The Living Msunduzi Waterways project

Tree planting along the Msunduzi River

The Living Msunduzi Waterways project is a biodiversity conservation initiative that is tackling habitat creation and restoration in a rich but degraded riparian area with the additional goals of local employment and sustainable small business development.

Located in the Midlands of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZM) province in Eastern South Africa, the Msunduzi flows through the most urbanized valley of the KZM including the provincial capital city of Pietermaritzburg, before joining the Mngeni River, which enters the Indian Ocean at Durban.

In 2005 a South African National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment defined that 44% of small rivers in South Africa were “critically endangered.” The highly urbanized and industrialized catchment area means that stretches of the Msunduzi River are highly polluted and many of the habitats are in states of serious degradation. Despite this the river still maintains a high level of biodiversity and supports the increasingly vulnerable flagship species of Grey Heron, Giant Kingfisher, River Monitor and the African Fish Eagle.

Living Msunduzi Waterways workers

The work to transform and restore the river is already underway. In 2004 A Rocha undertook work, funded by doctors from the local Medi-Clinic Hospital, to remove solid waste and invasive species from an eight kilometre section of the riverbanks and replant the area with indigenous species. Following this, a further 250 cubic metres of waste was removed from the river itself. A Rocha’s work has now been recognised by the Duzi/Umngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) as a major contribution to a province-wide initiative to establish a conservancy along the river.

The benefits of the project are also being felt by the local community. Since the work began ten jobs have been created for young adults who were previously unemployed. A Rocha workers have received certificated in-service training in power tool usage and maintenance for conservation management and the workers’ manager is undertaking in-service training in project management and small business creation. In addition to this, environmental education has begun with school field trips to the river including a school-conducted water quality survey.

Looking to the future, A Rocha is seeking to extend its rehabilitation work to the restoration of a further 60 km of the river’s indigenous riparian habitat between Camps Drift and Darvill Weir. The next step will be to declare and register the Living Msunduzi Waterways conservation area as a conservancy and protected wildlife area. The vision for furthering the local community emphasis of the project is to create public amenities including environmental education trails, fishing facilities, ablution facilities, community-policed play areas for children, and an indigenous succulent demonstration garden and rockery.

Project leader: Allen Goddard