Cities are full of opportunities to enhance biodiversity
The keynote speaker at the Urban Nature Forum, Head of Nature and Biodiversity Akanksha Khatri from the World Economic Forum, put it bluntly: we are witnessing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. The economic model that has benefited us until now is threatening the natural capital on which both the global economy and society rely on entirely.
– The way we now produce and consume directly contributes to the loss of nature, Khatri concluded.
However, Khatri noted that ecopreneurship is on the rise. Consumers are increasingly seeking to buy from companies that treat our planet well. Younger employees, in particular, are drawn to work for these companies, and investors are showing a growing interest in investing in them.
Cities as the causes of nature loss
In her speech, Development Manager Kaisa Mustajärvi from the City of Tampere discussed the various ways in which cities contribute to the deterioration of biodiversity. As cities expand, natural areas are replaced by construction, while traffic and emissions continue to rise.
– However, the most profound impact on nature comes from consumption, Mustajärvi notes.
Cities are responsible for consuming 75 percent of the world's natural resources and generating 60-85% of global climate emissions. Climate change, in turn, is the primary driver of biodiversity loss.
This creates a paradox: urban life heavily relies on resources produced outside of cities, yet cities themselves are contributing significantly to the exhaustion of these very resources through their environmental impact.
Cities solving nature loss
Finland's largest cities aim to be vanguards in restoring and increasing natural diversity. At the Urban Nature Forum, a panel of the city leaders stated that growing cities should do this work together. When residents, communities and companies also get involved, the chances of success increase.
Biodiversity programs, or LUMO programs, are the cities' most important action plan for preventing biodiversity loss. In Tampere, activities include, for example, the construction of organic stormwater systems, the establishment of urban meadows and nature reserves, the restoration of urban streams and the control of alien species.
– The LUMO program is a concrete proof of our commitment to biodiversity. ‘The program´s progress can be publicly monitored in real time through the Tampere Climate and Environmental Guide, mayor Kalervo Kummola stated in his opening remarks at the forum.
Tampere also sought to better understand its global impact on nature loss in order to address it more effectively. As a result, Tampere became the first city in the world to calculate its nature footprint.
– Our biggest impacts are through food procurement, energy production and construction, says Mustajärvi.
Courage and playfulness on the Näsi Park Bridge
One striking example of modern urban thinking is the Näsi Park Bridge, completed in the summer of 2023. This bridge, creatively adapted from an old vehicle bridge, connects the areas of Ranta-Tampella and Särkänniemi.
True to its name, the Näsi Park Bridge is more than just a passageway; it features plentiful vegetation, and diverse seating areas. The bridge project shows the growing appreciation of the green environment and the circular economy in Tampere, as well as the desire to enhance community’s well-being.
According to developer engineer Raija Tevaniemi, the implementation of this innovative bridge required both courage and a certain sense of playfulness from the City of Tampere. She feels that she received a lot of support from the city while bringing this idea to life.
– I would guess that the experiences gained from the Näsi Park Bridge will be applied to future construction in Tampere. For example, let's consider whether the existing one can be used instead of being torn down. Or how to make parks and recreation areas into unified routes, Tevaniemi ponders.
As MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen stated in the discussions of the Nature Forum: cities have a powerful tool in urban planning - it should be used to combat the loss of nature.
The local nature affects health
Local nature holds great significance for Finns, who actively engage with it in their daily lives. They use natural spaces to stay fit, relieve stress, and unwind.
At the Urban Nature Forum a seminar focused on the links between urban nature and well-being, Liisa Tyrväinen, a research professor at the Natural Resources Center, presented preliminary findings from a project assessing the impact of urban nature on mental and physical health. The research provides evidence of significant health benefits associated with natural environments. Implementing measures that preserve these natural spaces could lead to savings in health and social care costs.
– The climate and diversity work in land use planning must also include health benefits. More precise quantity and quality targets for nature areas are needed, says Tyrväinen.
Urban farming is producing food close to people
Blokgarden Oy was founded four years ago with the idea that urban farming could become one of the significant ways of food production in the future. So far, urban farming is largely a hobby in backyards and community gardens – and that's a good start.
– The change starts from the fact that the residents become active in purchasing urban food that has been produced nearby, even in the same house or block. Some can start farming themselves, says Blokgarden's founder Tuomas Ilander.
Hanna Järvenpää from Tampere visited Blokgarden's community garden in Kaleva to gather tips on plants suitable for the cultivation boxes in her own yard for the next summer.
– I have the attitude of an urban farmer: a little less perennials and ornamental bushes in the yard and more useful plants to replace them. It gives me great pleasure when I can grow my own food, says Järvenpää.
An ugly thicket or a refuge of diversity?
At the Nature Forum, a panel of city leaders highlighted the strong consensus among urban residents on the importance of biodiversity. However, opinions diverge on the best approach to implementing it. However, the panel noted that when people participate in the discussion with different opinions, the understanding of diversity and the actions it requires increases.
Urban farmers Tuomas Ilander and Niilo Gustafsson from Blokgarden confirm that, for example, a thicket can be seen with different eyes when you understand their importance in terms of biodiversity. The small forest on the corner of the Kaleva community garden, which according to traditional thinking is a bit untidy, is good just the way it is.
In Blokgarden's culture, urban farming and natural diversity support each other. The company is currently experimenting and presenting an offering that greens the urban environment and brings diversity back to cities.
– The city is full of opportunities to restore diversity, when you look at it from a right angle, Ilander states.
