Habitat III Issue Papers - 16: Urban Ecosystems and Resource Management

This paper outlines the importance of ecosystems to cities. The social and economic systems that visibly constitute cities are built upon the ecosystems that they supplant, and are perpetually reliant on the flow of ecosystem services both within and beyond the city.

This issue paper on "Urban Ecosystems and Resource Management" is part of a series of thematic reports offering a comprehensive, expert-level view of the processes of urbanisation that characterise today’s century of cities — and look forward to what could and should come next. The 22 “issue papers” were submitted by a range of multilateral institutions. They will ultimately be used to guide discussion by 10 formal “policy units”, which will focus on the six thematic issues deemed important for the Habitat III process. Made up of independent experts, these units touch on housing, resilience, equity and other issues. Eventually, they will each provide formal input regarding the crafting and, especially, implementation of the New Urban Agenda.