SUNCASA | Resilient Cities. Natural Solutions.
Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) is a 3-year project that aims to enhance resilience, gender equality, social inclusion, and biodiversity protection in urban communities in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa.
SUNCASA will benefit 2.2 million people living in high-flood-risk areas in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa). Funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Partnering for Climate program and delivered by IISD and the World Resources Institute, SUNCASA will be implemented in partnership with a wide array of local organizations.
The project’s gender-responsive NbS include the restoration and conservation of upstream watershed areas with agroforestry, afforestation, and reforestation, buffer zone creation, and urban tree planting.
Project Sites
Dire Dawa
SUNCASA will restore the Dechatu River catchment in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, reducing flood risk, erosion, and urban water stress, benefiting over 200,000 people.
Kigali
In Kigali, Rwanda, SUNCASA will restore micro-catchments in the lower Nyabarongo River watershed, mitigating flood risk, landslides, and soil erosion, improving the resilience of 975,000 people.
Johannesburg
SUNCASA in Johannesburg, South Africa, will restore the Jukskei River catchment through the removal of invasive alien species and tree planting initiatives, decreasing flooding and improving water security for 1.045 million people.
What's new
Tackling flash floods, urban heat, and other climate change threats in three sub-Saharan African Cities
A new project will use solutions found in nature to improve the resilience of 2.2 million people in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa).
TOP AFRICA NEWS | Kigali Launches #IgitiCyanjye Community Tree Planting Campaign in Collaboration with SUNCASA Project
The City of Kigali, in collaboration with SUNCASA project, and local communities, marked Umuganda on 26th October, 2024 by launching the ‘#IgitiCyanjye’ community tree planting campaign. This initiative is focused on ensuring the long-term sustainability of trees planted across Kigali by actively engaging residents, organizations, and the broader community to take ownership and responsibility for their care and maintenance.
Alex News | Canada’s foreign affairs minister visits Jukskei River in Alex
Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, Mélanie Joly, visited the Jukskei River on August 22 to view the progress of its government-funded work being done by the Alexandra Water Warriors. The project is significant as it aligns with the city’s water security strategy, which aims to create resilient, liveable, and sustainable urban water environments, and foster a water-conscious society.
Video: SUNCASA | Resilient Cities. Natural Solutions.
The SUNCASA project is a 3-year initiative aiming to revitalize critical watersheds in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa), by implement gender-responsive nature-based solutions (NbS) such as agroforestry, afforestation and reforestation, buffer zone creation, alien invasive species removal, and urban tree planting.
Mail & Guardian | Alexandra Water Warriors are reviving Joburg’s Jukskei River
As one of the city’s largest rivers, the Jukskei’s roughly 50km course inexorably marks it as a casualty of Johannesburg’s rapid urbanisation. Its deeply eroded waterways have long been a repository of the city’s sewage, stormwater, litter, industrial waste and building rubble. But through the work of the community-based Alexandra Water Warriors, the healing and restoration of the blighted river is under way. (Photo: Delwyn Verasamy| M&G)
NAbSA Dialogues | Green Infrastructures for Urban Resilience
The fifth session of the NAbSA Dialogues series highlighted IISD’s SUNCASA (Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa) Project. The discussion explored how nature-based solutions (NbS) and green infrastructure can help cities adapt to climate change, manage extreme weather, preserve biodiversity, and provide healthier living environments.
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Project Partners
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