Description/achievement of initiative
This civic ecology program aims both to raise awareness about degradation of natural habitat, and to promote citizen participation through the improvement and appropriation of public/common spaces.
Main Objective. To involve citizens in the natural habitat restoration, favoring and conserving local biodiversity and taking actions for common spaces improvement.
Specific objectives:
1. The participants recognize the benefits of integrating the local biodiversity into their daily surrounding.
2. The participants are able to identify and favor native species.
3. Public space is more comforting and attractive for humans and other inhabitants due to the presence of local plant species.
Implementation methodologies
The main activity of the program is a workshop telling about different type of species (according to its geographical origin or natural distribution) and teaching a seedbombs technique. The seed bombs produce during the workshop are loaded with native wild seeds of different life-form plants to be spread in a public or common space.
Engagement is promoted by asking participants to constantly search for germinating seeds they delivered themselves, to photograph them and share growth in social media. The more enthusiastic participants become volunteers both by reporting growth and habitat restoration, or by collecting wild seeds on their daily tracks across the city.
Resources like local flora handbooks, iNaturalist app and invasive alien species lists are shared to participants, so that they can inquire on their own time and interest. A NaturaLista project holds the records of plant observations for those used as seed donors, and for testing the monitoring program (http://www.naturalista.mx/projects/especies-y-espacios-monterrey)
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
The program includes capacity-building for volunteers who collect the native wild seeds used during the workshops. CAmbiental SOSAC arranges field journeys in different open spaces in the city to identify native plants, its flowers, fruits and seeds, and how to collect them leaving natural seed banks as well.
One of the current targets is to invite biology professionals to join the program activities, in order to enhance its potential in restoring the natural habitat, taking better decisions about seed collecting, species identification and monitoring presence of endemic and native species.
The availability of the iNaturalist app allows the program to naturally transforms into a citizen science experience for those who engage enough with the objectives.
Coordination mechanisms/governance structure
SOSAC identifies allies (i.e. private initiative, government administrations, schools or civil society groups) who wants to participate in some part of the program. Participants must al least take part of the Seedbombs Workshop, analyze where to deliver them, and to take action by spreading the seeds and monitoring growth.
Funding is needed to maintain a stock seed bank, to update pictures and identification of species, to run the logistics and acquire the materials for the workshops, and for social media monitoring of plant establishment and habitat restoration.
Indicators are about to be developed, searching for presence of fauna attracted by the established flora. This project of the Especies y Espacios program help advancing towards the accomplishment of the Aichi targets 1,5, 18 and 19 of the 2011-2020 CBD strategic plan.
Partner(s)
Fundación AlEn, Fundación XIGNUX, Alert Youth Fund, Molecular Ecology Lab (FCB - UANL), Scout volunteers, Aliados Contigo (SGG NL)
Progress reports
Goal 4
4.7 - By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Goal 11
11.3 - By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
11.4 - Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
11.7 - By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
Goal 12
12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
Goal 13
13.3 - Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
Goal 15
15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
15.3 - By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
15.5 - Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
15.8 - By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
15.9 - By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
15.a - Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
Goal 16
16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
Goal 17
17.9 - Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Data, monitoring and accountability
22/04/2018
