Page 17 - State of Biodiversity Report 2022/2023

4.2.1. Land Acquisition Environmental Protection
eThekwini Municipality’s Biodiversity Management Department (BMD) has since the year 2002, acquired over 783 hectares of environmentally sensitive land. This project seeks to increase the land owned by the municipality, which is designated for environmental protection and management, thus also providing opportunities for ‘green’ jobs. As part
of the acquisition of land for environmental protection, all the properties that BMD acquires fall within the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS), are usually
vacant, either private or state owned and are considered essential for meeting the Municipality’s objectives for sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation and climate change adaptation objectives. Properties with critical biodiversity are a priority for acquisition. This acquisition is undertaken through donation and or sale agreement between the municipality and property owner appear in figure 3. The land acquisition process may include statutory planning processes such as the subdivision and rezoning of land.
1. Willing property owner offers to dispose land/ Municipality offers to acquire land.
4. Municipality and property owner agree on the purchase price.
2. Municipality confirms feasibility of the acquisition.
5. Real Estate prepares a sale or donation agreement.
3. Council approves project list.
6. The agreement is signed by both parties.
7. Property registration and transfer is processed through the attorneys at the Deeds Office.
8. When the property is transferred to
the Municipality, it
is handed over to Restoration Ecology for maintenance.
Figure 3.The land acquisition process
STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2022/2023 15