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Ambitious Journey for Biodiversity: Arup's initiative focuses on fostering innovation and research for sustainable solutions through collaborations with communities, clients, and organizations.
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Target 2 of the GBF: Aimed at restoring at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030, aligning with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
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Biodiversity Crisis and Urbanization: Human activities, especially urbanization, pose significant threats to biodiversity by fragmenting natural habitats. Green spaces within cities are vital but face risks of species extinction due to limited support capacity.
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Urban Biodiversity and the 30/30 Target: While recognizing the crucial role of governments and organizations, individual actions are pivotal for preserving urban biodiversity. Focusing on one's workplace, community, and backyard can significantly contribute to this goal.
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Methodology for Analysis: Utilizing tools like the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, Australian Government Protected Matters Search Tool, and habitat area data, optimal locations for habitat corridors are identified.
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Projected Impact: Restoring 30% of backyards in inner Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane could lead to 127 hectares of restored habitat, supporting greater species diversity, abundance, and facilitating species dispersal.
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Specific Actions for Individuals:
- Planting for Wildlife: Fostering insect diversity, benefiting other wildlife, and supporting local fauna.
- Habitat Features: Incorporating elements like logs, rocks, and shallow water features to support a variety of native species.
- Threatened Flora Conservation: Creating favorable environments for threatened plant species through responsible management practices.
- Responsible Cat Ownership: Minimizing negative impacts on native wildlife through indoor cat management or secure outdoor enclosures.
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Broader Impacts:
- Mitigating Climate Change: Through carbon sequestration and enhancing resilience against extreme weather events.
- Mitigating Urban Heat Island Effect: By increasing green spaces and reducing heat absorption.
- Flood Mitigation: Reversing negative impacts of urbanization on water cycles.
- Human Health Benefits: Enhancing access to green spaces for improved health outcomes.
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Actionable Steps:
- Community Engagement: Writing emails to local governments, joining local biodiversity groups, and participating in environmental events.
- Backyard Transformation: Restoring portions of backyards, incorporating native vegetation, and creating favorable habitats.
This report underscores the critical role of both collective and individual efforts in addressing the biodiversity crisis and contributes to a sustainable future by focusing on urban areas and leveraging the potential of backyards.
