The Durban CEBA Initiative
As part of its preparations for COP 17/CMP 7, Durban will be responsible for implementing a number of initiatives as part of the COP 17/CMP 7 Greening Programme. One of these will be the calculation of the local carbon footprint of the event, and the development of a strategy to minimise and then offset this footprint.
The Durban CEBA Initiative
As part of the Greening Programme, the eThekwini Municipality has embarked on the development of its own climate offset project, the Durban Community-Ecosystem Based Adaptation Initiative, or Durban CEBA Initiative. CEBA stands for “Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation” and focuses on the link between communities and the ecosystems that underwrite their welfare and livelihood. The Durban CEBA Initiative involves impoverished and vulnerable communities restoring their natural ecosystems, creating cleaner and greener neighbourhoods less dependent on costly utilities and services, and so participating in and benefitting from the development of a new sector of the green economy in Durban. Through this important work, ecosystem services are enhanced, resulting in increased adaptive capacity to climate change, as well as mitigation of carbon emissions through natural sequestration processes. CEBA therefore provides a mechanism to simultaneously address the issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation, restoration of ecosystems and promotion of the green economy.
What does CEBA involve?
Important elements of the CEBA model are:
- The UPLIFTMENT of local communities through the establishment of “green jobs” for the poor and unemployed.
- The RESTORATION of the ecosystems that underwrite the welfare of these communities and which reduce our collective vulnerability to climate change
- The establishment of delivery PARTNERSHIPS. In the implementation of the Durban CEBA Initiative, the eThekwini Municipality is partnering with a local NGO, Wildlands Conservation Trust (WCT), other spheres of government, business and local communities. An MOA has been signed with WCT, committing them to delivery in specific areas of project implementation.
Where is CEBA being implemented?
As a catalyst project, a natural habitat restoration project has been initiated in Paradise Valley in the uMbilo catchment, west of Durban. This will be launched at a high level event during COP 17/CMP 7. The restoration of this area will involve the removal of alien plants, planting and care of indigenous trees, and restoration of the associated riverine, wetland and grassland systems. The idea will be to expand the number of projects and communities that are involved in the initiative over time.
Durban CEBA: Official Voluntary Offset Mechanism for COP 17/CMP 7
The Durban CEBA Initiative has been acknowledged by the Department of Environmental Affairs as the official voluntary offset mechanism for COP 17/CMP 7. Delegates, corporates and other interested groups will be able to purchase CEBA credits via a website (www.durbanceba.org) that is being set up for this purpose. The management of these funds will be done by WCT, as per the MOA and will be directed initially into the ecosystem restoration project at Paradise Valley, but later into other parts of the uMbilo catchment. The allocation of funds will be agreed by the project partners. For more information on CEBA visit www.durbanceba.org or CLICK HERE.