Thomas Elmqvist
thomase@ecology.su.se
Phone + 46 705 264 806

International collaboration with UNESCO through
Christine Alfsen
UNESCO Office in New York
2 United Nations Plaza Room 900
New York NY 10017
Phone: (212) 963-5992
Fax: (212) 963 014
alfsen-norodom@un.org

Contacts to research groups in all cities in the network:

Bangalore
The Bangalore region once known for its green expanses and networks of fresh water bodies is now undergoing rapid urban growth. Scientists at ATREE focus on impacts of urban growth on ecosystem services, especially on water, green cover, urban biodiversity and adjacent biodiversity reserves.

Contact:  Ravi Chellam, ravi.chellam@atree.org

Canberra
CSIRO´s Urban Systems Program conducts research on the dynamic interactions between people and their urban environments, while the Australian Capital Territory government considers the merit of the urban biosphere concept.

Contact:  Guy Barnett, guy.barnett@csiro.au

Cape Town City Region
CUBESCape Town brings together scientists and planners to enhance quality of life and the local economic growth, while maintaining ecosystem functions in a context of rapid urban growth, poverty and globally significant biodiversity. There is close collaboration with the Environmental and Geographical Science Dept at University of Cape Town.

Contact: George Davis, davis@sanbi.org or Susan Parnell susan.parnell@uct.ac.za

Delhi
In a region faced with multiple and complex social and environmental challenges, scientists at IEG analyze demographic changes and their correlation with generation and access to ecosystem service, particularly water.
Contact: Vikram Dayal, vikday@iegindia.org

Helsinki
The Helsinki metropolitan area is rapidly growing, and the Urban Ecology Research group at Helsinki University focuses on the integration of ecological and social systems in urban landscapes.
Contact: Vesa Yli-Pelkonen, vesa.yli-pelkonen@helsinki.fi

Istanbul
Research at Istanbul Technical University revolves around the Omerli watershed providing much of the drinking water to Istanbul in an area threatened by informal urban growth or new housing estates pressures. The Urban Biosphere approach is used as a planning tool.

Contact: Azime Tezer, tezera@itu.edu.tr

New Orleans
Established in a vulnerable landscape, New Orleans offers valuable lessons in resilience. Post-Katrina research at Tulane University focuses on urban and coastal wetlands functions and restoration.

Contact: Douglas Meffert, dmeffert@tulane.edu

New York Metropolitan Region
The New York Group is a coalition of scientists, UN specialists and citizens working towards enhancing the resilience of the region through research, public outreach, and linkages between science, land use planning and policy.

Contact: Christine Alfsen, alfsen-norodom@un.org

Phoenix
A rapidly sprawling region in an arid environment,Phoenixis a site for long-term ecological research (LTER) conducted from Arizona State University. Research focuses on biodiversity patterns and ecosystem services, particularly water, with a historical perspective on interactions between humans and the landscape.

Contact:  Charles Redman, charles.redman@asu.edu

Stockholm
Stockholm represented one of the few urban assessments in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Urban research at the Stockholm Resilience Centre focuses on management of urban ecosystem services. The research group explores arenas for learning and adaptation, social and ecological networks and urban design which addresses complexity and resilience in urban landscapes.

Contact: Thomas Elmqvist, thomase@ecology.su.se