Implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in urban

Prof. Dr. habil. Norbert Müller
Research project:
“Implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in
urban areas – Development of guidelines and strategy concepts in a
case study for the City of Erfurt.”
Project leader:
Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller, University of Applied Sciences, Erfurt –
Department Landscape Architecture
Project assistant:
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Sascha Abendroth, University of Applied Sciences,
Erfurt – Department Landscape Architecture
Duration:
July 2004 - December 2005
Funding:
State of Thuringia
Cooperation
partners:
City Council of Erfurt – Department of Town Development, Traffic
and Trade CUBES (Columbia University/UNESCO) Joint Program on
Biosphere and Society
Keywords:
city, Convention on Biological Diversity, Erfurt, guidelines
Background:
By signing the Rio de Janeiro Convention on Biological Diversity in
1992, Germany has agreed to implement measures for conservation
and for sustainable use of biological diversity according to the
Convention.
While traditional instruments and programs of nature conservation
mainly focus the conservation and development of biodiversity, the
Convention aims towards a sustainable use of its components. It
comprises the utilisation of biodiversity in three elements: genetic
resources, species and ecosystem diversity. Although for natural
environments several measures and programs already exist, guidelines
for urban areas to implement the Convention are still lacking.
Mapping and evaluation of urban wastelands within a
students project of the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, Germany
For urban areas following questions have essential importance:
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Present situation
– status quo:
What kind of biodiversity should be protected and used – the one
in natural landscapes, in agricultural/ pre-industrial cultural
landscapes, in urban- industrial areas and/or within designed
cultivated urban areas?
How this biodiversity can be used under special urban- industrial
conditions?
How to complement the use of biodiversity with social and
economic aspects in urban areas?
In Germany a number of implementation measures are presently
applied for natural habitats regarding genetic resources of cultivated
plants, domesticated animals or species and ecosystem diversity
(compare 2nd National Report, BMU 2001a). However, in Germany as
well as in an international context, efforts to implement the convention
in urban areas are still in the beginning. The 6th Conference of the
Parties in Den Hague 2002 decided, therefore, to contribute questions
on urban areas first on the 9th Conference in 2008.
With this background the national expert committees for biodiversity
aspects – federal working group „Urban biotope mapping” and the
Society of Ecology - working group “Urban ecology” arranged the
conference “Biodiversity in urban areas”, which took place in Jena in
May 2004.
Organised by Thuringian Department of Environment & Geology and
the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, Department Landscape
Architecture, questions about implementation of the Rio Conference
were discussed for the first time in a national context.
Diversity of ornamental plants in private gardens in the City of Jena,
Germany
Objectives of the
project:
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Analysis of the conference “Biodiversity in urban areas” in Jena
2004
Summarizing the status quo in a national and international context.
Analysis of possibilities to transform and modify results to special
conditions of middle European cities. Furthermore, the joint
CUBES project, which is running since 2002 between the
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Involved projects of
the University of
Applied Sciences –
Department of
Landscape
Architecture:
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Columbia University, New York and the UNESCO, should be
analysed and evaluated. In CUBES recently 12 global cities
working towards models for environmental, economic and social
sustainability in urban areas according the biosphere reserve
concept.
Development of guidelines for the protection and utilization of
biodiversity according the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) in a case study for the City of Erfurt.
Preparation of an international workshop „Biodiversity in urban
areas according the Convention on Biological Diversity“ for the
year 2006
Several projects on Biotope mapping of Erfurt (summary in
Staiger, H. & Müller, N. 2004; Methodik und Ergebnisse der
Stadtbiotopkartierung in Erfurt; Landschaftspflege und
Naturschutz in Thüringen, Heft 2/2004, 48- 54)
Wastelands & Green Belts in Erfurt”
- Lecture series Object Planning/ Design 2003
(Supervision Prof. H. Schumacher & Prof. Dr. N. Müller)
„Biodiversity and improvement of urban wastelands in Erfurt“
- Integrated Student Project, June 2004
(Supervision Prof. Dr. N. Müller & Prof. H. Schumacher)
Valuable meadows in a public park in Stuttgart
Contact:
[email protected], [email protected]