Publication: A Spatial Valuation of the Natural and Semi-Natural Open Space Areas in eThekwini Municipality
Loading...
Date
2017
ISSN
Published
2017
Editor(s)
Abstract
Durban is located within a global biodiversity hotspot, and still contains a wealth of biodiversity. Some of this is protected in nature reserves, but much of it is in private hands or in communal lands on the city’s periphery. City managers are divided over the level of attention that should be given to preserving these remaining natural areas. While it is argued that they make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the province, provide valuable ecosystem services and will contribute to the city’s resilience in the face of climate change, the counter argument is that much of this area should make way for development to alleviate the escalating problem of unemployment. The study of ecosystem services and their value to society has made significant advances since an estimate was made of Durban’s ecosystem services in the 1990s using early values from the international literature. The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the value of ecosystem services provided by natural open space areas within the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA), and to map the geographic variation in these values as far as possible so as to be able to compare both areas and types of value, using available and locally-relevant data. This study was carried out as a desktop study based on available data. Modelling assumptions were based on data from within the study area, drawing on the regional, national or international literature only where necessary. The study focused on the direct values associated with the provision of natural resources, indirect use values associated with regulating services generated by ecosystem functioning, and the amenity values generated by ecosystem attributes.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Turpie, Jane; Letley, Gwyneth; Chyrstal, Robynne; Corbella, Stefan; Stretch, Derek. 2017. A Spatial Valuation of the Natural and Semi-Natural Open Space Areas in eThekwini Municipality. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26765 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Evaluating the Potential Returns to Investing in Green Urban Development in Durban(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-04)Urbanisation is taking place at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, often outpacing plans and the capacity of city managers. As a result, natural open space areas in cities are being degraded and diminished, and problems such as flooding, air and water pollution are getting worse. The environmental problems associated with increased hardened surfaces and the loss of natural areas and ecosystem services are particularly acute in developing country cities, where a lack of regulation and resources has led to poor planning, the expansion of informal settlements in high risk, marginal areas, and the inability to adequately manage the quantity and quality of surface water flows.Durban, located within the eThekwini Municipality on the east coast of South Africa, is rich in biodiversity, but faces a number of environmental and developmental challenges. Green urban development is an approach that aims to minimize the impacts of urbanization on the environment, and tackles the core problems of pollution and waste, the consumption of natural resources, the loss of urban open space and the degradation and loss of biodiversity, as well as mitigation of the urban contribution to climate change. The aim of this study was to explore, using a case study and scenario-based approach, the potential costs and benefits of undertaking a green urban development approach to address some of the main environmental issues described above, and to explore the potential tradeoffs between different types of interventions, with an emphasis on assessing the desirable balance between engineered interventions and the conservation of natural open space areas. The study focuses on three elements of green urban development, all of which impact on ecosystems and biodiversity: sewage and solid waste management, active storm water management and the conservation of natural systems and riparian corridors.Publication Greening Africa's Cities(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-05-23)Africa is urbanizing late but fast. This brings many benefits but, as this report shows: thus far, urbanization in Africa, unique in a number of respects, is having deleterious and largely unchecked impacts on the natural environment; the degradation of natural assets and ecosystems within African cities carries tangible economic, fiscal and social costs; there are important opportunities to change the current environmental trajectory of African cities so that they move towards a more harmonious relationship between their natural and built environments. For this to happen, focused action is necessary.Publication Return on Investment in Green Urban Development(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-04-01)Rapid urbanisation is taking place at an unprecedented rate throughout the world, with the rate of growth often outpacing urban planning and the capacity of city managers. As a result, existing natural areas within cities,which provide a range of benefits to urban dwellersare becoming smaller and degraded, and problems such as flooding, air pollution and water pollution are becoming worse in many places. African cities often lackthe resources to deal with these problems. However, anumber of studies have suggested that investing in the maintenance or restoration of natural infrastructurein many cases may not only address given problems at comparable or lower cost than conventional engineering projects, but also generate multiple additional benefits that ultimately translate into cost savings and increased human wellbeing. Meanwhile, great strides have been made in the design of sustainable mechanisms to deal with urban environmental issues, stormwater flows and the attendant pollution problems, and management and planning of cities is increasingly taking a holistic approach that includes the use and conservation of semi-natural and natural areas within cities as part of a green urban development strategy. One of the challenges of green urban development will be to findthe right balance between ecological infrastructure(natural systems), “green” (= environmentally friendly)built infrastructure, and conventional (“grey”) built infrastructure. Dar es Salaam, located on Africa’s Indian Ocean Coast,faces a multitude of environmental problems. Prominent among them is the problem of flooding in and around the city centre, which frequently brings the city to a standstill, as well as causing infrastructural damage. Many factors have contributed to this problem, including unplanned informal settlements in the upper catchment and floodplain areas, a lack of drainage and a lack of solid waste management. The impacts of flooding are also exacerbated by high levels of pollution in the rivers, which increases the risks associated with flooding. In consultations for this study, stakeholders in Dar esSalaam identified the Msimbazi River as being amongthe most degraded ecosystems in the city and also the source of the most serious flooding problems. The aim of the study was to explore the potential costs and benefits of undertaking a green urban development approach, including catchment-to-coast restoration measures, to ameliorate flood risk in the Msimbazi Rivercatchment.Publication A Preliminary Investigation of the Potential Costs and Benefits of Rehabilitation of the Nakivubo Wetland, Kampala(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-09)Rapid urbanisation threatens existing natural areas withincities and the ecosystem services that they provide. This case study forms part of a broader study that investigates the benefits of investing in Green Urban Developmentin African cities. The Kampala case study focuses on the Nakivubo wetland, one of several large wetland systems that occur within and around the city. This wetland has become severely degraded by polluted water from thecity that passes through the wetland before entering Inner Murchison Bay. However, as the city has continued to grow, pollution flows into the wetland have increased significantly, the size and assimilative capacity of the wetland has decreased, and the costs of water treatment have increased. These concerns, as well as the increasing shortage of public open space areas in the city that are available for recreation, haveled to the city’s consideration of the rehabilitation of the Nakivubo wetland, both to restore its functioning and to create the opportunity for a recreational area with associated possibilities for economic development. This study provides a preliminary evaluation of the state of the Nakivubo wetland, the potential costs and benefitsof its rehabilitation and the implications for the city’sexpansion plans. The primary objectives were defined as(1) effecting a measurable improvement of waterquality passing out of the Nakivubo wetland into InnerMurchison Bay, (2) ensuring sustainable management ofthe Nakivubo wetland, (3) reducing water quality impactson human health and (4) opening up opportunitiesfor safe recreational use of the lower wetland. One of the main challenges in achieving the above would be institutional. Greater Kampala extends well beyond the boundaries of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), which originally encompassed the entire city, and unless the KCCA area is adjusted accordingly (as has been done in other countries), the problems that will arise in a growing city will be in areas under multiple other jurisdictions.Publication An Analysis of Physical and Monetary Losses of Environmental Health and Natural Resources in India(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-10)This study provides estimates of social and financial costs of environmental damage in India from three pollution damage categories: (i) urban air pollution; (ii) inadequate water supply, poor sanitation, and hygiene; and (iii) indoor air pollution. It also provides estimates based on three natural resource damage categories: (i) agricultural damage from soil salinity, water logging, and soil erosion; (ii) rangeland degradation; and (iii) deforestation. The estimates are based on a combination of Indian data from secondary sources and on the transfer of unit costs of pollution from a range of national and international studies. The study estimates the total cost of environmental degradation in India at about 3.75 trillion rupees (US$80 billion) annually, equivalent to 5.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009, which is the reference year for most of the damage estimates. Of this total, outdoor air pollution accounts for 1.1 trillion rupees, followed by the cost of indoor air pollution at 0.9 trillion rupees, croplands degradation cost at 0.7 trillion rupees, inadequate water supply and sanitation cost at around at 0.5 trillion rupees, pasture degradation cost at 0.4 trillion rupees, and forest degradation cost at 0.1 trillion rupees.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Remarks to the Annual Meetings 2020 Development Committee(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-16)David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, announced that the Board approved a fast track approach to emergency health support programs that now covers 111 countries. Most projects are well advanced, with average disbursement upward of 40 percent. The goal is to take broad, fast action early. The operational framework presented back in June has positioned the Bank to help countries address immediate health threats and social and economic impacts and maintain our focus on long-term development. The Bank is making good progress toward the 15-month target of 160 billion dollars in surge financing. Much of it is for the poorest countries and will take the form of grants or low-rate, long-maturity loans. IFC, through the Global Health Platform, will be providing financing to vaccine manufacturers to foster expanded production of COVID-19 vaccines in both part 1 and 2 countries, providing production is reserved for emerging markets. The Development Committee holds a unique place in the international architecture. It is the only global forum in which the Governments of developed countries and the Governments of developing countries, creditor countries and borrower countries, come together to discuss development and the ‘net transfer of resources to developing countries.’ The current International Financial Architecture system is skewed in favor of the rich and creditor countries. It is important that all voices are heard, so Malpass urged the Ministers of developing countries to use their voice and speak their minds today. Malpass urged consideration of how we can build a new approach to debt restructuring that allows for a fair relationship and balance between creditors and debtors. This will be critical in restoring growth in developing countries; and helping reverse the inequality.Publication Doing Business 2014 : Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises(Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2013-10-28)Eleventh in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2014 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity: Starting a business, Dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Registering property, Getting credit, Protecting investors, Paying taxes, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts, Closing a business, Employing workers. The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2013, ranks economies on their overall “ease of doing business”, and analyzes reforms to business regulation – identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most. The Doing Business reports illustrate how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy. Doing Business is a flagship product by the World Bank and IFC that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. More than 60 economies use the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground. In addition, the Doing Business data has generated over 870 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals since its inception.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication World Development Report 2011(World Bank, 2011)The 2011 World development report looks across disciplines and experiences drawn from around the world to offer some ideas and practical recommendations on how to move beyond conflict and fragility and secure development. The key messages are important for all countries-low, middle, and high income-as well as for regional and global institutions: first, institutional legitimacy is the key to stability. When state institutions do not adequately protect citizens, guard against corruption, or provide access to justice; when markets do not provide job opportunities; or when communities have lost social cohesion-the likelihood of violent conflict increases. Second, investing in citizen security, justice, and jobs is essential to reducing violence. But there are major structural gaps in our collective capabilities to support these areas. Third, confronting this challenge effectively means that institutions need to change. International agencies and partners from other countries must adapt procedures so they can respond with agility and speed, a longer-term perspective, and greater staying power. Fourth, need to adopt a layered approach. Some problems can be addressed at the country level, but others need to be addressed at a regional level, such as developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity Fifth, in adopting these approaches, need to be aware that the global landscape is changing. Regional institutions and middle income countries are playing a larger role. This means should pay more attention to south-south and south-north exchanges, and to the recent transition experiences of middle income countries.