The City of Cape Town is committed to sustainable development that protects exceptional biodiversity of the city. Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews participated in an international webinar that was specially organized to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity 2025.
It was commemorated under the theme ‘Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development’. Considering this, the Deputy Mayor emphasized the complexity of sustainable development in the context of a rapidly growing city with the biodiversity of global significance.
Cities Biodiversity Centre (CBC) ICLEI’s hosted Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD). The virtual session was titled as – ‘Integrating Biodiversity and Urban Development: Local Action for Sustainable Cities’.
Focusing majorly on the critical role that cities and subnational governments have in achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on the SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Andrews further added that the Sustainable Development is a challenging concept, so in a city like Cape Town where they are striving to address the pressing need for development while protecting some of the world’s most threatened biodiversity.
The City of Cape Town has made significant strides integrating biodiversity into its spatial planning, supported by tools such as the fine-scale biodiversity spatial plan known as the BioNet.
BioNet informs all City spatial planning products, and the city is currently finalizing a policy to formally adopt it as the Cape Town Biodiversity Spatial Plan.
According to Andrews, the sound spatial planning takes biodiversity informants into account, alongside a proactive protected area expansion strategy, that are key to meet development needs while conserving the natural heritage and created vibrant, healthy space for all.
He clarified that it is not just about the targets, but also about building widespread understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues and instilling a sense of responsibility in every resident and sector. He also noted the importance of local-level conservation planning, as this is where the direct impacts of development are felt and where action is often most effective.
Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews added that the conservation implementation in urban spaces is undoubtedly complex. The land is scarce and the competition for it is intense. The task is actually to demonstrate the conservation, which is not luxury, but a critical land that can be used.
They must deliver tangible benefits to communities by creating safe, accessible, well-used spaces that reflect the richness of the natural heritage and contribute to the well-being of all those who live here.
Notably, the webinar reinforced the growing role of local governments in global sustainability and biodiversity efforts. As the world enters a critical five-year window to achieve key environmental targets by the year 2030, Cape Town desires to remain committed towards transformative, inclusive action that places biodiversity at the center of sustainable urban development.