Page 14 - State of Biodiversity 2019-2020

4.2.1. Land Acquisition
EM has been proactively acquiring environmentally- sensitive land since 2002. Over 730 hectares have been acquired by the EPCPD, thus substantially increasing the area of land owned by the Municipality that is designated for environmental protection. This is part of the Land Acquisition for Environmental Protection Programme, which and is in line with Programme 3 of Plan 1 of the IDP focusing on the requirement for ensuring the long- term sustainability of Durban’s natural resource base.
In the 2019/2020 financial year, EPCPD acquired over 15.4 hectares of land at a value of approximately R1.1 million. The focus continued to be on the consolidation and the expansion of the existing conservation areas in order to improve their interconnectedness. This specific focus can be observed where a property adjoining Paradise Valley Nature Reserve and another adjoining the Edgecliff Conservation Area were included while completing the acquisition of the Clive Cheesman Reserve.
10 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2019/2020