Greater Cape Town Water Fund

Greater Cape Town Water Fund

Project Overall Goal

Long-term water security in the Greater Cape Town Region, through the restoration and protection of water catchments

Executive Summary

The Greater Cape Town Water Fund (GCTWF), business case was launched in November 2018 and promotes nature based solutions as a long-term, cost effective solution, focused on removing water-guzzling invasive pine, gum, and wattle tree species from about 55, 300 hectares. After a return-on-investment analysis, catchment restoration was shown to be substantially more cost-effective than alternative water augmentation solutions, including traditionally used grey infrastructure alternatives.
The source water sub-catchments feeding the Western Cape Water Supply System had been degraded by invasive alien plant species altering the soil ecology, increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, and hindering the river flow and aquifer recharge. The Fund focuses on the restoration of seven priority sub-catchments, four priority wetlands, controlling invasive alien plants in remote mountains, and the restoration of the natural vegetation on the Atlantis Aquifer.
Actions enabled by the Fund have achieved improvement in water quality and quantity, and the consequent impact on health and well-being. Importantly the Fund has also provided significant co-benefits in terms of enhancing biodiversity, fostering employment (as restoration interventions are labor intensive), and other socio-economic indicators. It has also influenced policy change and contributed to advance the science on water catchments and groundwater recharge.

Project Details

Sector:  Green Infrastructure, Water
Tags:  Africa, Upper Middle Income Countries, Adaptation, blended
Source of Capital:  Philanthropy, private donors and impact investors, Public Balance Sheet
Project URL:  Download PDF

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