Forests and trees in urban areas offer multiple benefits for the environment and for people, such as carbon sequestration, reduced heat island effect, improved air quality, and enhanced mental health and well-being for citizens.
In this virtual webinar, a World Resources Institute (WRI) team presented Cities4Forests – a city-led initiative that works to connect cities with inner, nearby, and faraway forests. The team also gave an overview of the recently launched GPC Supplemental Guidance for Forests and Trees which can help cities include greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and removals from forests and trees in their local GHG inventories.
After this, the Chief of Urban Planning of Kigali, Rwanda, presented how the city works to integrate green spaces and trees, guided by the Kigali City Master Plan. Kigali is one of the participating cities in the GEF-7 Sustainable Cities Impact Program – UrbanShift – and a member of the Cities4Forests initiative.
This was followed by a panel discussion with experts from FAO and the GEF sharing their reflections, and a Q&A session with comments and questions from the audience.