Background

The uMsunduzi and Umgeni River systems have become badly degraded through neglect and overexploitation. With increasing demands on resources, poor governance and external threats such as global climate change, these river systems will be increasingly unable to support the range of aquatic, riverine and human life that is dependent on a healthy river system. And so we at the WWF Nedbank Green Trust funded the Duzi Green Corridor Project, run by the Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust (Duct).

The aim of this project is to arrest and reverse the rapid decline of one of the country’s highest priority ecological infrastructure and water security assets. The decline of the Duzi River corridor poses significant economic and environmental consequences for the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Therefore, a community-public-private-partnership (CPPP) has been created and tasked with establishing a green riparian corridor on the upper uMsunduzi River. The corridor stretches for about 60 km, from Pietermaritzburg to the uMsunduzi source, starting initially with two key tributary hotspots in Pietermaritzburg’s Ashdown and Imbali townships.

Innovative approaches to grass roots, integrated river health actions and outcomes will be tested through local green hubs and replicated across the whole uMsunduzi and broader Umgeni Catchment area, in due course.

For more information visit www.duct.org.za.