The LAB: Wetlands SA Project implemented by the ICLEI Africa Secretariat, has selected three district municipalities within South Africa to receive a maximum funding pocket of R400 000 each to implement a pioneering wetland pilot project.

Winning municipalities include Amathole District Municipality, iLembe District Municipality and West Rand District Municipality. These projects will be implemented by Eco-Pulse Environmental and Consulting Services, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Prime Africa, respectively.

The selected projects focus on wetland prioritisation and rehabilitation (Amathole), assessment of coastal wetland ecology and alien vegetation risk (iLembe) and baseline assessment and high level mapping (West Rand).

The winning projects were selected from a pool of 31 proposals received by the closing date of 22 September 2017. Each of the project proposals submitted to ICLEI Africa for consideration adhered to specific criteria featured in the call for proposals (advertised on 11 August 2017); namely that the project needed to focus on wetlands specifically; the project needed to address a desired outcome included in the municipality Wetland Strategy and Action Plan; the project needed to be implemented by a local NGO; and that the project needed pre-approval from the municipal manager.

It is anticipated that these pilot projects, once implemented, will contribute towards enhancing natural wetland resources through community involvement, supporting livelihoods and strengthening the local economy, whilst considering gender and improving resilience against climate change impacts.  This will directly support the critical work of the double award winning LAB: Wetlands SA project which aims to protect priority natural wetland resources, thus enabling the supply of ecosystem services, and promoting resilient communities and sustainable local economies under a changing climate within South Africa.

For more information on the LAB: Wetlands SA Project, please refer to the project website here.