Bonn: Green UN City on the Rhine

Nourishing Ground for Partnerships

Susanne NoldenDepartment of International Affairs

and Global Sustainability

Green International City …

Medium-sized city in the middle of Europe (318,000 inhabitants) 20,000 years of human settlement, rich heritage and extended

nature/landscape conservation areas (more than 50 % of city surface) Beautifully located in the Rhine Valley

Shaping a Sustainable Future: Our Players 19 UN Organizations UNFCCC, UNCCD, IPBES, CMS, UNSSC,

GCDT 150 Sustainability Stakeholders Venue of UNFCCC COP 23Our Partnerships City & Civil Society: BioStation Bonn City & Region: Chance 7 Cities & Academia: BLUES – Blue

Green Solutions for Cities Academia & Stakeholders & City:

BION Network City to City: Environmental Learning

Center in Cape Coast, Ghana

Bridging the Gap between Civil Society Engagement and Institutional Conservation: Biological Station Bonn Rhein Erft Founded in 2001 by the City of Bonn

Members: stakeholders engaging in nature protection, agriculture, forestry, conservation

Merger with Rhine-Erft-District in 2012 Volunteers and officials share responsibilities 100% public funding for work and strategy

plan by City and State External funding for further projects in

nature and species conservation Continuous assessment of fauna and flora Conservation of endangered species Services for farmers and consulting on eco-

friendly agriculture Awareness raising and education

Conservation and Protection Areas > 50 % of Bonn

Close cooperation with surrounding jurisdictions

City to Region: Chance 7

National programme chance.natur Project under National Biodiversity

Action Plan Cooperation and co-funding between

national, subnational and local level Bonn-Rhein-Sieg: Cooperation of

several jurisdictions in an area of 11,400 hectares

Overall strategy: increasing the valueof biodiversity in the Siebengebirge area

Project goal: conservation of culturallandscapes and their species

Kohlkaul Meadows Project Acquisition of grounds Extensive management Goal: conservation of wildflowers

and endangered insects

Ennert-Rabenley-Kuckstein Project Clearing of non-indigeneous woods Green spaces with goats Clearing the rock from bushes in

order to protect sun-loving specieslike smooth snake, wall lizard andbreeding birds like buntings

BLUES – Blue Green Solutions for Cities Study and project on nature-based

solutions increasing urban resilience Academic partners (Lead: Imperial

College for Natural Sciences, UK) Cities: London, Paris, Budapest, Bonn Framework: Horizon 2020

Programme

Rheindorf Stream: Flood Protection via Renaturalization (Horizon 2020 EU) Heavy rains and rapid stream floods

endanger lives and infrastructures Lack of retention areas Benefit: knowledge exchange and

consulting, support of fundingacquisition, transfer to otherplanning areas

Network of Biodiversity stakeholders(55 partners, 9 workgroups)

Multidisciplinary, systematicapproach to research andconservation of biodiversity at all levels (local, national, international)

Showcases improvement ofinteractions between civil society, science and politics (Science-PolicyInterface)

Pooling of scientific expertise Specific collaborations and joint

projects Information platform

Interdisciplinary Approaches

Identifying common interests and motivations

Partnership Bonn – Cape Coast, Ghana: New Environmental Learning Centre Joint renaturalization project of Fosu

Lagoon Lagoon provides water, fish, food and

quality of life in the region Awareness raising to avoid future

pollution and to sustain Fosu Lagoonas habitat for life under water and on land

Partnerships: Run by local initiative Two interns work with Ghanian

colleagues Addressing communities and youth

in a number of initiatives

Contact: international@bonn.de