Thriving Urban Forests in Dry Climates: Innovative Water Management for Resilience
Welcome to the second webinar in the Trees in Dry Cities Presentation & Discussion Series. These sessions bring critical urban forest management issues to the forefront, offering a platform for Coalition members and urban forestry professionals to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and reflect on lessons learned. This series serves as a crucial resource for all stakeholders in urban forest management, addressing both immediate and long-term challenges.
The webinar Thriving Urban Forests in Dry Climates: Innovative Water Management for Resilience, will focus on innovative solutions for addressing water scarcity in urban forests. Highlighting successful case studies from cities like Cuenca (Ecuador), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and the work of SIWI’s LoCoFoRest initiative, the discussion will explore practical water management practices that help urban forests thrive in water-scarce environments. With the increasing urgency of climate change, this session aims to foster a collaborative, solution-oriented dialogue to build sustainable and resilient urban landscapes.
The Trees in Dry Cities Coalition was established at COP28 in Dubai during the “Trees in dry cities: luxury or a fundamental climate and SDG solution?” event organized by UNECE and WGEO. It includes representatives from governments, cities, international organizations, development banks and the private sector. The Coalition emphasizes the significance of urban trees and nature in dry climates. The Coalition has developed collaboratively an Action Agenda, focusing on key priorities and actionable steps
15h30 – 15h40 WELCOME
UNECE & DENVER MUNICIPALITY
Introduction highlighting the good practices from the first webinar
15h40 – 15h50 CITY OF CUENCA & ETAPA
Focus on innovative water management techniques and how they support urban tree health during dry spells, particularly how Cuenca is integrating public-private partnerships for sustainable water resource management.
15h50 – 15h55 Locally Controlled Forest Restoration (LoCoFoRest) – A Governance and Market Oriented Approach for Resilient Landscapes
Stockholm International Water Institute – SIWI
Mr James Leten
As International Training Programme, LoCoFoRest focuses on scaling-up restoration of forest landscapes, improving ecosystem services, while securing prosperity of local communities. It does so by generating innovation in local timber and non-timber forest value chains of marketable products and services.
15h55 – 16h10 Burkina Faso: Improving ecosystem services and socio-economic resilience of Ouagadougou’s inhabitant through restoring the city’s green belt.
OUAGADOUGOU REGIONAL DIRECTORATE FOR THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
Mr. Moise Nion
Addressing Water and other challenges faced by cities in dry climates, the experience of Ouagadougou includes best practices in integrating urban forestry into urban planning and on how to mobilise collective action.
16h10 – 16h25 Interactive Dialogue
Open floor for participants to ask questions, share their experiences, and contribute insights on urban forestry and water management challenges in their regions.
Speakers and experts will address questions and engage in discussions to deepen knowledge and foster collaboration.
16h25 – 16h30 Closing
Summary of key takeaways from the session.
A look ahead to next steps and future webinars in the Trees in Dry Cities series.