CHM - ORTNational Target
General
Zimbabwe
Enhance Green Spaces and Urban Planning for Human Well-Being and Biodiversity
ENRestore, manage and significantly increase the area, quality, and connectivity of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces to enhance human wellbeing in urban and densely populated areas sustainably, by mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and promotion of biodiversity-inclusive urban planning. |
- Review local authority masterplans to mainstream biodiversity considerations into urban planning and development processes
- Establish, restore and maintain both green and blue spaces in urban and peri-urban areas
- Engage, encourage and incentivize the private sector to participate in blue-green infrastructure development and financing
Alignment
GBF-G-A. Ecosystems are conserved, extinctions are halted and genetic diversity is maintained
GBF-G-B. Biodiversity is sustainably used and its contributions to people are maintained, enhanced or restored
GBF-G-C. Benefits from the use of genetic resources are shared and substantially increased
GBF-G-D. The biodiversity funding gap of 700 billion USD is progressively closed by ensuring adequate means of implementation are available.
| Global Targets | Degree of Alignment |
GBF-T12. Urban green and blue spaces enhanced for human well-being GBF-T12. Urban green and blue spaces enhanced for human well-beingSignificantly increase the area and quality and connectivity of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces in urban and densely populated areas sustainably, by mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ensure biodiversity-inclusive urban planning, enhancing native biodiversity, ecological connectivity and integrity, and improving human health and well-being and connection to nature and contributing to inclusive and sustainable urbanization and the provision of ecosystem functions and services. | High |
Access to financial resources
Biodiversity and health
Collective effort towards the targets
Consistency with international agreements or instruments
Contribution and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities
Cooperation and synergies
Different value systems
Ecosystem approach
Formal and informal education
Fulfilment of the three objectives of the Convention and its Protocols, and their balanced implementation
Gender
Human rights-based approach
Intergenerational equity
National circumstances, priorities and capabilities
Principles of the Rio Declaration
Right to development
Science and innovation
Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach
These considerations were taken into account through a participatory and consultative process. The process involved an inception workshop, a series of stakeholder consultations, technical working group meetings, and validation workshops. The process was coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife (MECW), through the Department of Wildlife and Forestry Resources Management.
Contribution to KM-GBF Global Goals
- Global Goal A – Ecosystem and Species Integrity
- Enhances ecosystem integrity and resilience within urban and peri-urban landscapes by restoring, maintaining, and expanding green and blue infrastructure.
- Improves ecological connectivity through the integration of biodiversity corridors and green networks into revised urban and local authority masterplans.
- Restores and maintains urban habitats such as wetlands, riparian zones, parks, and urban forests, contributing to improved ecosystem health and biodiversity persistence in densely populated areas.
- Global Goal B – Sustainable Use and Nature’s Contributions to People
- Serves as the primary urban-focused mechanism for restoring and enhancing nature’s contributions to people, including temperature regulation, air and water purification, flood mitigation, recreation, and mental well-being.
- Reduces urban environmental risks such as the urban heat island effect through increased vegetation cover and blue-green infrastructure.
- Improves equitable access to ecosystem services by increasing the proportion of urban residents with functional green or blue spaces within 300–500 metres of their residence.
- Strengthens the role of urban ecosystems in supporting public health, climate resilience, and quality of life.
- Global Goal C – Fair and Equitable Benefit-Sharing
- Promotes inclusive and participatory urban planning processes that integrate local and traditional ecological knowledge into biodiversity-sensitive masterplans.
- Strengthens community co-management and stewardship of urban green and blue spaces, ensuring that benefits accrue equitably to local residents.
- Enhances social equity by prioritising access to green and blue spaces for vulnerable and underserved urban populations.
- Global Goal D – Means of Implementation and Enabling Conditions
- Mobilises private sector investment in biodiversity through incentives such as tax rebates, subsidies, and public–private partnerships for blue-green infrastructure development.
- Mainstreams biodiversity considerations into urban governance frameworks by revising local authority masterplans and planning regulations.
- Strengthens institutional capacity and financing mechanisms required for sustained implementation of urban biodiversity actions.
Indicators to be used to monitor this national target
12.1 Average share of the built-up area of cities that is green or blue space for public use for all
A.1 Red List of Ecosystems
A.2 Extent of natural ecosystems
A.3 Red List Index
A.4 Proportion of populations within species with an effective population size greater than 500
B.1 Services provided by ecosystems
C.1 Monetary benefits received in accordance with applicable internationally agreed access and benefit-sharing instruments
C.2 Non-monetary benefits arising from applicable international access and benefit-sharing instruments
D.1 International public funding, including official development assistance for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems
D.2 Domestic public funding on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems
D.3 Private funding (domestic and international) on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems
12.b Number of countries with biodiversity-inclusive urban planning referring to green or blue urban spaces
13.b Number of countries that have taken effective legal, policy, administrative and capacity-building measures at all levels, as appropriate, to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilization of genetic resources and from digital sequence information on genetic resources, as well as traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources
B.b Number of countries with policies or actions for implementing and monitoring the sustainable use of biodiversity and the maintenance and enhancement of nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services
Means to implementation and barriers to implementation
Yes (Additional means of implementation are needed for the attainment of this national target)
- Credible green implementation plans.
- Green building models.