Nature Positive Cities Efforts to Advance the Transition Durban 2024

OverviewKey statistics Gini (equality metric): Protected areas: Durban has conserved more than 95,000 hectares (ha) of natural land and water (almost one third of the city’s total municipal area).1 Endemic species: The eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA) is located within the Maputaland- Pondoland-Albany hotspot (one of only 36 biodiversity hotspots on the planet). The region alone is home to more than 7,000 plant species (25% of which are endemic to the region). In Durban, there are 2,267 plant species, 82 terrestrial mammal species and 526 species of birds. In addition, the municipal area is home to 25 species of endemic vertebrates (such as butterflies, millipedes and snails). Gross domestic product (GDP): The city’s GDP per capita is $5,560, consistently ranking in the top five to 10 cities by GDP per capita in Africa.2Executive summary 0.62 –The city is facing profound development challenges due to unsteady energy supply, migration and informal settlements, and the impacts of climate change. –Durban is situated in a global biodiversity hotspot and contains three of the country’s nine terrestrial biomes: savanna, forest and the Indian Ocean coastal belt.Durban, within the eThekwini Municipality, is the second largest city in South Africa.Enhancing stakeholder engagement, increasing civil society participation, and building internal staff capabilities are essential for Durban’s transition to a nature-positive future. 4. 1 million peopleIt is home to 4,000 kilometres (km) of rivershas over 100 kilometres of coastlineand almost Nature Positive: Cities’ Efforts to Advance the Transition 6