Sustainable Asset Valuation of Waterway Rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa

The Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre conducted a cost-benefit analysis of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) for waterway rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa, specifically within the Diep/Sand River and Zeekoe catchments. The analysis demonstrates that NBI interventions—such as creating retention ponds, extending wetlands, and removing invasive species—provide significant economic returns, reduce long-term maintenance costs compared to grey infrastructure, and increase urban resilience against climate-driven flooding.

• Nature-based infrastructure (NBI) interventions in Cape Town provide strong economic returns, with benefit-to-cost ratios reaching 2.07 and net benefits up to ZAR 133 million over a 25-year period.
• NBI offers a cost-effective alternative to grey infrastructure by reducing sedimentation and restoring natural hydrology, which avoids up to ZAR 55 million in costs related to canal refurbishment and dredging across two sites.
• In the Diep/Sand River catchment, NBI investments yield a return of approximately 2 ZAR for every 1 ZAR invested over 25 years, resulting in ZAR 121 million in net benefits from job creation, reduced flood damages, and avoided ecosystem deterioration.
• In the Zeekoe catchment, NBI investments yield 1.56 ZAR in societal benefits for every 1 ZAR invested, totaling approximately ZAR 68 million in net benefits over 25 years, based on an 8% discount rate and an optimistic climate scenario.
• The value of NBI increases under pessimistic climate scenarios due to the higher volume of avoided flood damages.

APA

Bechauf,, H. C. (2025). Sustainable Asset Valuation of Waterway Rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/waterway-rehabilitation-cape-town-south-africa

Chicago

Bechauf,, Henri Contor,Ronja. Sustainable Asset Valuation of Waterway Rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/waterway-rehabilitation-cape-town-south-africa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bechauf, |first1=Henri Contor,Ronja |title=Sustainable Asset Valuation of Waterway Rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=23 July 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/waterway-rehabilitation-cape-town-south-africa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bechauf2025sustainable, author = {Bechauf,, Henri Contor,Ronja}, title = {{Sustainable Asset Valuation of Waterway Rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/waterway-rehabilitation-cape-town-south-africa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }