On 27 October 2026, we explored how cities can move from raising awareness of urban biodiversity to actively engaging citizens and local communities in protecting and enhancing nature.
The webinar opened with an introduction to the Urban Biodiversity Parks project by Maija Rusanen (UBC Sustainable Cities Commission/City of Turku). Annika Pöyhtäri and Selina Raunio (City of Turku) then shared experiences of participatory nature management in the development of the Skanssi Biodiversity Park, followed by Riia Ränisoo (City of Tartu) who introduced experiences from the urbanLIFEcircles project and its work to bring biodiversity back into cities. Then, Åsa Laurell (Municipality of Umeå) explored citizen engagement in biodiversity and invasive species management, with a concluding presentation by Miso Hudák (City of Košice), who presented approaches to developing public parks with people. Together, the examples highlighted different ways cities can involve residents in planning, creating and maintaining more biodiverse urban environments.
Webinar materials (coming soon)