Community Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (Ceba) focuses on the link between communities and the ecosystems that underwrite the welfare and livelihood of the communities.
Debra Roberts, head of eThekwini municipality's environmental management department, said yesterday the first Ceba project would be the restoration and reforestation of the uMbilo catchment, west of Durban, ahead of the conference later this month.
She said the conference was expected to create a footprint of 15000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, while the uMbilo project would result in an offset equivalent of 16000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The project, which involves the removal of alien vegetation, planting of indigenous plants and trees and restoration of the riverine, wetland and grassland systems, would mainly be funded by the city and corporate sponsors, but delegates would be able to buy Ceba credits at $10 or R100 each.
Ms Roberts said Ceba provided a mechanism to simultaneously address issues of climate-change adaptation and mitigation, restoration of ecosystems and promotion of the green economy. Ceba would give the city the means to make climate-change offsets available for future international events, something that was becoming increasingly important in the competition among cities hoping to attract large international events, she said. Read the full report here.
Source: Edward West, Business Day.
