Download Working for Ecosystems - Poverty Environment Net

Local Government and P / E
Errol Douwes
Manager: Restoration Ecology Branch
Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department
Durban (EThekwini Municipality), South Africa
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
In summary
Local-level governments will proceed to build
sustainability, and ensure adaptation to climate
change, regardless of high level policies
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Critical linkages
• Sustainability
– Not a stand-along concept
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Socio-economic development
Gender equity
Disaster risk reduction
Climate protection & resilience
– Always context specific
• e.g. local / global; formal / informal
– Must deliver more than one ‘good’
• Local-level example:
– Buffelsdraai Community
Reforestation Programme
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Durban’s CEBA Projects – what are they delivering?
Ecosystem
restoration
Climate Change
Mitigation
e.g. wetland rehabilitation;
Invasive Alien Species removal
from catchment; reforestation
e.g. reforestation,
renewable energy projects
Green Economy
Growth of the Green Economy
Social upliftment
Project contributes
towards improved
livelihoods for those
involved in work
Research
Climate Change
Adaptation
Improved resilience of
communities & ecosystems
to climate change (e.g.
water supply)
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Education & outreach
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
But… progress is clumsy
• Still more questions than answers
• Lots of poorly aligned debate
• Options and more options
– Photo-voltaics / Wind / Infrastructure / Ecosystem
services / Landscape approach?
• Many ‘super wicked’ problems
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High complexity
Different perceptions and understanding of benefits
Difficult socio- and political- conditions
Silo approaches
Inadequate policies
Growing income divide
Natural / Env. resources not decoupled from GDP
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
What to do?
• Unpack the difficulties
– Interventions must have multiple cobenefits
– Conceptual frameworks must change
– Self perpetuating systems are unhelpful
– Avoid ‘solving’ one problem while
creating another.
• Set clear guidelines
– Establish meaningful metrics for
assessing delivery
– Research must interface with policy and
practice
– Training of institutions and individuals
(enable response)
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Recognition of local
• Local government not at the table
– Still not acknowledged
– Only local governments can effect the
changes required
– But, recognition and support of national
governments is required
• Local action is real, but cannot leverage
policy changes (glass ceiling)
– Vertical integration is essential (equal
partners)
– SDG and Climate agreements must include
local government agreements
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Funding at local level
• Direct access to funding is
necessary
– High transaction costs prohibitive to
local governments – can’t access funds
easily
• Funders want clean delivery line
(outputs and outcomes)
– Often not possible, as our
understanding of wicked problems
continues to evolve
– Systems not geared to deal with
required flexibility
– Failures generates important learnings
(experimentation is needed)
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Questions to ask
• Current UN system
– Is it working?
– Nation states vs. ‘planet of cities’
• How much more time do we have?
• 10-year plan needed, but as yet no
global agreement?
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Way forward: Facilitation and Support
• An urban SDG won’t effect changes to the
world. The change is happening regardless.
• So, the agreement should rather be
facilitating and supporting of local actions
that are already happening.
• A top-down approach is not useful.
• UN structure needs to change.
• Build linkages
• Funders: reduce funding conditionality
– Conditions don’t speak to real world issues
• Effect meaningful policy changes
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
In Summary
• Local government
– is already transforming
the world.
– Will keep moving
regardless of the SDG
outcomes (high urgency!).
• Facilitation of change
– will ensure sharing of
learnings, and reduce
mistakes
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies
Thank you
References
•
Climate Smart: Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project https://youtu.be/GdzRJzg5IFY
•
Douwes E, Roy KE, Diederichs-Mander N, Mavundla K, Roberts D. 2015. The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community
Reforestation Project: Leading the way in community ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change. EThekwini
Municipality, Durban. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3988.9442
•
Roberts D, Boon R, Diederichs N, Douwes E, Govender N, McInnes A, McLean C, O’Donoghue S, Spires, M. 2012. Exploring
ecosystem-based adaptation in Durban, South Africa:“learning-by-doing” at the local government coal face. Environment
and Urbanization, 24(1): 167–195.
•
Roberts D, O'Donoghue S. 2013 Urban Environmental Challenges and Climate Change Action in Durban, South Africa.
Environment and Urbanization 25: 0956247813500904.
PEP20, Edinburgh: Implementing the SDGs for inclusive,
climate resilient green economies