Improving the management of threatened ecosystems in an urban biodiversity hotspot through the Durban Research Acton Partnership

Abstract

Cities have a vital role to play in managing biodiversity and dealing with global environmental change issues (de Oliviera et al. 2011; Gilbert et al. 2013). It is projected that, by 2030, global urban land area will have nearly tripled, making the next two decades the most rapid period of urbanisation in the world's history. This development will increase global carbon emissions and result in a 'considerable loss of habitats in key biodiversity hotspots' (Seto et al. 2012). Africa currently displays the fastest rate of urban growth in the world (Pieterse &Parnell 2016) and there are predictions of signifcant urban migrations over the next decades (UN-HABITAT 2010). It is critical that this development follows a low-carbon and climate-resilient pathway if the ambitions of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increase to well below 2°C are to be realised.