“In a collaborative effort between the Gouritz Cluster and Garden Route Biosphere Reserves, Nelson Mandela University, and several government entities including Western Cape Disaster Management, GRDM, SANParks, and Cape Nature will be gathering on Thursday, 27 June to discuss climate change,” says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
The theme for the 2024 Indaba is “Resilience in Action: Building Sustainable Communities Amid a Changing Climate.”
The Southern Cape is no stranger to climate-driven natural disasters. In June, the people of Knysna and surrounding areas will forever reflect on the devastation caused by the 2017 wildfire disaster, which destroyed more than 1,000 structures and claimed several lives.
Since then, the region has been regularly subjected to more wildfire disasters, severe flooding, and storm surges, causing millions of rand in damages to municipalities that are already under pressure in their efforts to serve the needs of an ever-increasing population.
