Urban Biodiversity Coalition convenes to strengthen knowledge sharing on nature, city resilience in challenging times

DUBAI, 6th April, 2026 (WAM) — Recent weather events across the UAE have brought renewed attention to how cities and natural systems respond under changing conditions. Members of the Urban Biodiversity Coalition reconvened at Terra, Expo City Dubai, bringing together over 20 policymakers, researchers and industry leaders, including new members, to share insights on how urban environments can be better understood and strengthened.

The session created space for open discussion, with organisations sharing how they are responding within their own organisations and learning from one another in real time. This exchange reflects the Coalition’s growing role as a platform for collective action and progress.

While discussions included perspectives on changing weather patterns and the role of Earth Observation tools, the session was equally shaped by this peer exchange. This spirit of dialogue and support sits at the heart of the Coalition, positioning it as both a knowledge hub for technical exploration and a community navigating complexity together.

A key theme emerging from the discussion was the need to move beyond measuring green space by coverage alone, and towards understanding how ecosystems function and contribute to long-term resilience. This includes biodiversity, connectivity and ecosystem health, which are increasingly being recognised as essential to how cities are planned and experienced.

Using satellite data and AI, the session explored Earth Observation tools that can assess ecosystems at a highly localised level, down to areas as small as a backyard. This allows cities to identify where ecosystems may be under pressure and where targeted action can strengthen biodiversity and improve resilience.

When combined with on-ground data, these insights provide a clearer picture of how ecosystems are changing over time, from urban heat patterns to variations in biodiversity and shifts in water quality. This supports more informed, context-specific approaches to urban planning and development.

“What is becoming increasingly clear is that how we measure nature matters,” said Dr. Sajid Pareeth, Director of Water & Climate Solutions at Expo City Dubai. “For a long time, greening has been measured in terms of coverage, but that alone does not tell us how ecosystems are functioning. With Earth Observation, we can begin to measure biodiversity, connectivity and environmental stress in much greater detail. This allows us to move towards a more informed approach, where nature is not only present in cities but actively contributing to resilience and human wellbeing.”

As urban populations continue to grow towards 2050, ensuring long-term resilience will increasingly depend on strengthening the ecological systems that support urban environments.

In this context, the Urban Biodiversity Coalition continues to bring together diverse perspectives and support more coordinated, data-informed approaches to biodiversity planning across the region. Since its launch in 2025, the Coalition has grown into a collaborative platform supporting the UAE’s broader environmental and urban development ambitions. By aligning efforts across sectors, it helps further integrate biodiversity into how cities are planned, designed, and experienced.

Terra is a living testbed, showcasing how nature-based solutions such as native species planting, water-sensitive systems, and habitat creation are actively explored and implemented. As climate pressures intensify globally, the Coalition reflects a broader shift in how cities are being shaped from reactive approaches to proactive, data-informed and nature-led planning.