Building Capacity for Conserving and Managing Natural Capital during the Planning and Implementation of Transportation Projects in South Asia

Global infrastructure investment is accelerating dramatically. For transport infrastructure alone, 25 million kilometers of roads will be added by 2050 – with 90% in developing countries – including many regions that sustain exceptional biodiversity. The Sustainable Development Goals call for sustainable infrastructure and recognizes that the conservation of biodiversity and critical ecosystem services underpins all of the SDGs. Key questions - How can we ensure that the investments are sustainable? What guidance and innovations can support infrastructure planning and design?

Nature-based Solutions for Cities

Re-examine the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS) to help achieve water management objectives.

NBS for water promote innovativeness by embedding the perspectives of ecosystem services, enhanced resilience, and livelihood considerations in water planning and management. Biomimicry is a nature-inspired solution that embeds ecosystem services into cities and towns.

Nature-based Solutions for Developing Cities

Tony Wong, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, presented the concept of biomimicry and its applications in embedding nature-based solutions in cities. He discussed using examples and case studies on the opportunity for leap-frogging and the role of multilateral development banks in catalyzing such initiatives.

This event is part of ADB's in-house Urban Studio lecture series.