ENVIRONMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Pioneering Conservation Project At Risk
An innovative South African nature conservation project that combines protecting biodiversity and poverty alleviation faces resistance from residents of adjacent properties who are worried about rate increases and land development rights.
The 'Working 4 Ecosystems' project, which was launched by the eThekwini Municipality 18 months ago, trained residents from surrounding townships to restore green spaces in and around Giba Gorge, just 25 kilometres north of Durban, in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province.
The biodiversity venture is a pioneering development because it aims to balance what conservationists call the 'triple bottom line' of social needs, environmental sustainability and, eventually, economics by increasing tourism in the gorge.
