Background & Aims: Global biodiversity hotspot cities are where urban development and biodiversity conservation come into conflict, playing a critical role in maintaining biodiversity balance both within and beyond their regions. However, there has been no dedicated study focusing on Chinese cities within global biodiversity hotspots. This research is based on Target 12 of the COP15 and Priority Action 18 of the China Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023–2030). This research examines the biodiversity conservation policies of 16 Chinese cities with populations exceeding one million (hereafter referred to as "hotspot cities") within global biodiversity hotspot regions. The analysis focuses on five key aspects: (1) biodiversity conservation planning and sustainable utilization plans, (2) urban biodiversity survey, monitoring, and assessment, (3) habitat restoration and ecological corridor construction, (4) the connection between urban residents and nature as well as their health and well-being, and (5) urban ecosystem functions and services. By comparing these conservation policies with international case cities, the study identifies existing challenges and proposes optimization directions to support biodiversity-friendly urban development while balancing ecological protection and high-quality urban growth. 

Review Results: The findings reveal that both Chinese and international hotspot cities face common challenges, including a lack of awareness of their unique ecological positioning, insufficient biodiversity-inclusive long-term urban planning, and a general scarcity of biodiversity monitoring data. Additionally, Chinese cities exhibit specific issues such as limited coverage and single-method approaches in urban biodiversity monitoring, insufficient attention to biodiversity-related public experiences and supporting infrastructure, and inadequate focus on the provision of urban ecosystem services. 

Optimization trends: Future enhancements to urban biodiversity conservation policies in these hotspot cities should prioritize the followings: (1) Prioritizing the development of spatial planning for biodiversity conservation; (2) Exploring the integrated application of multi-source data monitoring technologies; (3) Standardizing multi-dimensional approaches to urban biodiversity experiences; (4) Promoting synergistic enhancement of urban biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.

“Leaving space for wildness” as a critical initiative for maintaining biodiversity within national territorial space, holds significant importance in supporting the construction of ecologically sustainable and high-quality metropolitan regions. However, current metropolitan planning systems have not sufficiently addressed this issue, and it is particularly crucial to emphasize this aspect in the advancement of the ecological civilization system. This study adopts a historical perspective to examine the development of various types of natural ecological spaces in Chinese metropolitan areas over the past 30 years, focusing on both the overall metropolitan region and the urban core. It analyzes the increasingly prominent coexistence pattern between natural protected areas and built-up areas across metropolitan regions, as well as the evolution in core urban areas from emphasizing the coordinated expansion of green spaces and built-up areas to the focused development of large suburban parks that incorporate ecological conservation zones. These findings collectively reveal the gradually strengthening trend of natural wilderness preservation in contemporary metropolitan areas. Furthermore, the study explores and envisions metropolitan planning under the framework of the ecological civilization system, addressing aspects such as conceptual adjustments, system development, and mechanism optimization. It advocates for the exploration of systematic space for wildness within metropolitan planning frameworks, promoting the development of relevant governance tools to support the future emergence of a new metropolitan form characterized by “urban-wilderness coexistence.”

Background&Aim: Biodiversity is a valuable natural and public resource. To this point, the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (“Kunmeng Framework”) has set 2030 global targets and a 2050 vision to guide the protection of global biodiversity. In order to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), it is important to study the political dynamics of urban biodiversity. This will enable the promotion of sustainable urban development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to summarize topics related to urban biodiversity in previous Conference of the Parties (COP) decisions, including the health and well-being of urban biodiversity, how urbanization impacts biodiversity, and the participation of cities and local governments. Additionally, we reviewed how the targets related to urban biodiversity were developed, following them from when they were initially discussed to when the Kunmeng Framework was released. 

Results: China’s urban biodiversity conservation policies were primarily implemented in the fields of landscaping, spatial planning, climate change, and demonstration construction. Additionally, the newly published China’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2023–2030) put forward new requirements for urban biodiversity conservation. Based on our analysis, we advised urban biodiversity conservation to: (1) Promote the function of ecosystem services based on conservation work; (2) Establish a specialized evaluation system for urban biodiversity conservation; (3) Become a part of the mainstream by forming an atmosphere of biodiversity conservation which is led by the government, echoed by enterprises, and participated in by all citizens. 

Conclusions: To enable China to achieve these goals, scientific ideas should be integrated into urban planning, and the government should lead enterprises and citizens in forming an atmosphere of biodiversity conservation. The conservation of urban biodiversity should align with the relevant resolutions of the Kunmeng Framework and the CBD, in addition to conforming with the policy update and practical work of China.

Aims: Global biodiversity is under serious threat due to the intensification of climate change and human activities in the ecosystems. As a result, governments and the public are increasingly focused on implementing measures to mitigate biodiversity loss. In recent years, insect hotels have emerged as an innovative approach to biodiversity conservation in urban park management, attracting significant attention and being gradually adopted. The primary purpose of insect hotels is to provide breeding, nesting, and overwintering sites for insects—particularly solitary bees—in urban environments. By doing so, insect hotels contribute to maintaining species diversity and population stability. However, a comprehensive understanding regarding of the effectiveness and challenges of insect hotels in conserving urban insect diversity is still lacking. 

Progresses: To address this, we review the global research status of insect hotels, including aspects such as the number of studies, geographical distribution, targeted species, and the materials and specifications of nesting tubes. 

Prospects: Furthermore, we summarize the positive impacts (pollination, pest control, and popular science education) and limitations (low occupancy rate, non protected species, increased harm from natural enemies and pathogens) of insect hotels in promoting solitary bees diversity in urban environments and propose specific improvement strategies. This study aims to provide a scientific foundation and practical guidance for sustainable development of urban biodiversity.

Aims: Urban green spaces are crucial for biodiversity conservation, and university campuses, as microcosms of urban built environments, are crucial for enhancing the quality of micro green spaces. However, existing studies on campus biodiversity often lack continuous spatial and temporal information, and fail to clarify the relationships between species and the internal structure of green spaces. This gap may hinder the optimization of small green spaces, ultimately limiting the achievement of targets set forth in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the China’s National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) (2023–2030). 

Methods: This study focused on the bird species of Tsinghua University campus, employing generalized linear models and redundancy analysis to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of bird distribution and analyze the associations between bird community composition and green space characteristics. 

Results: The study revealed that birds in university campus green spaces exhibited concentrated distributions with seasonal variations. Bird community composition was associated with the food plants richness, shrub evenness, ground coverage, artificial grass coverage, and tree coverage. Among these factors, food plants richness promoted bird abundance, species richness, and diversity, while shrub evenness promoted bird richness and diversity. Tree and artificial grass coverage promoted bird abundance only when both are simultaneously below 37.5% and 39.8%, respectively. Ground coverage negatively impacted bird richness and diversity. Furthermore, different bird residency types displayed distinct habitat preferences: Migratory birds in autumn were solely associated with vegetation structure, whereas resident and wintering birds were jointly influenced by both the physical characteristics and vegetation structure of green spaces. 

Conclusion: This study suggests that, when designing urban micro green spaces in alignment with natural principles, tree and artificial grass coverage should be kept below 40% simultaneously, while enhancing the richness of food plants and shrub evenness. Additionally, increasing natural ground coverage and vertical vegetation is recommended. The study provides both quantitative and qualitative recommendations for creating near-natural urban micro green spaces, providing a scientific foundation for achieving the goals of KMGBF and NBSAP in improving urban blue and green spaces quality.

Background & Aims: “Nature-based Solutions (NbS)” offer multiple environmental, social and economic benefits. They play an important role in addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development. Enhancing urban ecosystems through strategies that “work with nature” is now widely practiced by cities globally and is crucial for achieving Goal 12 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Methods: In this paper, we summarize the theoretical framework of NbS and use the habitat garden initiative in Changning District, Shanghai as a case study. We systematically analyzed the design and operational modes, and network construction methods of urban microhabitats; and explored the achievements and limitations of habitat gardens, and suggested future research and practical directions for urban microhabitats in high-density urban areas, guided by national urban biodiversity conservation strategies. 

Results: The habitat garden initiative in Changning District, Shanghai has explored three key innovations: (1) Strengthening the networking scale effect among scattered microhabitats in dense urban areas; (2) Establishing a model of community governance with active resident participation; and (3) Forming collaborative partnerships that benefits all stakeholders. However, challenges remain, such as inconsistent biodiversity monitoring, an overemphasis on residential green spaces, and inadequate funding plans. As the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework progresses, restoringurban habitats and ecological networks will become increasingly crucial. 

Suggestion & Perspectives: Guided by the NbS framework and principles, cities should establish a cross-departmental and inclusive governance platforms to provide support urban microhabitats and ecological networks. To increase the appeal of NbS and urban biodiversity conservation, three measures should be implemented: improving scientific monitoring systems, expanding design patterns across various climate zones, and developing diverse funding mechanisms.

Aims: Reconstruction of near-natural forest is an important approach to accelerate the recovery of urban vegetation and forest restoration. However, the spatial and temporal dynamics of species diversity, canopy structure and biomass during subtropical forest restoration remain unclear, especially in highly urbanized regions. Methods: Based on a long-term subtropical near-natural forest plant community that planted with native plant species in 2006 located in Minhang District of the megacity Shanghai, we did the resurvey of plant community in 2023, and compared with the compositional changes of plant community through five historical surveys of core plots from 2007 to 2023. Aboveground biomass and the relations among biomass, plant richness and canopy height across temporal and spatial scales were analyzed using general linear regression. Results: Along with near-natural forest succession, woody plant richness increased from 11 in 2007 to 18 in 2023, and stem density increased at early stages and then decreased. The aboveground biomass increased from 3.51 t/ha in 2007 to 208.83 t/ha in 2023. Evergreen tree species such as Camphora officinarum and Quercus myrsinifolia gradually became the dominant species. Aboveground biomass showed significant positive correlations with species richness (P < 0.01) and mean tree height (P < 0.001), and a significant negative correlation with stem density (P < 0.01). When comparing the compositional changes over space, at three scales of 5 m, 10 m and 20 m, the relations between biomass and stem density remains highly significantly positive (P < 0.001), but the relations with mean height shifted from nonsignificant at 5 m scale to significantly negative at 10 m (P < 0.05) and 20 m (P < 0.05) scales. Conclusion: During the 17-year subtropical forest restoration, the model of near-natural forest construction has clearly exhibited its efficacy in accelerating the succession process. These preliminary findings suggest that, during the construction and restoration of near-natural forests, we should pay attention to the dominant role of native tree species, and consider diverse species composition to effectively promote plant diversity and carbon storage.