Page 22 - State of Biodiversity 2023-2024

4. INDICATORS
4.1. Total Area of D’MOSS
The Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS) is a series of interconnected open spaces of high biodiversity value, that forms a network across the metropolitan area. D’MOSS was initially adopted as a formal policy layer in the 1989. This spatial layer is based on a systematic conservation assessment, it seeks to preserve what is remaining of our natural habitats for the present and future generations.
To ensure sustainable development eThekwini Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP), regional Spatial Development Plans and Municipal Land Use Management Schemes has adopted D’MOSS as a controlled development layer. This which means any activity that is proposed on the land that is covered by D’MOSS must attain approval from Head: Development Planning, Environment and Management unit. In 2023/2024 D’MOSS comprised 95 000ha of open spaces, representing one third of the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA) (Figure 2). This represents the D’MOSS that was originally adopted in December 2010 by the eThekwini Council and amended in 2017/2018 financial year.
The total asset value of natural & semi-natural capital as represented by D’MOSS in the EMA was estimated to be in the order of R47.8 billion by the World Bank (Turpie et al., 2017), and these assets give rise to ecosystem services flows worth in the order of R4.2 billion per year (2017) mainly attributed to property amenity value. This means that properties that are adjacent to well managed natural areas showed a significantly higher increase in property value thereby a relatively higher property rate value that is a payable to the municipality.
Figure 2: Map of D’MOSS Areas in the EMA.
Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS)
AREAS OF D’MOSS
95 000ha (Approved 2017/2018)
THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO 1/3 of the EMA
TOTAL ASSET VALUE OF NATURAL AND SEMI-NATURAL AREAS R47.8 Billion
20 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2023/2024