understanding of these land use features Discussion and Conclusion The participants agreed with the above observation The indicator on native biodiversity in built up areas i e number of bird species attempts to addresse this issue One of the motivations of this Index was to promote the increase in native biodiversity in cities so as to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss It has been increasingly shown many cities could have higher biodiversity than the countryside which are heavily sprayed with herbicides and pesticides The Index is seen as dynamic and evolving in nature Positive indicators that aim to increase biodiversity like restoration rehabilitation and re introduction initiatives would most likely be added on at a later date vi ii 27 SEP 2010 Issue It was highlighted that for ecosystem services it was difficult to isolate the services provided only by native biodiversity Similarly on governance and management such actions are often directed at biodiversity in general However it is recognised that actions directed at the conservation and utilisation of native biodiversity should be encouraged Discussion and Conclusion Therefore components 2 and 3 were amended accordingly ecosystem services provided by biodiversity in the city and governance and management of biodiversity in the city Specific changes in the CBI resulting from the deliberations at the workshop include To standar
31. iversity matters 3 agencies cooperate on biodiversity matters 2 points 4 agencies cooperate on biodiversity matters 3 points 5 agencies cooperate on biodiversity matters 4 points More than 5 agencies cooperate on biodiversity matters 1 point Agencies could include department or authorities responsible for biodiversity planning water transport development etc 28 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE Governance and Management INDICATORS 20 21 PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR Indicator 20 evaluates the existence and the state of formal or informal public consultation process pertaining to biodiversity related matters Indicator 21 measures the extent of informal and or formal partnerships As it is impossible for any single agency to carry out all the activities responsibilities projects and programmes that have biodiversity implications hence it is inevitable that engagement of all levels of the population must be facilitated These include the city officials in various departments other spheres of government the public private sector NGOs etc HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR Indicator 20 Existence and state of formal or informal public consultation process pertaining to biodiversity related matters Indicator 21 Number of agencies private companies NGOs academic institutions international organisations w
32. l Performance Index WWF s Living Planet Report 2008 and other cities indices deal with ecological footprints and no other indices for cities in particular focus on biodiversity related parameters it was agreed that this Index should concentrate on native biodiversity ecosystem services provided by biodiversity and governance and management of biodiversity By creating this niche the Index could provide biodiversity related indicators for other indices that lack these specialised but important parameters iv v 27 SEP 2010 Issue For many of the cities the extinction of species occurred more than a hundred years ago It was beyond the control of the present generation Discussion and Conclusion While it was accepted that the extinction of species had taken place it was not productive to dwell on it by focusing on extinct species Positive steps need to be taken and these should be incorporated into the Index to encourage pro active activities that would result in the restoration rehabilitation and re introduction of ecosystems and species All the indicators where necessary have been revised to reflect this approach Issue There were several feedback that insufficient attention was given to biodiversity in built up areas considering most cities comprise built up areas and semi natural cultural landscapes The characteristics of built up areas and brownfield sites differ in different cities and there was a need to arr
33. ms in cities should be included in this section which will be used for the computation of the indicators The information could include i Location geographical coordinates latitudes and longitudes climate temperate or tropical temperature range and average rainfall precipitation range and average other relevant information ii Size area and include google map or satellite image and define city boundaries number of administrative units in cities or local authorities iii Population including total population and population density of the city the population of the region could also be included if appropriate and for the purpose of placing it in the regional context iv 27 SEP 2010 Economic parameters Gross Domestic Product GDP Gross National Product GNP per capita income key economic activities drivers and pressures on biodiversity Physical features of the city geography altitude of the city area of impermeable surface information on brownfield sites etc Biodiversity features and characteristics such as Ecosystems found in the city Mandatory Cities to list ecosystems present as of 2010 as baseline The Habitat Authority File http intranet iucn org webfiles doc SSC RedList AuthorityF habitats rtf will be used as the reference list for cities to select the ecosystems that occur within their city boundaries Optional Maps which show the location of ecosystems if available
34. odiversity should be integrated by all countries in their national and local strategies and planning processes applying the ecosystem approach SBSTTA 14 also recommended under the topic of examination of outcome oriented goals for the Strategic Plan that the Conference of the Parties recognise the need to contribute to the development and refinement of indicators suitable for monitoring biodiversity at local level 34
35. of invasive alien species The definition of alien invasive species adopted Number of native species 0 point gt 0 30 follows that accepted by the SCBD i e 1 point 0 21 0 30 D An alien species whose introduction and or 2 points 0 11 0 20 q spread threaten biological diversity For the WHERE TO GET DATA FOR 3 points 0 01 0 10 gt purposes of the present guiding principles the CALCULATIONS 4 points lt 0 01 S term invasive alien species shall be deemed m Anas KI ke ae D the same as alien invasive species in decision Possible sources of data include V 8 of the Conference of the Parties to the government agencies in charge of gt Convention on Biological Diversity biodiversity city municipalities urban It is inevitable in cities which are open to external influences to have alien species Alien species which are not invasive or detrimental to native species are not considered in this indicator In fact in many cities exotic or alien species enhance the diversity Cities can decide on the taxonomic groups which are most problematic for their city or where most data are available planning agencies biodiversity centres nature groups universities publications etc 21 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 11 REGULATION OF QUANTITY OF WATER RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Climate change is in many pl
36. onservation protected areas etc Status of Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan LBSAP number of associated CBD initiatives WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS Possible sources of data include city councils CBD national focal points ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability LAB Initiative United Nations University and IUCN CBD website and publications To ensure that biodiversity is conserved in a city itis advisable to draw up a LBSAP This needs to be aligned with the NBSAP so that biodiversity conservation efforts are synchronised and synergised 0 point No LBSAP 1 point LBSAP not aligned with NBSAP 2 points LBSAP incorporates elements of NBSAP but does not include any CBD initiatives 3 points LBSAP incorporates elements of NBSAP and includes 1 to 3 CBD initiatives 4 points LBSAP incorporates elements of NBSAP and includes more than 4 CBD initiatives LBSAP or equivalent The thematic programmes of work and cross cutting issues of the convention are listed in http Awww cbd int programmes Please refer to attached document for a brief explanation on CBD s relevant thematic areas such as ecosystem approach etc to cities and local authorities 27 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATORS 18 19 INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING Institutions are necessary fo
37. purposes in the Draft Plan of Action on Cities Local Authorities and Biodiversity 2011 2020 as part of a draft COP decision under agenda item 4 9 on Cooperation with other conventions and international organisations and initiatives engagement of stakeholders including business and biodiversity cities and biodiversity and South South cooperation Cities that are interested to test bed the CBI can provide their feedback and queries to Dr Lena Chan Lena_CHAN nparks gov sg or Ms Wendy Yap wendy_yap nparks gov sg and they will circulate them to the Task Force 12 27 SEP 2010 Universities researchers academics individuals etc who have invaluable biodiversity data that are relevant to the CBI are invited to share their data with us We will facilitate the channeling of the biodiversity data to the relevant city officials CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX PART I PROFILE OF THE CITY As the CBI focuses on only a few parameters it is important that other information not captured in the Index be given so as to give a more holistic picture of the native biodiversity that can be found in the city The profile of the city will include important general information on the city and in particular details of biodiversity data so as to give a more comprehensive background on the city and to place the city s evaluation for the Index in the proper perspective The data and information including images of native flora fauna and ecosyste
38. r instance has over 700 municipal Parks and 600 State parks for 300 National parks and 800 private reserves Additionally as develooment and urbanization define land use patterns the likeliness increases that new protected areas and 33 27 SEP 2010 corridors as well as sustainable land use mosaics such as biosphere reserves will come from sub national and local levels of government CBD decision VIII 24 on Protected Area item f vi proposes to increase where possible national and local government budgets for protected area management More recently several references to the contribution of local authorities have come up at SBSTTA 14 and WGRI 3 The draft CBD Strategic Plan 2011 2020 as proposed by WGRI 3 under item VI Support Mechanisms paragraph 23 on partnerships and initiatives to enhance cooperation mentions that initiatives such as promoting engagement of cities and local authorities will contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Plan Under item V of the draft Strategic Plan Implementation Monitoring Review and Evaluation WGRI 3 states that it will be implemented primarily through activities at the national and sub national level with supporting action at the regional and global levels One of the targets for the Strategic Plan set by SBSTTA 14 as strategic goal A address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society was that by 2020 the values of bi
39. r the effective Indicator 18 Indicator 18 implementation of projects and programmes Hence Number of essential biodiversity related 1 point 1 function Governance and Management the existence of biodiversity focussed and biodiversity related institutions will greatly enhance biodiversity conservation in a city Some of the essential institutions include a well managed biodiversity centre herbarium zoological garden or museum botanical garden insectarium etc It is more important to measure whether the functions of these institutions exist rather than the physical existence of these institutions Hence if a herbarium is situated in a botanical garden then two functions exist in the city under one institution Many biodiversity issues are cross sectoral and hence involve inter agencies The evaluation of inter agency coordination is an important indicator of the success of biodiversity conservation more so in a city where it is so compact functions The functions could include the following biodiversity centre botanical garden herbarium Zoological garden or museum insectarium etc Indicator 19 Number of city or local government agencies involved in inter agency cooperation pertaining to biodiversity matters WHERE TO GET DATA FOR CALCULATIONS City councils 2 points 2 functions 3 points 3 functions 4 points gt 3 functions Indicator 19 0 point 1 or 2 agencies cooperate on biod
40. reas send in their actual data so that statistical possible future trends However it is not easy to analysis can be applied to the data using measure fragmentation Some of the ways to the mean as the reference for 2 point measure fragmentation include mean patch size or e Patches that are lt 100m apart score distance between patches etc should be considered as linked e Individual cities can decide on the It is recognised that the fragmentation of natural width and composition of a link as scoring range to be determined gt areas affects different species differently For applicable in their context 4 example a road may not be a barrier for birds but it Examples of links include green D can seriously fragment a population of arboreal corridors underground faunal primates A strip of urbanisation may not affect the crossings overarching canopies that 2 dispersal of wind pollinated plants but a plant that function as links for small animals a depends on small mammals for dispersal will be etc gt adversely affected While these differences have 5 been noted considered and deliberated upon a pragmatic approach towards the calculation of this WHERE TO GET DATA FOR indicator is adopted as reflected in the formula given CALCULATIONS in the next column Furthermore to encourage positive action to increase connectivity or reduce barriers to connectivity it would be more meaningful to measure connectivity rather
41. than fragmented plots This indicator score can be improved when more of the fragments are connected Satellite images can be used in the computation of this indicator 27 SEP 2010 CBI INDICATORS VARIABLES SCORE INDICATOR 3 NATIVE BIODIVERSITY IN BUILT UP AREAS BIRD SPECIES RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF INDICATOR HOW TO CALCULATE INDICATOR BASIS OF SCORING It is acknowledged that cities comprise largely of Number of native bird species in built up To obtain a more realistic and unbiased built up areas and brownfield sites with areas where built up areas include scoring range cities are requested to anthropogenic green spaces and minimal natural impermeable surfaces like buildings roads send in their actual data for features However it should be recognised that built drainage channels etc and anthropogenic normalisation taking the mean of the bird up areas and brownfield sites do harbour have green spaces like roof gardens roadside species found in built up areas of cities biodiversity e g birds like swallows and swiftlets planting golf courses private gardens which have tested the index to be used nest under roofs of buildings plants grow on cemeteries lawns urban parks etc Areas as reference for the 2 point score buildings butterflies flutter around sun lit shrubs and that are counted as natural areas in 2 grassy patches dragonflies dart above water Indicator 1 should not be included
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