Projects
Nature-Based Solutions in Cities: State of the Field & Pathways to Systemic Investment
The Center for Regenerative Solutions (Boulder, USA), in partnership with the Urban Biodiversity Hub (UBHub) and the Humboldt Institute, is leading the first cities-first synthesis of how intermediate-sized municipalities across the Americas are governing, financing, and scaling biodiversity and nature-based solutions (NbS).
The report draws on practitioner interviews with 25 partner cities in Canada, the US, and Latin America, with UBHub leading the Canadian module. By distilling hard-won lessons on what it actually takes to integrate nature into municipal decision-making, the report aims to enable cities working with limited capacity and resources to apply these lessons in their own contexts. Politics, funding structures, coordination challenges, and approaches all receive dedicated attention.
The team has designed the publication to be immediately usable by practitioners in cities of a similar intermediate scale, grounding it in real experiences rather than theoretical frameworks. Released in time for CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia (October 2026), the report aims to strengthen cities as essential actors in the global biodiversity agenda.
Development of the Urban Nature Indexes (UNI)
For IUCN, we developed the Urban Nature Indexes, a framework for cities to measure their impact on nature in a comprehensive and flexible way.
UBHub helped IUCN develop the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes (UNI), a comprehensive system of indicators that enables cities to measure and understand their impact on nature. This tool helps guide decision-making, providing cities of any size or context with a standardized way to track and report their progress in nature conservation and urban sustainability. The UNI framework supports local governments in making informed decisions by offering clear metrics to assess biodiversity, ecosystem health, and urban greening efforts. Through this, cities can identify areas for improvement and monitor their contributions to global conservation goals. UBHub also offers ongoing support to ensure effective application of the indexes.
Global to Local Thematic Working Group
For NATURA, we lead a thematic working group that is tasked with strengthening linkages between global targets and local actions for biodiversity.
For NATURA, we lead a thematic working group that is tasked with strengthening linkages between global targets and local actions for biodiversity.
Urban Nature Conversations by UBHub (Europe)
Urban Nature Conversations is the official podcast of the Urban Biodiversity Hub (UBHub) Europe.
In each episode, we speak with leading researchers, practitioners, or policymakers from across Europe about the ideas, evidence, and real-world solutions shaping urban nature. From cutting-edge science to inspiring case studies, the podcast bridges research and practice, making knowledge on urban biodiversity accessible to professionals, decision-makers, and anyone interested in creating greener, more resilient cities.
ABC Subnational Indexes for Biodiversity, Water and Climate — Mexico
UBHub is leading the development of a subnational ABC Index (Biodiversity, Water and Climate) for Mexico, designed to help state governments better understand and monitor the interactions between ecosystem condition, water, climate pressures and people.
Developed in collaboration with CONABIO (National Commission for Use and Knowledge of Biodiversity), UNDP, GIZ and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the project combines technical indicator analysis with direct engagement with Mexico’s 32 federal entities. Rather than treating biodiversity, water and climate as separate agendas, the methodology places biodiversity and ecosystem condition at the core and examines how water and climate interact with them at the territorial level.
UBHub’s role has included developing and refining the methodological framework, reviewing and clustering existing national and international indicators, analysing a diagnostic questionnaire completed by state institutions, proposing options for the architecture and measurement of the ABC Index, and designing the participatory process used to identify state priorities, variables and indicator-selection criteria. Key outputs include a technical indicator framework, analysis of state-level institutional capacities and existing metrics, a proposed multidimensional architecture for the Index, and facilitation tools for consultation and pilot testing with state governments. The work is intended to provide a practical basis for future state-level monitoring, support updates to State Biodiversity Strategies, and strengthen the integration of biodiversity, water and climate considerations in subnational decision-making.
