Partners

eThekwini Municipality

eThekwini Municipality is widely regarded as a leader in the field of climate protection planning, and the city prides itself on having actively pushed the boundaries of popular debate by challenging the almost exclusive focus on mitigation in much of the climate change discourse. Rather, the city has proposed that adaptation to climate change is equally if not more important an approach for African cities like Durban, where levels of unemployment and underdevelopment are already high, and where climate change brings with it risks that will further undermine these vulnerable members of society. What is also different about Durban’s climate change approach is the city’s strong focus on the role of ecosystems in helping the city to adapt to climate change, and its acknowledged need for any climate change initiatives to also provide social upliftment and job opportunities for vulnerable communities. The Durban CEBA Initiative captures all of these elements and will work to achieve the simultaneous benefits of ecosystem restoration, increased climate adaptation and carbon sequestration, job creation and growth of the green economy. The municipality also acknowledges the importance of partnerships in working to achieve a vision of this scale, and has partnered with the Wildlands Conservation Trust in this initiative. http://www.durban.gov.za

The Wildlands Conservation Trust

The Wildlands Conservation Trust is a Non-Profit Organisation and registered charity. Wildlands’ Vision is “A Sustainable Future for All,” to achieve this Vision, the Wildlands team are progressively developing and implementing initiatives across the Country.

Wildlands aims to support the sustainable development of local communities through the establishment of “green jobs” for the impoverished and unemployed. This is done through nurturing the development of waste-preneurs, tree-preneurs and food-preneurs – that collect recycling, grow trees and organic food, and then barter what they have grown and collected for food, education support and building materials to name a few; with the ultimate aim being to try and restore the ecosystems that underwrite the welfare of these communities. Another Wildlands focus is to support formal conservation and the protection of the priority biodiversity associated with all initiative areas, through the expansion of the “conservation footprint;” protecting areas that underwrite ecosystem function and supporting the establishment of climate change adaptation corridors. Securing the conservation of rare and threatened species also falls under this focus. Underlying all Wildlands initiatives are delivery partnerships between Government, Businesses, Non-Government Organisations and local communities. Wildlands has a long standing relationship with eThekwini Municipality and together, through the CEBA framework, Wildlands aims to help Durban adapt to the inevitable effects of Climate Change. http://www.wildlands.co.za

Province of KwaZulu-Natal

The KZN Integrated Greening Programme is a unique partnership between the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, Wildlands Conservation Trust, and Business South Africa. Through this 5-year partnership, 1 000 000 trees will be planted, 75 000 tons of recycling collected, 1 000 hectares of forest restored and 25 000 hectares of communal land conserved. The work will be done by thousands of community members, striving to improve their lives whilst restoring their living environments. The Programme builds on Wildlands ‘Green-preneurship’ model for sustainable development and the Province’s “Sukuma Sakhe” or “Stand up and Build” initiative, which aims to inspire the communities of KwaZulu-Natal to start improving themselves with support through partnerships between Government, Civil Society and Business. http://www.kznonline.gov.za

Bonitas Medical Fund

Bonitas Medical Fund is the second largest open medical scheme in South Africa. Bonitas have partnered with Wildlands on a number of initiatives over the last 5 years, underwriting a significant portion of the Trusts growth in this period. Bonitas continue to make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the country through their support for Wildlands Green-preneur, Restoration, Stewardship and Green Leadership programmes. http://www.bonitasmedicalfund.co.za/