On Sunday, May 26, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Biodiversity Action Day will once again be held in the Botanical Gardens of the University of Bonn. International organizations, scientific institutions and local nature conservation initiatives will present their work and ideas for nature and species conservation in their own environment. The City of Bonn's Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery will also be taking part and dedicating itself to the local flora and fauna. Young and old can explore the biodiversity of the forest floor under a microscope and, with a little luck, take a close look at springtails, woodlice, earthworms and many other soil dwellers.

On Saturday, May 25, 2024, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Haus der Natur on the Waldau will be hosting the "Biological Diversity - In the Forest and at Home" action day. The current exhibition "Mensch Biene!", which can be seen until September 8, 2024, will focus on the biodiversity of bees this year. On this day, guests of all ages are invited to experience the importance of Maja's wild sisters and learn how wild bees can be protected through readings, craft activities, multimedia presentations and guided tours. 

In September 2023, the city of Bonn was once again awarded the "StadtGrün naturnah" label. After Bonn had already achieved the silver standard in the first certification in 2019, the city was able to improve significantly once again in the recertification and achieved the gold label. During recertification, the municipalities are assessed and evaluated in twelve fields of action. The "Communities for Biodiversity" alliance thus honors exemplary commitment to promoting biodiversity in urban green spaces.

Bonn was able to score points here with the "Bonn Meadow Program" and the "Cemetery Habitat" project in cooperation with the Bonn/Rhein-Erft Biological Station and with funding from the LVR Rhineland. The unsealing of small traffic green strips and their development into species-rich flower strips as food sources and stepping stone biotopes as well as the insect-friendly mixed perennial plantings were also included in the assessment.

In Bonn's waterways, too, habitats are being preserved and developed in a near-natural state in various renaturation projects to implement the European Water Framework Directive. Watercourses are being made more accessible for animals and plants and in some cases also for people. For example, piped sections of streams have been opened up, near-natural bank structures restored or steep drops replaced with shallower stone ramps so that fish and other creatures can pass more easily. In places where there is sufficient space, watercourses are widened, islands are created and structures are laid out in such a way that rest areas for animals are created beyond the strong current.

Greening buildings and unsealing surfaces are important building blocks for climate adaptation and climate prevention. They counteract increasing heat waves and heavy rainfall and create habitats for butterflies, wild bees and other insects. The city of Bonn supports private and commercial greening measures with a funding program and also offers advice. Information is available at  www.bonn.de/begruenung (opens in a new tab).

The Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery offers the "Biological Diversity in the City" series all year round in cooperation with the adult education center. Interesting lectures are currently dedicated to amphibians or poisonous plants as well as wild animals in cemeteries, parks and gardens in Bonn. Exciting excursions are organized to look for wild local delicacies along the way or practitioners from farms report on their everyday life in the sustainable food system. Information is available on the VHS Bonn website at  www.vhs-bonn.de (opens in a new tab).

The city of Bonn has been a member of a network of German organic cities since 2019. The aim is to increase the proportion of organic food, particularly in communal catering in municipal facilities, and to promote the ecological and sustainable management of agricultural land owned by the city. In addition, the Bio-Stadt Bonn supports agroecological solutions to increase biodiversity and grow sustainable food such as agroforestry, permaculture and mixed cultivation throughout the city. The shopping guide published on the Bio-Stadt website  www.bonn.de/bio-stadt (opens in a new tab) provides inspiration for discovering the topic of "organic & regional". The annual sustainability festival "Bonn-rundum nachhaltig" in September also presents the topic of local sustainability from a regional, organic and fair perspective.

Internationally, Bonn is committed to biodiversity both politically and in specific projects. Mayor Katja Dörner is a member of the Cities Advisory Board of the Global Compact of Cities and Regions for Biodiversity. As part of the "ICLEI Cities for Sustainability" network, nature-based urban development is one of five pillars of sustainable urban development. Since 2023, Bonn has been involved in the "Making Cities Resilient 2030" initiative of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction as a so-called resilience hub. In addition, there is lively networking at BION, the research network for biodiversity in Bonn.

The protection of biodiversity also includes soil protection, which is represented at the United Nations by the Convention to Combat Desertification. This year, at the invitation of the German government, the central ceremony for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought will take place in Bonn on June 17, 2024. The city of Bonn is involved in a variety of ways on and around World Day, including co-hosting an international youth conference in the Old Town Hall.