Cape Town has become the first South African city to be accredited as an international wetland city. This makes it only one of 43 cities to receive this status at the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Wetlands in Geneva, Switzerland.
Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve in Cape Town. Picture: Wikimedia Commons/ Abu Shawka
The accreditation is in recognition of the city of Cape Town’s best-practice work in implementing innovative policies to ensure Cape Town’s wetlands are protected, rehabilitated and restored.
🌟#COP14 honours 2⃣5⃣ newly accredited Wetland Cities whose actions will inspire more cities to invest in urban #wetlands as nature-based solutions for #SustainableDevelopment, #Climate and #Biodiversity
Read more: https://t.co/GzlZytrgAN 👏 #ActForWetlands pic.twitter.com/jgJvvAuT9C
— Convention on Wetlands (@RamsarConv) November 10, 2022
With more than half the world’s population living in urban areas, city wetlands face growing pressures from human activities, so for the next 3 years, Cape Town will spend at least R350 million remediating recreational vleis as part of the Priority Programme established by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to ensure cleaner waterways and to protect the environment.
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