9. Co-benefits of Urban Biodiversity

Growth and development of an urban area modifies and creates biodiversity, which has a vital role in maintaining and improving the quality of the urban environment. The paper studies the growth and development of Delhi, the capital city of India, and outlines an approach to assess the biodiversity pattern of the metropolis. The co-relation between habitat scales and levels of planning to arrive at a biodiversity profile of an urban area, are explained. The Global Biodiversity Assessment and Convention on Biological Diversity has brought forth the need to conserve biodiversity at global and local levels. Because of their diminishing numbers, the role of species in urban areas has become critical. So far, in cities, open spaces are supposed to mainly cater to aesthetic demands and recreation needs. But if we examine the environmental role they play—pollution abatement, water recharge, indicator of pollution, climatic amelioration, flood control and so on—they are many. The strategy for conservation is related to the scale of habitat, thus a multiscale strategy for conservation is explained in detail. The legal, governance and policy tools in India relating to national, sub-national and local levels are put forth to give a holistic picture of the various aspects to be considered for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in the urban planning process.