Cape Town: A global workshop was observed on Urban Ecosystem Restoration which was hosted by the City of Cape Town as a role model city. By holding this workshop, the city has reaffirmed its commitment towards the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Generation Restoration capacity building workshop this week.
Reportedly, the City of Cape Town is an active participant in UNEP’s Generation Restoration programme in partnership with ICLEI Africa. The Generation Restoration programme aims to promote and implement the urban ecosystem restoration around the world.
The City of Cape Town has served as a ‘role model city’ for this project since Sept 2023 and hosted the final in-person workshop from March 25 to 28, 2025 at the Smart Living Education Centre in Green Point Park by bringing together more than 19 international cities.
The recent workshop facilitated the knowledge sharing among local government practitioners with a focus mainly on:
- Succes stories and lessons learnt from the implementation and scaling up of urban ecosystem restoration projects.
- The opportunities for further engagement and collaboration across cities and regions with donors and experts.
- By strengthening global networks of like-minded local government practitioners who intended to last beyond Dec 2025, at the end of the project.
Moreover, the organisers, UNEP and ICLEI will use the workshop outcomes as a contribution to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, drawing from the expertise and experience of Generation Restoration cities.
A diverse group of participants attended the workshop from individuals at the mid-to-senior-technical levels with experience in urban planning, biodiversity conservation, landscape architecture and related fields to professionals in infrastructure development.
Among those attendees, 60 represented various pilot cities and role model cities along with the representatives from UNEP, ICLEI, GIZ, knowledge and technical assistance partners and donors.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews stated that the Team Cape Town is committed to preserving and enhancing the natural environment within and around the urban area of the city.
According to Andrews, this initiative aligns with the vision for a sustainable and resilient future. They know that all around the world more and more people are relocating to cities in search of better lives and opportunities. The mass migration means that they have a collective responsibility to ensure that they are doing all they can to protect and preserve the precious natural resources and assets.
He further added that they look forward to continue the collaboration with UNEP, ICLEI and other cities involved in the Generation Restoration programme, that included both the role model cities and the pilot cities selected to accelerate the development and implementation of comprehensive urban ecosystem restoration plans.
Cape Town is fully committed to share the best practices, strengthen collaboration and drive impactful urban restoration initiatives beyond the completion of the project in Dec 2025. The ongoing initiatives and interactions include participation in a Community of Practice and various knowledge exchange opportunities.