Transformative adaptation of rivers in an urban context - A toolkit

Ecological infrastructure plays an important role in the overall health of rivers. They are largely viewed as nature’s equivalent to built infrastructure and are functioning ecosystems such as catchments and rivers. Ecological infrastructure largely underpins our economy and life as we know it. It is so important in regulating and delivering ecosystem goods and services, and yet little is known about how to design, plan, implement and finance ecological infrastructure elements that can support socio-economic development. The CFF has, therefore, compiled this toolkit to guide practitioners, decision-and policy-makers, and anyone interested in the topic, on how to improve the overall health of rivers. This toolkit has been developed in collaboration with eThekwini Municipality (Durban) as a result of our ongoing cooperation since 2018. The case study for the toolkit is, therefore, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

At the beginning of the toolkit development process, we were focused on ecological infrastructure. However, as a result of many interactions with municipal officials, it became clear that socio-ecological interventions are also important to consider alongside ecological infrastructure. Socio-ecological interventions, when planned and implemented in a thoughtful manner, provide longer term sustainability and engagement around problem identification and solving, and ultimately building political and civil society support for transformative riverine management. 

The following steps are recommended when using this toolkit:

The interventions included in this toolkit are: 

Each of the interventions mentioned above, is accompanied by a specification sheet that provides a description of the intervention, the challenge addressed, the impacts, capital intensity, the level of skills and expertise required, etc. It would be prudent to discuss and agree on the selected intervention from the toolkit - challenge to be addressed, potential impact, socio-ecological characteristics, beneficiaries, stakeholder engagement, legal permits and authorisations, upfront and maintenance costs, etc -  with a multidisciplinary team. 

Whilst the interventions proposed in the toolkit are focused on the Kwa-Zulu Natal context, they can be applied elsewhere following the appropriate contextualisation process.

Below is a recording of the webinar explaining the toolkit, and a copy of the presentation.