Chicago Region Trees Initiative
The Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) is a partnership for coordinated action on key issues facing trees. It is the largest such initiative in the country, with leading organizations and agencies from across the seven-county metropolitan region working together. CRTI leverages funding, knowledge, skills, and expertise to build a healthier, more diverse regional forest.
BiodiverCities by 2030: Transforming Cities’ Relationship with Nature
World Economic Forum
The BiodiverCities by 2030 initiative combines the latest research with practical solutions in the service of sustainable, inclusive and nature-positive urban development. The report, released in January 2022, provides a vision for cities of the future that place nature at the heart of decision-making and infrastructure investments.
BiodiverCities by 2030-Global Commission
World Economic Forum
The BiodiverCities by 2030 initiative combines the latest research with practical solutions in the service of sustainable, inclusive and nature-positive urban development.
Urban Nature-based Solutions Video Series
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
In this video series, the WWF explores a variety of urban nature-based solutions (UNbS) as they are implemented to protect and restore natural systems while benefiting citizens.
CitiesWithNature
CitiesWithNature is an initiative that recognizes and enhances the value of nature in and around cities across the world. It provides a shared platform for cities and their partners to engage and connect, working with a shared commitment toward a more sustainable urban world.
IUCN Global Standards for Nature-based Solutions PDF
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
The Global Standard is a user-friendly framework for the verification, design and scaling up of nature-based solutions (NBS), created by the IUCN. The Standard is intended to be a simple, yet a robust hands-on tool that enables the translation of NBS into targeted actions for implementation, reinforces best practice, addresses and corrects shortfalls, and enables interventions to align with internationally accepted NBS principles.
Cook County Urban Greenprint Interactive Map
The Nature Conservancy in Illinois
This interactive map shows urban conservation, high heat, poor air quality, and high flood risk target areas based on EPA and CMAP indexes, the natural and built environment data, population data, and other relevant indicators. The map is useful in determining which areas in Cook County should be targeted for action based on environmental and social factors.
Chicago Wilderness
Chicago Wilderness (CW) is a regional alliance that preserves, improves, and expands nature and quality of life. By connecting leaders in conservation, health, business, science, and beyond, CW tackles challenging issues to ensure a resilient region. Building on a decades-long legacy of collaboration, this broad alliance of partners advances work in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Using Green Infrastructure to Enhance Urban Biodiversity in the MMSD Planning Area PDF
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
Recognizing that its activities to provide water reclamation and flood management services directly impact urban biodiversity, MMSD wrote this plan, with the support of local stakeholders, to help protect and restore native biodiversity within their planning area through the application of green infrastructure.
Chicago and Calumet Rivers Watershed Council
In 2020, the Chicago-Calumet River Watershed Council (Watershed Council) established a forum to expand collaborative watershed-based stormwater management using multi-benefit nature-based solutions. The 16-member Watershed Council’s approach is to maximize multiple ecological, social, and climate resiliency objectives across jurisdictional boundaries.