The local municipality of uMhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal province will represent South Africa against 17 other cities from around the world in the first edition of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (IAHP) World Green City Awards. During the event, the cities will showcase their innovations in sustainability for the preservation of ecosystems.
Organised for the first time by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (IAHP), this year’s World Green City Awards 2022 will pit 18 cities from around the world against each other in six categories for their excellence in green practices. In the category “Living green to fight climate change”, for example, each city will be asked to present concrete solutions adopted in the field of resilience.
The issue of water management and sanitation will also be at the heart of the competition, the date of which has not yet been announced, through initiatives on flood risk prevention. And the local municipality of uMhlathuze is expected to address the issue of biodiversity, following the storms that hit the coastal province of Kwazulu-Natal in April 2022.
The disaster caused the death of at least 443 people, the destruction of many buildings, and the loss of livestock and livelihoods of local people. In this category, the jury will look at local innovations related to tackling the loss of species, habitats and ecosystem health.
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“In the face of climate change and ecological urgency, this IYPE initiative encourages cities to demonstrate the range of innovative urban nature-based solutions that are possible. It’s about creating systems and solutions that enable people to overcome economic distress and prosper, and transforming degraded land into urban micro parks, etc.,” says Tim Briercliffe, the IYPE’s secretary general.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
