Nature Positive Cities Efforts to Advance the Transition Durban 2024

1 City overview ENABLER1.2 Situational context Durban’s economy is relatively diversified. The main sectors are finance (21%), community services (21%), manufacturing (19%) and trade (17%).7 The port of Durban is South Africa’s main port, serving 60% of the country’s total container traffic.8 Annual GDP grew in the years before the 2010 World Cup, but fell afterwards. In the last 10 years, the growth rate has consistently ranged between 1% and 2%. Social development priorities might hinder environmental agendas and the allocation of budgets for nature-related interventions. As of 2019, the total housing backlog was estimated to be 440,000, with only 5,000 new ground developments per year, leading to a housing crisis and numerous informal settlements. An estimated 287,000 households (around 25% of Durban’s total) are urban or suburban informal dwellings.9 These are usually located in vulnerable areas, exacerbating the loss of life and economic damage caused by extreme weather events.10KEY STATISTICS 440,000 Current Durban housing backlog 25% of houses in Durban are urban or suburban informal dwellings Select the tabs to discover more Local biodiversity and the natural environment Nature and climate change strategies Economical and developmental context Nature Positive: Cities’ Efforts to Advance the Transition 12