ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUC TURE
Investing in ecological infrastructure for
WATER SECURITY Ziyanda Majodina speaks to Jenifer Zungu, project leader: Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), about the importance of ecological infrastructure and unlocking its potential to support water security. Jenifer Zungu, project leader: Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security, South African National Biodiversity Institute
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reen infrastructure is broadly defined as a strategically planned network of high-quality natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services and protect biodiversity in both rural and urban settings (like bioswales, rainwater harvesting, green roofs and permeable paving). Within this is a subset known as ecological infrastructure. This refers to the naturally functioning ecosystems that generate or deliver valuable services to people. It is the networks of natural healthy lands and working landscapes on which life-supporting ecosystem goods and services depend. Examples of ecological infrastructure include mountain catchments, wetlands, and coastal dunes. The importance of ecological infrastructure “Some of the services provided by this ecological infrastructure include water and climate regulation, soil formation, and disaster risk reduction. Ecological
infrastructure can supplement, and sometimes even substitute, built infrastructure solutions,” says Zungu. She adds that strategic investment in ecological infrastructure can lengthen the lifespan of the existing built infrastructure. “It must be noted that ecological infrastructure supports built infrastructure. For instance, a well-functioning wetland upstream of a dam or wastewater treatment plant will improve water quality.” Ecological infrastructure can support built infrastructure – often with significant cost savings. Degraded ecological infrastructure increases the vulnerability of built infrastructure to damage during extreme events like floods and increases maintenance costs. It is important to have some type of buffering mechanism to protect built infrastructure. Key elements of ecological infrastructure, including mountain catchments and corridors of natural vegetation, are often located in rural areas. Rehabilitating and maintaining ecological infrastructure contributes to diversifying rural livelihood options – on one hand through direct
job creation, and on the other by strengthening economic sectors such as sustainable farming and ecotourism. Rural communities usually rely directly on ecological infrastructure for goods and services – e.g. getting their drinking water directly from rivers – and tend to be the most immediately and severely affected when ecosystems become degraded. Furthermore, ecological infrastructure helps to mitigate risk. Well-managed ecological infrastructure can buffer human settlements and built infrastructure against extreme events like landslides, floods and droughts, playing a crucial and cost-effective role in disaster risk reduction. For example, coastal ecosystems such as dunes, mangroves and kelp beds reduce the impact of storm surges on coastal settlements. Healthy ecological infrastructure will play an important role in climate change adaptation and functioning ecological infrastructure is key to building resilience in extreme weather events. “With climate change, there is an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme events. The western part M AY / J U N 2022
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