UNA Coasts: Nacala

ICLEI Africa engaged with the city’s different department heads regarding the current challenges and opportunities around the city’s coastal natural assets. This also provided an opportunity for ICLEI to share information about the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The findings from the different stakeholders informed all the proposed project activities for the city.

A workshop was held in November 2018 to identify existing coastal natural asset and the goods and services they provide both to the city as a whole and its residents. Once all natural assets were identified and their associated goods and services, participants prioritised the goods and services both for the city and nature.

A participatory mapping workshop was held to collect existing and available natural asset data that can be used to assist with the broader mapping process. The information (including GIS data) gathered can be used in the city’s planning processes.

Building on the data collected from the participatory mapping workshop in 2018, high resolution mapping was undertaken for the Municipality of Nacala. During this mapping process hotspots and priority areas were collaboratively identified. The full report and maps were handed over to city officials to intergrate into decision-making processes.

ICLEI Africa together with the Municipality of Nacala launched their Coastal Awareness Campaign in May 2019. This campaign focused on the importance of coastal natural assets for the provision of goods and services and was targeted at Grade 12 learners. Grade 12 Geography teachers took part in a workshop in March and were provided with a lesson plan that they each conducted with their Grade 12 learners.Each learner was provided with a set of notes and exercises. The final exercise was to draw a picture highlighting the importance of the city’s coastal natural assets. All the pictures were displayed at the municipality building over a weekend for the public to view. Following the viewing 12 of the best pictures were selected and used in the development of a calendar for 2020.

The 2020 calendars titled ‘Our Coast, Our City, Our Future’ has been distributed to local business and schools to raise awareness our the importance of conserving our coastal natural assets. Download the calendars here.

In partnership with the Municipality of Nacala, the project hosted a City to City Learning Exchange in Mozambique in November 2019. The meeting provided a platform for the project cities, to come together and share relevant lessons learnt to date from the UNA Coasts project including inter alia:

• Discussing the UNA Coasts methodology which focuses on providing solutions and guidance for better environmental planning in an African context particularly around resilience
• Presentations, of Nacala’s Coastal Natural Asset Management Plan and Quelimane’s City Responses to Climate Change: Framework for Decision Making”
• Capacity building on urban design/landscape design skills at different scales as well as best practice precedents (for urban parks) from around the world (including components such as design, management, implementation, maintenance) as well as on proactive planning strategies i.e. scenario planning and urban tinkering (challenging the way African cities plan with nature

A key output of the meeting was a co-produced key coastal resilience principles for African coastal cities.

Coastal areas are key focal points for the City of Nacala’s livelihoods and economy.A Coastal Management Plan was co-developed, describing how to effectively manage these coastal natural assets to ensure the enjoyment of the coast and growth of a strong and prosperous Nacala.

In the City of Nacala, natural assets play an essential role in our infrastructure system. The foreshore area provides protection from storm surges and sea-level rise. The rocky shores and coastal wetlands help effectively manage erosion and storm surges. It is important to consider the value of these natural assets and recognise their economic significance. An incomplete understanding of the service provided, and the implications that may be if a natural asset that is relied on were to fail or deliver lower levels of service could have significant impacts. Therefore, decisions regarding planning, investment and reporting need to take into consideration the value of the identified natural assets.

Based on a landscape plan developed during an Urban Tinkering workshop held in May 2019, ICLEI Africa is currently working together with the Municipality of Nacala to upgrade the local City Park in Nacala from a run down and eroded site to an interactive and inclusive urban park that can be used by children and the broader community. Implementation commenced in October 2019 with the following components:

• The development of foot paths, to help with erosion control;
• Greening and planting; and
• The installation of portable water to the site.

The site is estimated to open in early 2020.

Capacity building and training, including training of how to develop investment cases and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Activity that commenced in 2019 (see above) concluded.

Strategically took forward the C-NAM through finalisation & mainstreaming into annual activities/plans.

Continued mainstreaming of natural assets into planning processes, using innovative virtual methods and entry points identified by each city (building on the dialogues, activities and processes initiated previously) whilst supporting wrap-up of project activities.

Through the UNA: Coasts for Life project ICLEI Africa appointed a service provider to conduct a high-level review and comparison of five project options, select the most likely to attract finance and then develop the chosen concept to pre-feasibility in line with the relevant funder’s requirements.

The Five project ideas have been developed into project concepts, which can be can be taken forward to pre-feasibility:

• Coastal asset restoration and rehabilitation: Mangroves
• Land stabilisation and carbon sequestration: Sustainable forestry
• Resilience to flooding: Green affordable housing
• Sustainable access to safe water: Solar powered water systems
• Pollution prevention: Coupled urine diversion latrines and biogas digestors

The Sustainable forestry concept was developed into a pre-feasibility study and discussed with potential funders.