CITY BIODIVERSITY INDEX
“Urban biodiversity” describes the variety and richness of living organisms and habitats found in and on the edge of human settlements, including remnants of natural landscapes, traditional agricultural lands and urban-industrial areas.
In 2010, the 193 Parties (192 national governments and the European Union) who were signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted Decision X/22 at the tenth meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties in Aichi/Nagoya, Japan. Adoption of the Decision also meant endorsement of a “Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2010-2020)”. This momentous decision supports and recognizes the critical roles that local governments play in reducing biodiversity loss and improving ecosystem management.
The Convention’s objectives:–
a) Conservation of biodiversity
b) Sustainable use of all its components and
c) Equitable sharing of the benefits that arise from its genetic resources.
The City Biodiversity Index (CBI) is one of the tools that enable city administrators to manage and measure their biodiversity.The city biodiversity has 23 indicators and three prime components viz.
| Indicators of the City Biodiversity Index | Score |
| Native Biodiversity in the City: Sub Total for Indicator 1 -10 | 40 Points |
| Ecosystem services provided by Biodiversity : Sub Total for Indicator 11 -14 | 16 Points |
| Governance and management of Biodiversity: Sub Total for Indicator 15 – 23 | 36 Points |
| Maximum Total | 92 Points |
The CBI also known as the Singapore Index on Cities Biodiversity, is a self assessment tool that has been used by 50 cities across the globe. The development of the index was led by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) in partnership with Singapore and the Global Partnership on Local and Sub-national Action for Biodiversity.
The City Biodiversity Index (CBI) is one of the tools that enable city administrators to manage and measure their biodiversity.
Methodology Flow of Understanding Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and City Biophysical Resources Analysis for Sustainable Development
Profile of the city
Comprehensive background and holistic picture of biodiversity in the city, which includes:
- Location, climate, temperature,rainfall, etc.
- Size of city
- Population
- Economic parameters
- Physical features
- Biodiversity features
- Biodiversity administration
- Links to relevant websites
Biodiversity Assessment and Scoring:
| Core Components | Indicators | Maximum Score |
| Native Biodiversity in the City | 1 Proportion of Natural Areas in the City | 4 |
| 2 Connectivity Measures | 4 |
| 3 Native Biodiversity in Built up areas (Bird Species) | 4 |
| 4 Change in Number of Native Species: Vascular Plant Species | 4 |
| 5 Change in Number of Bird Species | 4 |
| 6 Change in Number of Butterfly Species | 4 |
| 7 Change in Number of Species (any other taxonomic group selected by the city) | 4 |
| 8 Change in Number of Species (any other taxonomic group selected by the city) | 4 |
| 9 Proportion of Protected Natural Areas | 4 |
| 10 Proportion of Invasive alien species | 4 |
| Ecosystem services provided by Biodiversity | 11. Regulation of Quantity of Water | 4 |
| 12. Climate Regulation: Carbon Storage and Cooling Effect of Vegetation | 4 |
| 13.Recreation and Education : Area of Parks with Natural Areas | 4 |
| 14 Recreation and Education : Number of Formal Educational Visits per child below the age of 16 years to Parks with natural Areas per year | 4 |
| Governance and management of Biodiversity | 15 Budget Allocated to Biodiversity | 4 |
| 16 Number of Biodiversity Projects Implemented in the city annually | 4 |
| 17 Existence of Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan | 4 |
| 18 Institutional Capacity: Number of Biodiversity Related Functions | 4 |
| 19 Institutional Capacity: Number City Local Government Agencies Involved in Inter Agency Co – operation Pertaining to Biodiversity Matters | 4 |
| 20 Participation and Partnership: Existence of Formal or Informal Public Consultation Process | 4 |
| 21 Participation and Partnership: Number of Agencies/Private Companies/ NGos/ Academic Institutions/International Organisations with which the city is partnering in Biodiversity Activities Projects and programmes | 4 |
| 22 Education and Awareness: Is Biodiversity included in the School Curriculum | 4 |
| 23 Education and Awareness: Number of Outreach or Public Awareness Events Held in the City Per Year | 4 |
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) released its “Greater Hyderabad Biodiversity Index” in the international event “CBD CoP-11” and become the first Indian city to have City Biodiversity Index. The historic city had scored 36 of a possible 92 points in the City Biodiversity Index (CBI), also known as the Singapore Index on Cities` Biodiversity.