UK Urban Ecology Forum

The UK Urban Ecology Forum is a network of urban managers, specialists, planners and researchers involved with the environment, biodiversity and nature conservation in urban areas. Our mission is to: 1. Raise awareness 2. Stimulate research 3. Influence policy 4. Improve the design and management of urban systems 5. Push urban nature conservation up the social and political agenda Our distinctive contribution is integrated thinking. Nature in cities crosses many specialist boundaries. The UK Urban Ecology Forum tries to reflect and express these specialisms, and the many and complex realities they represent. It is unique within the UK in the breadth of its agenda and the range of its membership. Our networking and multi-disciplinary approach is a source of new insights and their promulgation to a wider audience is the key role of the Forum. The UK Urban Ecology Forum has evolved from the UK-Man and the Biosphere Urban Forum that was established in 1987. The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) initiative originated in the International Biological Programme and the “Biosphere” conference organised by UNESCO in 1968. The MAB approach tries to reconcile conservation with the rational use of natural resources and the maintenance of cultural values.