By Arnaud JouvePublished on 04-10-2019Modified on 04-10-2019 at 14:47

The UN is betting on urban forests to cool cities in Africa and Asia. The Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu, has announced the launch of an initiative called "Great Wall for Cities". Interview.

This project , which is expected to be launched by 2030 in the arid zones of Africa and Central Asia, is an answer to lowering the temperature of cities and helping them, by planting trees, to fight against global warming. climate. Simone Borelli is in charge of agroforestry and urban and peri-urban forestry at the Forestry Policy and Resources Division of the FAO's Forest Service.

RFI : The Director General of FAO announced in New York, in parallel with the Climate Action Summit, the launch of an initiative called " Great Wall for Cities ". What is this project for Africa and Asia ?

Simone Borelli : The goal of the Great Green Walls of Cities (GGW) is to create a series of "green nodes" that will bring benefits to both cities and their suburbs as part of a broader strategy of landscape restoration interventions in the semi-arid regions of the world. The GGW project will extend from Africa to other parts of the world, such as Central Asia and beyond, and create up to 500 000 ha of new urban forests and restore, in addition, nearly 300 000 ha of existing forests. To implement this strategy of large-scale urban reforestation development, we wish to be able to work in each of the 30 countries along this region, in order to develop this project, in each of its countries, in at least three cities. , large, medium and small.

Aerial view of Khartoum, Sudan. © Getty Images / Michael Runkel

What was the initial observation that led you to develop this project ?

In 2014, 54% of the world's population was urban. This figure is expected to rise to 60% by 2030 and 66% by 2050. Almost 90% of the increase will occur in Asia and Africa, with India, China and Nigeria alone representing third of this increase. The increase in the urban population implies an increasing demand for food and basic services, posing significant infrastructural, social, environmental and economic challenges to local governments. Landscape degradation and climate change are increasingly affecting urban areas in terms of floods, droughts, landslides and extreme winds. Forests and trees in cities and their suburbs are a strategic, nature-based solution to improve the sustainability of urban development and build resilience to global challenges.

A number of cities in Africa and Asia have already taken steps in this direction: Kigali, Addis Ababa and Nairobi are good examples . In Asia, many cities in China are also taking large-scale measures, for example to create barriers against sandstorms or to reduce air pollution.

How are you going ?

To support this idea, we have created a partnership with actors who can bring different skills. These partners are FAO, Habitat, C40, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, Stefano Boeri Architects, Arbor Day Foundation, Cities4Forests, the Italian Society for Forestry and Forest Ecology (Sisef) and the Center for Research on Urban Forestry in China. These practical contributions include, for example, assessments and the development of local planning, design and management strategies for urban and peri-urban forests. This type of support will of course have to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

A GGW committee will lead and monitor the program on the basis of environmental and socio-economic indicators, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) most relevant. On the ground, the initiative will explore and promote local stewardship mechanisms.

Who will finance this project ?

A global multi-donor mechanism will be put in place and provide matching funds for national or local projects. This can be done for example by using funds collected through environmental fees, there may be public-private partnerships in which urban forest users will contribute to their creation and preservation. We have established initial contacts and are exploring different funding opportunities.

It is in this beautiful courtyard, under 42 ° C in the shade, that this awareness workshop takes place. © Emmanuelle BASTIDE / RFI

This type of initiative is an adaptation response. Will this program be counted as part of the fight against global warming ?

Once established, the GGW would capture 0.5 to 5 GTonnes of CO2 per year. How will this be measured, reported? This has not been discussed yet.

The initiative has the merit of appearing simple and affordable (planting trees) but it will have a strong impact on urban planning on the economy of cities and other areas. What are the problems that can arise ?

The solution is indeed simple, however, trees need space and competing uses of land are inevitably conflictual. There is also the issue of jurisdiction, responsibility for green space and tree management that is often fragmented between different agencies and may be poorly coordinated. The technical capacity of the municipal administration is often limited, making it difficult to choose the right place and to provide adequate maintenance and upkeep. In addition, in many cases, urban forest and tree planning is not well integrated with other aspects of urban planning and tends to be added after the fact. Of course, these are just a few of the problems, but there are many positive examples of how these problems can be solved. In 2018, on the occasion of the Global Forum on Urban Forests , we launched a call to action and developed a recognition system that encourages cities to take action.

Beyond the climatic reasons, what are your expectations ?

Urban greening can create up to 30,000 new jobs per million inhabitants. Quality green spaces promote healthier lifestyles, reducing the number of noncommunicable mental illnesses and the cost of health care. Urban forests promote social equity and help preserve spiritual and cultural values. The impact of trees on the value of private properties is important, contributing to municipal and private revenues and supporting urban regeneration efforts. They increase the availability and accessibility of affordable wood and non-wood forest products, reduce the costs of drinking water supply and treatment, and reduce energy needs by cooling the air and reducing the need for conditioned air .

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