Why New York City’s biodiversity plan matters to the world

New York is famous for its skyscrapers, subways and nearly 8.5 million residents representing every corner of the globe. It’s also home to glacial soils, nesting Piping Plovers and migrating Monarch butterflies. Rare species like Pumpkin Ash trees grow in its forests and Atlantic Coast Leopard Frogs live in its wetlands. American eels return every year to New York Harbor from the distant Sargasso Sea.

Located at the nexus of major migratory flyways and coastal systems, the city plays a critical role in the movement of birds, insects and marine life across continents. Its estuaries, for example, connect to ocean systems that sustain distant species like the Arctic Tern and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Even in one of the most urbanized places on Earth, biodiversity endures.

That makes the release of the New York City Biodiversity Task Force's report more than just another local planning document. It’s a long-overdue step toward global alignment. While cities like Paris, London, São Paulo and Kampala have prioritized nature in local governance, New York still lacks a biodiversity agenda.

For decades, NYC Parks has received less than 1% of the municipal budget, despite demands for increased funding. Today, even as one of the world’s most influential cities, New York has no coordinated strategy to measure, protect or invest in its own ecosystems. This has global ramifications.

The United States remains one of only four UN member states that never ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Considering that vacuum, a shift towards New York leadership on the environment becomes essential.

New York City’s actions ripple far beyond its borders. As the largest US city, its land use and procurement decisions also carry weight. What New York buys, builds and regulates affects international markets and supply chains. Its financial sector influences corporate sustainability worldwide.

The NYC Biodiversity Task Force – a coalition of scientists, agency staff and grassroots leaders – spent 15 months creating a report with over 70 actionable recommendations to integrate biodiversity into every aspect of city life. Local and international reviewers brought scientific rigour, community knowledge and global perspectives to the process, ensuring the recommendations are inclusive and practical.

The report emphasizes the importance of early education. It calls for every public school student to engage with local nature – from salt marshes to street trees – and to develop ecological literacy through hands-on learning.

It also highlights the connection between ecology and public health. Green space access can strengthen communities and build resilience. Every neighborhood should have wild, healthy nature nearby so that New Yorkers can watch fireflies, hear cicadas and find moments of joy that make city life worth living.

The success of New York City’s biodiversity plan will also depend on whether private-sector actors align their strategies with local ecological goals.

While many companies address biodiversity through supply chain initiatives and frameworks like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, these efforts mostly focus on business-to-business impacts. The environmental and social footprint of corporate centres within cities remains largely unexamined.

Companies committed to nature-positive goals should invest not only where they extract resources, but also where they operate. In cities like New York, this could mean restoring local habitats, partnering with community-based organizations and amplifying narratives about urban nature.

Since cities are where most people experience nature, supporting urban biodiversity can also serve as a strategy for risk management and civic engagement.

The NYC Biodiversity Task Force report’s framework aligns with major international commitments, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the World Economic Forum’s BiodiverCities by 2030 initiative.

It also reflects the scientific consensus in the IPBES Nexus Assessment, which highlights the interdependence of biodiversity, water, health, climate and food systems. That report reinforces the Task Force’s central message: Urban biodiversity is inseparable from climate resilience, equity and human well-being.

Among the Task Force’s key proposals:

These steps bring city policy in line with the urgent call – from IPBES and others – to treat nature not as a luxury but as critical infrastructure on par with housing and transit.

The NYC Biodiversity Task Force acknowledges that New York has come late to this work. Other cities have already shown what leadership can look like: Singapore’s City Biodiversity Index has become a global benchmark; San Francisco and Barranquilla are advancing the WEF’s nature-positive agenda; and Freetown is restoring mangroves as part of its climate resilience strategy.

New York City’s 520 miles of shoreline, rare plant species and unique habitats like serpentine grasslands are impressive. But these ecological assets cannot continue to be largely an afterthought. What has been missing is coordination, visibility and sustained investment.

As the city prepares for new mayoral leadership, there’s a pivotal opportunity to change that – by establishing an Office for Biodiversity, embedding ecological data into planning decisions, and ensuring every neighbourhood has access to wild, healthy nature.

Decisions made in cities will shape the future of global biodiversity, as most of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. If New York, an icon of modern urban life, can embrace a bio-abundant vision, it will set a powerful precedent. Protecting biodiversity means protecting life in all its forms: flora, fauna and human communities alike. What New York does next will matter – everywhere.