Urbanization Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities : A Global Assessment 1. A global outlook on urbanization 2. History of urbanization and the missing ecology 3. Urbanization and global trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services 4. Regional assessment of Asia. 5. Sub regional assessment of China: Urbanization in biodiversity hotspots 6. Sub regional assessment of India 7. Local assessment of Bangalore. 8. Local assessment of Tokyo 9. Local assessment of Shanghai 10. Patterns and trends in urban biodiversity and landscape design 11. Urban ecosystem services. 12. Shrinking cities biodiversity and ecosystem services 13. Regional assessments of Europe 14. Regional assessment of North America 15. Regional assessment of Oceania 16. Local assessment of Istanbul: Biodiversity and ecosystem services 17. Local assessment of Stockholm 18. Local assessment of Chicago 19. Local assessment of New York City. 20. Local assessment of Melbourne 21. A synthesis of global urbanization projections 22. Urbanization forecasts effects on land use biodiversity and ecosystem services 23. Regional assessment of Africa 24. Local assessment of Cape Town. 25. Climate change and urban biodiversity vulnerability 26. Feeding cities 27. Urban governance of biodiversity and ecosystem services 28. Regional assessment of Latin America 29. Local assessment of Rio de Janeiro. 30. Urban landscapes as learning arenas for biodiversity and ecosystem services management 31. Restoration ecology in an urbanizing world 32. Indicators for management of urban biodiversity and ecosystem services 33. Stewardship of the Biosphere in the Urban Era To understand how the world’s ecosystems are changing we need to understand cities and to create better cities we need to understand the ecosystems they depend on. The failure of most markets government policies and even urban studies to take these relations into account has put cities and increasingly the whole world in a difficult position. Studies like Urbanization Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services can help us to extricate ourselves provided we act on the knowledge they provide. Gordon McGranahan International Institute for Environment and Development The challenges of urbanization are profound but so too are the opportunities. Cities can reconcile human society and biodiversity by creating environments that are ecologically sustainable economically productive socially just politically participatory and culturally vibrant. I commend this study to all who have a stake in creating ecologically sustainable urbanization for the benefit of humanity and the planet. Ban Ki moon Secretary General United Nations