WWF Urban Development phase 2, 2021-2025 WWF Stadsutveckling fas 2, 2021-2025 Project support to WWF Bolivia to implement the second phase of the project Urban Development focusing on strengthening the participation of vulnerable youth and women in building climate resilience and environmental justice in urban centers. Projektstöd till WWF Bolivia för att genomföra den andra fasen av projektet Urban Development med fokus på att stärka utsatta ungdomars och kvinnors deltagande i att bygga klimatresiliens och miljörättvisa i städer. The updated overall objective of the project 'Urban Solutions with Citizen Action' is to promote the protection and sustainable management of key urban natural areas in order to conserve biodiversity, mitigate climate change and improve the quality of life of urban populations by strengthening community participation and empowering youth as agents of change.

Rapid urbanisation and the pressure exerted by urban sprawl result in the loss and fragmentation of vital natural areas, which negatively affects biodiversity and natural resources, as well as the loss of natural ecological processes. The depletion of natural spaces not only has a direct environmental impact, but can also exacerbate the vulnerability of the poor.

The aim is to initiate citizen actions to halt the loss and fragmentation of urban natural areas and/or municipal protected areas, contributing to the strengthening of their management, integrating planning and monitoring to ensure long-term conservation. Understanding the bidirectional relationship between poverty and environment, it is recognised that safeguarding urban natural spaces contributes to improving the quality of life of urban populations. Furthermore, this effort is expected to contribute to the fulfilment of the 2030 global agenda and the associated Sustainable Development Goals.

The purpose is to promote the preservation and proper management of urban natural areas and/or protected areas at the municipal level, in order to achieve the main goal of conserving biodiversity and improving the quality of life of urban dwellers. In this process, the active participation of the population is essential to ensure the achievement of the objectives and to guarantee the long-term success of environmental conservation actions.

The participation of the population, especially young people committed to environmental issues, is essential. These young people, gathered in collectives with a high level of professionalism and social commitment, represent an invaluable critical mass. Their experience, knowledge and fresh and dynamic perspective are essential to address environmental challenges with innovation in their response.

However, they often face limitations in manifesting their social and environmental commitment. It is therefore proposed to give them a higher profile and provide them with opportunities to become actors of change and to integrate, albeit temporarily, into the labour market. This is in line with our strategic principles of encouraging community participation in the identification of problems and solutions, promoting a high level of engagement and ensuring the appropriateness and relevance of the initiatives developed to local needs.

Harnessing the potential of human capital and innovation involves strategically using the engagement and creativity of youth collectives to drive innovative and sustainable solutions, even within a context of limited financial resources.

The project, in response to Sida's budget adjustment, has also had to readjust its objectives to adapt to this new condition. This implies strengthening the results already achieved, deepening its impacts and rethinking its intervention strategies, giving a leading role to young people and relying on the public-private alliance it has been building.

In this adjustment stage, work will be carried out in the country's departmental capitals, that is, in the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba, Tarija and Cobija, and to a lesser extent in the city of Trinidad.

The adjusted specific objectives proposed are:

- Promote the restoration and improvement of degraded, deforested and highly polluted urban natural spaces, to recover their ecosystemic functions and benefits for the enjoyment of the population, with the active participation of academia and the community.

- Empower young men and women to take on environmental challenges, expanding spaces and opportunities to express their potential as agents of change for fairer, more sustainable and inclusive cities".

- Identify and support innovative triple-impact project proposals that address environmental, social and economic aspects, in order to expand employment or entrepreneurship opportunities for young people and enable their scalability.