Nature Positive Cities Efforts to Advance the Transition Durban 2024

Governance Policy and regulation Financing Challenges identified –Limited cross-departmental collaboration for biodiversity management and climate change. –Controlled influence of transversal governance bodies over nature-related topics. –Limited presence of civil society, academic or other public sector representation in governance structures, despite presence in environmental protection. Improvement areas –Establish service-level agreements (SLAs) or memoranda of understanding (MoU) with other city departments to standardize systems and processes. –Define integrated targets across city departments and advocate for nature positive targets at national level. –Incorporate multiple stakeholders in the decision-making process and draw on the insights and positive influence of other sectors.Challenges identified –Limited established systems and processes to facilitate public-private partnerships. –Challenged integration of nature and climate change considerations into municipal policies and planning processes. –Challenged cooperation between government units due to competing targets on housing and nature protection and regeneration. Improvement areas –Explore solutions to increase the sustainability of government procurement and supply chains. –Expand the use of special rating areas (SRAs) for environmental protection beyond the Giba Gorge Environmental Precinct to increase protected lands. Challenges identified –Limited use of external finance, such as multilateral development banks (MDBs), for the implementation of nature solutions. –Increased long-term financial uncertainty due to project-based nature of funding schemes and decisions. –Convoluted processes for non-government organizations (NGOs) to apply for funding and partner with the municipality. Improvement areas –Explore the use of blended finance mechanisms and incorporate external funding from the private sector to finance or implement projects for mutual benefit. –Collaborate with the treasury unit to allocate a sufficient budget to the long-term upkeep of nature-related projects. –Adopt the Cities’ Infrastructure Delivery and Management System (CIDMS) for asset management and use funding from the national government to finance essential projects. –Include local conservancies in the Restor initiative to connect with funders and provide greater visibility for the work being done by Durban.Challenges and improvement areas Nature Positive: Cities’ Efforts to Advance the Transition 8