Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project

The Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project was initiated in 2008 to alleviate climate change impacts associated with hosting elements of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Durban.

[2] Restoring the forest ecosystem was identified as a way of "absorbing event-related greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the capacity of people and biodiversity to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change".

[3] The purchasing, development and commissioning (in early 2006) of the Buffelsdraai Landfill was undertaken to accommodate the increasing solid waste produced from the northern suburbs of Durban and surrounding areas.

This decision contributed towards the establishment of a “Conservancy” encompassing both the landfill site and buffer zone, in accordance with the required conditions of the environmental authorisation provided.

[3] The holistic approach of the Municipality would address biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, rural development and poverty alleviation.

[1] The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site is located north-west of Durban city approximately 8 km west of the small town of Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal.

This alternative fence is considered effective in minimising incursions by vehicles, people and stock animals into the buffer zone area.

The centre showcases sustainability, green technologies such as solar panels, water capture, storage and reuse, efficient lighting etc.

Ninety percent of people that benefit from this project were previously earning wages below the poverty line, and considered amongst the most vulnerable in South Africa.

The “ecological infrastructure” being built, in the form of a restored indigenous forest, will enhance the supply of ecosystem goods and services to rural people who are highly dependent on natural resources for their basic survival and safety.

The ecosystem services derived from the restored forests include enhanced biodiversity refuges, water quality, river flow regulation, flood mitigation, sediment control, improved visual impact and a reduction in fire-risk.

[5] “Such services enhance the long-term climate change adaptation benefits derived by local communities,[10] as well as short-term resilience to unpredictable and dangerous weather patterns".

[1] In 2011, the Project was selected as one of the top 10 global projects as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 'Momentum for Change' Initiative[3] and a Gold Standard Validation Certificate was issued by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance for delivering social, biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits at an international standard.

[6] As such, better education for the local community members was suggested, as a means to improve their understanding of conservation and climate change, as well as the ecosystem services that they may benefit from.