4:00PM EAT | 9AM EDT

The success of nature-based solutions in urban settings depends on a variety of factors: site and species selection, community involvement, local government support, sustainable supply chains, operational efficiency, and maintenance are all critical. Working with local partners in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; Kigali, Rwanda and Johannesburg, South Africa – the SUNCASA project is planting more than 4 million trees in these cities and unlocking long-term resilience for 2.2 million.

Led by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, World Resources Institute, and delivered with a consortium of partners, the SUNCASA project is taking deliberate, place-based approaches to NbS delivery with its partner cities: guided by community needs, and combining indigenous knowledge with scientific data, the project is helping drive urban climate adaptation that meets cities' ecological, communal, and economic priorities. From species selection to community-led nurseries and river restoration, this webinar offers practical insights from the field that are advancing urban climate resilience in Africa:

  1. In Dire Dawa, stakeholders align ecological, government, and community priorities, making targeted species selections suited to the city’s challenging climate.
  2. In Kigali, local partnerships are building community-run nurseries, cultivating trees that support erosion control, water management, and local livelihoods.
  3. In Johannesburg, teams are restoring the Jukskei River by removing invasive species, planting indigenous plants, and bringing biodiversity back to the heart of the city.

This webinar is the first in a two-part series on implementation, diving into the climate-ecosystem-community interface of NbS implementation, sharing best practices and lessons learned on implementing and scaling green infrastructure for resilient cities across Africa.