Nature at the Heart of Municipal Resilience: Paving the Way Forward
From urban parks and street trees to mangrove restoration and nature-based enterprises: municipalities across Sub-Saharan Africa are turning ideas developed through the Connective Cities learning process into concrete approaches for strengthening local resilience.
The Connective Cities learning process “Nature at the Heart of Municipal Resilience” continues to bring municipalities from across Sub-Saharan Africa together to exchange experiences and develop locally adapted solutions. Following previous exchanges, participating municipalities are now refining their reform measures through online sessions and expert support, preparing them for the next stage of the learning process.
Examples from some of the participating municipalities, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are taking increasingly concrete forms.
In Bosaso, Somalia, the municipality is developing guidelines for street tree planting to support the long-term sustainability of urban greenery. Sinda Town, Zambia, has identified community-owned land for an urban park that will provide recreational space and encourage community engagement.
In Méagui, Côte d’Ivoire, the municipality is developing small urban parks in the city centre while exploring suitable tree species for the local environment. Babadjou, Cameroon, is working on awareness and communication measures around the protection of indigenous trees and replanting in deforested areas.
Nanga-Eboko, Cameroon, is combining community engagement to address deforestation with opportunities for nature-based local economic development, including honey production and diversified fruit-tree cultivation.
In Cape Coast, Ghana, the municipality is exploring public-private partnerships for mangrove restoration to address coastal flooding while also considering opportunities related to carbon finance. In Nakuru, Kenya, a pilot tree-planting initiative along the River Njoro aims to reduce soil erosion associated with flooding.
Together, these examples show how participating municipalities are moving from the exchange of experiences towards locally adapted and implementable measures. The ongoing online exchanges provide an opportunity to further develop these approaches, address open questions and benefit from peer and expert feedback.
The next milestone will bring participants together in Kigali, where municipalities will share their progress and further develop their measures towards implementation.
Through the learning process, Connective Cities supports municipalities in translating Nature-based Solutions into practical responses to local challenges – shaped by local conditions, strengthened through international exchange and oriented towards implementation.
© GIZ