Cities worldwide are pioneering integrated approaches that demonstrate that biodiversity and community needs can be mutually reinforcing.

Singapore's urban food production creates wildlife habitat and cooling. Detroit converts vacant lots into productive farms providing food security while bringing greater biodiversity. Indigenous nations like the Snoqualmie are demonstrating how traditional ecological knowledge can guide urban food forests that support both cultural practices and biodiversity enhancement. Copenhagen's stormwater systems create recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat.

As champions of biodiversity we need to reframe the conversation to demonstrate how biodiversity is integral to addressing daily challenges that urban communities face. Rather than species counts, we need new metrics that capture:

• Community Health: Designing and maintaining biodiverse landscapes that reduce heat, improve air quality, increase healthy food access, and reduce disease threats;

• Economic Returns: Using natural systems in ways that reduce infrastructure costs or improve the efficiency of capital investments;

• Resilience Capacity: Leveraging biodiverse landscapes to buffer extreme weather;

• Social Cohesion: Creating biologically rich places that grow shared stewardship and build community connections.