Natural Environment

Describe what is included within the scope of this engagement category, specific to the region.

Provide educational resources for participants.

Provide some examples of policies that could make this system more resilient and sustainable (to further contextualize scope of category and range of potential solutions)

Ensure that title of phase aligns with these aims.

The Natural Environment of Greater Cincinnati

The region is home to abundant greenspaces rich in diverse flora and fauna.

The natural environment provides benefits to public health, boosts our economy, performs important natural functions, and improves our individual and collective quality of life. Thousands of acres of forests, parks, and heritage farmland comprise the most common spaces where local residents interact with this environment. Residents also interact daily with the natural environment in far more informal settings: on their commute to work, or when walking there pets, for example.

While the regional environment provides many benefits, many human behaviors, such as the destruction of natural environments for settlement and industry expansion, as well as water and air pollution, threaten the biodiversity and resiliency of these spaces. By supporting the health of the natural environment, we can further support regional human health and resiliency.

How Can the Natural Environment in the Region Be More Environmentally Resilient and Socially Beneficial?

In the context of climate change, urban sprawl, pollution, and many more human-influenced trends impacting the natural environment, some methods to encourage a more resilient and beneficial natural environment could include...

• Provide some examples of policies that could make this system more resilient and sustainable (to further contextualize scope of category and range of potential solutions)
• And MUCH MORE! Share your ideas in the "Share YOUR Idease Here" project phase.

Green Umbrella's Greenspace Alliance

Green Umbrella's Greenspace Alliance unites committed stakeholders to conserve and expand the region's natural places, support biodiversity and connect people to the land.

With the help of their Regional Greenspace Prioritization Plan -- a data-driven plan that identifies greenspaces to be protected for their environmental and social benefits -- the Greenspace Alliance seeks to increase the amount of protected greenspace, especially in and around underserved communities and those who face the greatest risk of environmental injustice.

To empower this work, the Greenspace Alliance convenes a monthly virtual meeting of regional stakeholders. Together, this group advocates conservation policies and actions that prioritize nature-based solutions to climate and health impacts, emphasizing the communal value of greenspace protection.

To learn more about Green Umbrella's Greenspace Alliance and how you can get involved, explore the Greenspace Alliance website!