Brief description of the project

INTERACT-Bio II – Integrated Biodiversity Action is a project that seeks to improve the use and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services in metropolitan areas and regions. It provides resilient and sustainable solutions that integrate the efforts of subnational governments, which can incorporate measures such as territorial planning; sound land use and land cover management; local economic development; infrastructure project implementation; and increased awareness of the value of nature in the urban context. The initiative aims to offer nature-based solutions (NbS) and demonstrate their long-term benefits as economically sound and sustainable options for the expansion of urban communities in the Global South, integrating aspects of integrated biodiversity and ecosystem services management into development planning mechanisms.

Implementation period: 2022-2024

Funders: The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Implementing organizations:

• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
• Alexander von Humboldt Institute

Territory(ies) where it was implemented: Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area

Products developed:

• Stakeholder mapping and situation analysis at both the national and subnational levels 
• Assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services of the model metropolitan area, using the Singapore Index 
• Development of the Local Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Strategy and Action Plan (LBSAP) for the metropolitan area
• Formulation of a project, focusing especially on the testing of innovative financial instruments
• Document with inputs for the evaluation of learning, opportunities and challenges to enable multi-level collaboration