Use data to clearly describe urban greening sites and overall green coverage.

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Use public power to explore and protect plants and animals.

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Imagine a future where human prosperity does not translate into sacrificing nature.

A world with no wastes, no pollution, where animals and plants on land and in the oceans prosper from the existence of humans as much as we do from the biology and geophysics of the Earth.

Is this impossible? Or must life on Earth be a zero-sum game between humanity and other species?

I’m always surprised by how many people jump to this negative view. They imagine the future as either a bleak scenario in which humanity spirals out of control in an otherwise lifeless world, or one in which human populations and consumption must be drastically curtailed, even at the cost of most human dignity. You’ve seen the movies…

Assuming that these are our only choices is a fundamental failure of the imagination. There is another, better way: it’s called the circular economy.

A new World Economic Forum report showcases many emerging models for making the economy more circular – especially in cities – and points the way forward for how to evolve current economic systems into a comprehensive logic of sustainability.

The rub with the circular economy is that it does not exist today: it needs to be invented and grown. Fast; over the next few decades.

The key is decoupling economic growth and human development from resource extraction and waste generation.

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Biophilic Cities partners with cities, scholars and advocates from across the globe to build an understanding of the value and contribution of nature in cities to the lives of urban residents. As a central element of its work, Biophilic Cities facilitates a global network of partner cities working collectively to pursue the vision of a natureful city within their unique and diverse environments and cultures.  These partner cities are working in concert to conserve and celebrate nature in all its forms and the many important ways in which cities and their inhabitants benefit from the biodiversity and wild urban spaces present in cities. Biophilic Cities acknowledges the importance of daily contact with nature as an element of a meaningful urban life, as well as the ethical responsibility that cities have to conserve global nature as shared habitat for non-human life and people.

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OPINION: It won’t come as a surprise for the chief executive of a programme called Trees That Count to say “I love trees”. But I do. Our native trees are a special gift, and we all have a responsibility to restore and protect these gifts.

Trees That Count talks a great deal about the importance of planting native trees as part of the fight against climate change. That’s why we have a live count of native trees planted – because each native tree, which is purposefully planted and supported to grow into canopies that last for generations, is a powerful part of tackling our oversized footprint as a country.

But carbon offsetting is just one of many reasons why our native trees are so important. It’s something many people know, but struggle to articulate, when talking about the value of native conservation. We know we love trees, we know they’re important in many ways, but how can we measure and explain that to people who might not?

Our forests are also part of the New Zealand experience, highly valued by locals and tourists alike. Where would we be without our native silver fern? Forests play a vital role in the national branding, and tourism is one of our top economic drivers.

Native trees play a big part in the ambience and environments for recreation. In 2015, a nationwide survey showed spending time outdoors was important for 88 per cent of New Zealanders. This positively affects our mental health, community building and innovation.

Native forests are culturally and spiritually very important for our tangata whenua, and the positive impact native forests have on water quality is vitally important to the mauri (life force) of freshwater ecosystems.

More and more, New Zealanders are seeing ourselves as stewards, or kaitiaki, of this land. We care about things like the protection of our native birds and the water quality of our streams, which is motivating us to put pressure on policy-makers.

But we also need to turn our minds, our pressure and our money to protecting and restoring our native forests. It’s our forests that help keep our streams clean and allow native birds to thrive. Only native trees can contribute to the biodiversity of our land, speak to our cultural and spiritual values and create the iconic New Zealand nature scenes that draw locals and tourists to our scenic places.

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Healthy Trees

Trees and green spaces lower stress levels and encourage people to exercise and socialise more, experts at the forum said.

But with urban populations projected to increase by 2.5 billion people by 2050, demand for more housing and transport is putting pressure on green spaces, they said.

And a lack of expertise, data or the ability to attract funds means cities tend to opt for “grey” infrastructure projects over “green” ones to fulfill the same job, according to a report by New York-based 100 Resilient Cities network, published on Wednesday.

That could mean building a concrete wall to protect a coastal city from flooding instead of planting mangroves, which are effective, less costly, more visually pleasing and improve air quality, said 100 Resilient Cities, which produced the report.

‘Creating Happiness’

Deprived parts of cities often lack trees and other green spaces.

Residents in almost every city affected by climate change are calling for more equity and fairness, said David Miller, North American director of C40 and a former mayor of Toronto.

“Often that’s about economic goods, but it’s also about social goods like green spaces, and forests and health,” he said.

New York city is planting 1 million trees, and mapping where those are most needed, especially in deprived areas, he added.

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