In a time of interconnected social, political and environmental crises, international commitments to act on climate change and biodiversity loss are being put to the test. Upholding these commitments requires researchers to adopt monitoring and evaluation practices that bridge the gap between international ambitions and local action in cities.

For safeguarding current progress and supporting urban nature, the authors argue that it is critical to reframe monitoring and evaluation as a collective learning process that recognizes people’s everyday knowledge and leverages community involvement to respond to changing conditions.