Co - creating Biodiversity in Urban Areas

🌿💧 Tips and Inspiring Ideas for Boosting Biodiversity at Home: Water in Your Garden! 🐸🦆

Water is essential for all wildlife survival. By adding water to your garden, you can attract a wide variety of animals. Frogs, toads, and salamanders can breed in a small garden pond, and birds can enjoy drinking from it. 🦢💦

Many gardens have space for a pond. Garden ponds are one of the best investments for enhancing biodiversity. Just remember, avoid adding fish to your pond as they can take up space needed by other species that will naturally settle there.

How to Maintain Your Garden Pond
An artificial pond often requires a bit of maintenance. Fallen leaves and other organic material can make the water murky and oxygen-poor. Make it a habit to regularly check your pond, remove organic debris, and occasionally refresh the water with new rainwater. You can even connect your rainwater system to the pond. 🌧️🏞️

🌿✨ Tips and Inspiring Ideas for Boosting Biodiversity at Home! 🌼🐝

Would you love to see more bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, frogs, toads, salamanders, and wild plants right where you live? 🌸🦋

Transforming your garden or communal outdoor space into a haven of biodiversity is a fantastic idea! A wild garden or natural garden requires a different approach compared to a traditional lawn, ornamental garden, or vegetable patch.

Creating habitats for various creatures may involve what some might call "mess," but it can also be arranged more neatly, depending on your preference. 🌱🦗

By planting the right wildflowers, you can attract more butterflies and bumblebees to your neighborhood. Let’s make our homes vibrant with life! 🌼🌿

🌳🌱 Exciting News for Denmark's Forests! 🌱🌳

The Danish Government has set an ambitious goal to plant 250,000 hectares of new forest! Currently, 15% of Denmark is covered by forests, but by the end of 2065, we aim to have 25% of our land embraced by greenery.

Vejle Municipality is contributing to this vision by raising 3,000 hectares of new forest by the end of 2030 as part of our climate plan. Most of this will be on privately owned land. 🌿

Private landowners can benefit too! There are generous grants available for afforestation, although participation is voluntary.

Denmark is known for its rich farming heritage, and there are many interests in how land is used. This creates a dynamic "battle for land" scenario. 🌾🌲

Join us in this green initiative and help shape a sustainable future for Vejle and beyond! 🌍💚

🌿✨Join us for a magical round trip at the Trætop Plant Nursery! Her you can experience a guided tour of this unique nursery, where seeds from native species are cultivated. These seeds are lovingly collected by passionate volunteers from the Butterfly Movement and Wild Vejle, in collaboration with schoolchildren from across Vejle Municipality. This project is a proud part of the Wild Vejle initiative, dedicated to boosting biodiversity throughout the Vejle area. Don’t miss this enchanting journey into nature if you are around Vejle! 🌼🦋

Mowing and Biodiversity
Adopted mowing practices can be crutual for the maintaince and promotion of biodiversity.

What you see here is a very good example of sectional mowing in Bruck/Mur in Syria, Austria. The small hill with historical building structures is mowed insect-friendly.

The mosaic-like mowing is beneficial to insects as there is always food and habitats let after mowing.
Speaking of changed mowing practices the use of scythes can be a game changer too. Scythes are sustainable and a cultural tradition all over Europe. They stand for a postfossil mowing practice and mowing together can built strong communities in cities. Our case study is already appliing that in Vienna city center.

Try it! Stay tuned for more!

Wild pollinators
Cocreating biodiversity can mean to saveguard wild pollinators and create habitats for them as the number of insects has fallen sharply in recent decades in Europe!

Wild pollinators such as butterflies, moths, wild bees and hoverflies are essential for the health of ecosystems and humans. They pollinate of a wide variety of plants, which is crucial for biodiversity and climate resilience. These wild living insects also support food webs - as they are food for bat's and birds and many other species.

Their presence indicates healthy environments, as they are sensitive to pollution and habitat changes. Protecting wild pollinators is essential for maintaining ecological balance and ensuring food security - so let's do it!

Pictures taken by
1: Butterfly at National Garden, Athens (GR)
2: Bumblebee on thistle, Vienna (A)
3: Bumblebee in Styra (A)
4: Hooverfly in Vejle (DK)
5: Butterfly in the island Aegina(GR)

This project is funded by the European Union, Erasmus+.

Global warming and biodiversity are cause by human activies. Today is show your stripes day - let's rise awareness of the relation between climate and biodiversity.

The graph shows the worldwide temperature rise and biodiversity loss between 1970 and 2018. We definitely need to act together to save guard biodiversity and stabilise the climate.

We are currently working on the promotion of biodiversity in our european project "Co-creating Biodiversity in Urban Areas".

You like this post? Stay tuned for more! 🐞

Throwback Train the Trainers Workshop
11th-13th June 2024

Last week we were working intensely on our project Co-creating Biodiversity in Urban Areas in Athens, Greece. A current heatwave showed that we urgently need measures in European cities.

Thanks to all participants that contributed to the project, the Center of the Earth () and Life Long Learning Institute Athens who hosted us in Greece!

The project is funded by the European Union.

Historic moment for European Nature and Societies:
The Nature Restoration Law was passed today.

This is a big step for biodiversity in Europe and for our partner countries in the EU project "Co-creating Biodiversity in Urban Areas". This decision will have great impact and even have impacts on our cities.

We look forward that nature will be restored and ate thankful for this historic decision that was made by European Environmental Ministers.

17/06/2024

#17062024

Dense European cities need urban public spaces to be renaturated and greened in order to fight climate change, support public health and promote biodiversity in urban areas. The use of space is a high priority in sustainable policy and we need more spaces for trees, green infrastructure, communities and wildlife.

This picture series of Athens, Greece shows different aspects of public spaces and the necessity of greening it. The current and very early heatwave showed that we cannot wait longer to take steps towards more liveable cities and the promotion of green infrastructure and high quality public spaces in Europe.

TRAIN THE TRAINERS, Athens 13/06/2024
EU Co-Bio Workshop
We were reflecting on our projects and case studies, presenting and discussing the next steps. The Hungarian partners presented the Session: "Surviving the future" which was really impressing. Portugal partners presented a local portuguese living lab.

Thanks for the partners of Lifelong Learning Institute Hub for hosting us!

Fotos



ets

Meeting in Athens, Greece 2 12/06/2024

On the second day of our TRAIN THE TRAINERS Workshop in Athens we went to discover a local project: "Center of the Earth" (@) in Athens.
was giving us a great tour through the urban gardening area.
We cooked and ate together, discussed on the local case studies and did a Swot analysis of the projects.

How can urban biodiversity enhancement contribute to a drop in inequality?

As heat waves become more frequent and severe, those living in poverty are disproportionately affected. People with lower incomes face a 40% higher exposure to heat waves than those with higher incomes.
Since the 1990s, heat waves brought on by the climate crisis could have cost the global economy $16 trillion. This is particularly challenging for low-income populations, who are more likely to rely on daily wages or to have children who are unable to attend school.
In order to mitigate these harmful impacts of heatwaves, biodiversity and green area enhancement is essential.

Here you can read more on how heatwaves increase inequality:

https://www.one.org/stories/heat-waves-inequality-worse/

Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity!

The theme of the 2024 edition of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB, 22 May) is: “Be part of the Plan”.
The chosen theme is a call to action to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations, lawmakers, businesses and individuals are encouraged to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Everyone has a role to play and therefore, can Be part of the Plan.



https://www.cbd.int/biodiversity-day

Today is ! 🐝

Bees play an essential role in biodiversity conservation and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Let’s celebrate them today and help their work by planting pollinator-friendly plant species, avoiding pesticides, raising awareness about their importance, supporting organic farming, and making a bee path.

Did you know?

Here are some interesting facts about urban biodiversity:

1. The age of the city affects species richness; large, older cities have more plant species than large, younger cities.
2. Twenty percent of the world’s bird species and 5 percent of the vascular plant species occur in cities.
3. On average, 70 percent of the plant species and 94 percent of the bird species found in urban areas are native to the surrounding region.
4. Cities can be important habitats for a diverse bee fauna. Bees in urban and suburban settings have a richer, healthier diet than bees in modern intensive farmland settings.

With the current rate of urbanization, it is crucial to protect and conserve natural habitats in urban areas.
https://www.cbd.int/doc/health/cbo-action-policy-en.pdf

🌿🌍 Exciting Update from Project Co-bio! 🌍🌿
Virtual meetings have never looked more engaging! 🖥️✨ Yesterday, in the virtual hub of sustainability, partners delved into the heart of Project Co-bio. Our team reflected on the project's progress and prepared diligently for the upcoming Train the Trainers meeting in the breathtaking city of Athens this June. 🌟🌿
Stay tuned as we weave innovation, collaboration, and a touch of green magic into every pixel of our virtual gathering. Together, we are shaping a brighter tomorrow! 💚🌍

Benefits of Urban Biodiversity

Biodivers urban habitats not only mitigate climate change effects but have several other benefits as well:

-Protect the health of natural ecosystems
-Improved Air Quality
-Enhanced Mental Well-being
-Education and environmental awareness
-Ecological Resilience
-Supporting Pollinators
-Recreational Opportunities
-Economic benefits
-And many more…

https://iucn.org/story/202305/embracing-biodiversity-paving-way-nature-inclusive-citieshttps://citytalk.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21173940/10-reasons-to-preserve-biodiversity-in-your-city-Biodiversity-Matters.pdf

Plant a tree or two to mitigate heatwaves

Planting trees is effective at mitigating high temperatures due to the shade they provide in addition to the water they release when they perspire. They can cool temperatures by approximately 1-2 degrees Celsius. Urban trees can provide a wide range of benefits including:
-Reduced energy use
-Improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions
-Enhanced stormwater management and water quality
-Reduced pavement maintenance
-Improved quality of life

Read more about their benefits here:
https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/using-trees-and-vegetation-reduce-heat-islands

The summer is almost here, so do the heatwaves

The combination of urbanization and global warming leads to more frequent and more intense heat in the cities. Yet, the harmful impacts of these heat waves can be mitigated by green spaces. The more diverse and abundant parks, urban forests, gardens, wetlands, or even greened artificial surfaces, such as balconies or walls, the more effective they can be in reducing summer air temperatures.
Here you can find a scientific piece about urban green spots' roles in mitigating the temperature of extremely hot days.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675824000262

Did you know that Denmark is the second most intensely cultivated country in the world – only surpassed by Bangladesh? The biggest challenge to biodiversity in Denmark is farming, as farmland taks up approx. 60 % of the country’s area. In a European context, Denmark stands out as much more heavily cultivated than other European countries, where the average percentage of farmland is 26 %. Approx. three quarters of Danish farmland is used for cultivating feed for livestock: grain, maize, beets, r**e seed and grass. Danish livestock farming is intense with a livestock population of 13 million pigs, 1,5 million cows and 22 million chickens. Biodiversity all over Denmark is threatened by this intense farming and cultivation of land.

A good example of co-creating biodiversity: During the last two years a Danish waste company, called Renosyd, has collaborated with schools and citizens in local communities and residential areas on setting up 70 brush fences. Brush fences enhance biodiversity, attracting animals, insects and birds and acting as habitats for hedgehogs and brumble bees. And the children are learning hands-on about biodiversity, as schools use the brush fences on their grounds for teaching. An important reason for the success of this project has been Renosyd taking a co-creative approach, reaching out and collaborating with local stakeholders.

Vejle Fjord is dead – and not only Vejle Fjord. The biodiversity condition of Danish fjords, lakes and seas is very bad and deteriorating. Recently, Greenpeace and the Danish association of sportfishermen arranged a burial of Vejle Fjord under the title “Vejle Fjord is dead. Now the fjord is laid to rest with the hope of resurrection." The ceremony was attended by more than a thousand people, grieving the lost lives of fish and plants, extinguished by nutrients from agriculture and from wastewater dumped into the fjord. The ceremony included a coffin, a priest’s sermon, flowers, choir and speeches.

At the crest of the green wave

The European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to put biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 for the benefit of Europe’s peoples, climate and the planet, with an innovative and broad-based plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. A core part of the European Green Deal, it can also support a green recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Co-Bio actively supports and enhances this strategy, with a particular focus of urban biodiversity. Our project addresses the current pressing biodiversity crisis, aiming to preserve and recreate healthy habitats in order to undo the effects on this crisis, especially in European cities and urban areas. We are doing this through co-creation, a democratic process, which brings together relevant cross-sector stakeholders to solve a specific issue or problem.

Promoting and valorizing local co-creation activities can have a positive democratic effect, in raising awareness, providing competences, mindsets and social capital, leading to practical yet far-reaching improvements and social change.

Capacity building with a view to the future

One of the most valuable and promising aspects of the Co-Bio project is the investment to the future through the dissemination of knowledge and expertise. A main pillar of our effort is capacity building of professional and volunteer adults within the public, private and civil society sector in how to co-create shared solutions for urban biodiversity.

We already are in the process of collecting vital insights into what drives local co-creation. Through this process, we will develop a teaching methodology for local trainers and educators. The result will be a training workshop that will promote the method of facilitating local co-creation as a learning process. Thus concrete progress can be achieved in disseminating practical biodiversity knowledge and co-creation methods through training the trainers. These trainers can then make an impact in public policy and actively contribute in the education of broader society in their capacity as transmission vectors.

Valorizing urban biodiversity

One of the most original and vital aspects of the Co-Bio project is the identification and valorization of best practices in urban biodiversity through innovative methods of co-creation. In this way, practical and concrete examples for the environmental regeneration of our cities will be demonstrated in the 6 countries that participate in the project (Austria, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal).

Synergy and effective partnership between public, private and civil society sectors can help us build a more sustainable future for our cities, and this is done with a democratic, inclusive and collaborative method with multiple applications in everyday life. We are in the throes of a biodiversity crisis, so we need to find realistic yet innovative solutions that can work locally and be applied globally. Keep in touch with us and learn more.

Vejle Kommune
CESIE
Athens Lifelong Learning Institute
Rightchallenge
Gartenpolylog
Center for Citizen Dialogue
Greenformation

the Co - Bio partnership!

In our last post we talked about how we are facing a crisis biodiversity in urban area and how the Co - Bio project will find some concrete solutions in the topic.

The Co–Bio partnership will be formulating a teaching methodology that will enable the partners to facilitate local cross-sector stakeholders in engaging in local co-creation processes on urban biodiversity. The process will act as a practice-based training process, where the local stakeholders will gain the necessary competencies, knowledge, and methods to be able to co-create through local case projects.

The partnership will also work on creating direct impact and experiences about how to co-create shared solutions to support urban biodiversity and local mobilization by formulating a guide that provides tools and information needed for local stakeholders.

Much more on our channels. !

Sara & - creating Biodiversity in Urban Areas Team.

How can we learn to understand the needs of nature and what it takes to give space to biodiversity in our cities? 🦗🏡

In Aarhus, Denmark they have made an initiative called "Species of Aarhus" or Arternes Aarhus. Here individuals become ambassadors for a local species each, and help give voice and attention to the needs of that species particularly.

Watch an introduction video about the project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fknxa3mmxSg

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Have you ever participated in a bioblitz?

A bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.

It is a great way to map out local biodiversity and learn more about the importance of conserving local nature areas. Often volunteers of all ages and professionals come together, and the results can contribute to a greater understanding and awareness of biodiversity.

Why not try it out in your local area?
You can find many different guides to arranging a bioblitz online. For example the Londong National History Museum has created a guide, which you can find here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/citizen-science/bioblitz.html

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