In 2024 the University of Cape Town publicly documented multiple planning and development practices that incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem considerations into campus building and landscape decisions. Evidence includes the Integrated Development Framework and its sub-component of the Integrated Landscape Framework; a formal minimum Green Star requirement for major new builds and refurbishments, campus “living lab” restoration projects and guided sustainability tours that showcase biodiversity-sensitive interventions, and the hosting of research centres whose work (e.g., bird–human interactions, restoration) directly informs planning. Together these items show UCT integrates biodiversity objectives into capital projects, campus landscape management and long-term development planning.

  1. Integrated Development Framework with its Integrated Landscape Framework (explicit sustainability requirement) —
    1. The university’s Integrated Development Framework (IDF) acknowledges the very sensitive location of the university campus adjacent to a protected biosphere (Table Mountain Nature Reserve) and that in development planning the campus must remain incredibly sensitive to this and take necessary mitigation actions and actions that support biodiversity, including greater biodiversity on campus itself also including adequate buffer zones on the edges of the Main Campus that sits on the edge of Table Mountain. As a sub-component to the IDF the university has a Landscape Development Framework that provides a more detailed framework for the landscape and biodiversity design of the campus and how this interfaces with the neighbouring properties, including Table Mountain.
    2. UCT’s Properties & Services Department has a unit (the Estates & Custodial Department) that focuses on the landscape and biodiversity management on campus, including the interface with sensitive neighbouring properties such as Table Mountain Nature Reserve. This unit is focused on annually planning for and improving biodiversity on campus, maintaining the landscape, maintaining fire breaks on the perimeter of the Upper Campus and maintaining a detailed online tree inventory.
  2. Green-building standard for new builds and major refurbishments (explicit sustainability requirement) — d-school Afrika (6-Star Green Star).
    1. UCT states that sustainability and green building principles are “core to the university’s Vision 2030” and that any new builds and major refurbishments must meet a minimum 4-Star Green Star certification. The d-school Afrika achieved a 6-Star rating (Green Building Council South Africa), which UCT frames as evidence of pushing sustainability standards for building design and construction across campus. Green Star certification includes an entire category on ecology with various initiatives and performance measures that address site ecology, biodiversity-sensitive design, and landscape considerations as part of sustainable building practice.
  3. Campus environmental sustainability strategy and “living lab” projects (explicit biodiversity/landscape actions) — Environmental sustainability; Khusela Ikamva projects; restoration/living labs (2024).
    1. UCT’s 27 Sep 2024 environmental sustainability coverage and related pieces document the university’s priorities (energy, water, waste, human health and well-being) and describe the campus as a “living lab” where restoration projects, water-sensitive interventions and demonstration landscaping are used as proof-of-concepts. The Khusela Ikamva programme (a multi-year campus project noted in 2024 reporting) funds living labs and restoration work on campus — activities that explicitly involve vegetation management, planting, and ecosystem recovery. These public reports show biodiversity and landscape restoration are embedded in campus planning and demonstration projects.
  4. Campus restoration after fire & targeted planting / dam-precinct work (on-the-ground biodiversity actions referenced in 2024 reporting)
    1. UCT’s public communications in 2024 describe ongoing on-the-ground restoration and planting projects on campus (dam precinct, Arbour Week planting, post-fire rehabilitation) intended to stabilise slopes, restore indigenous vegetation and reduce erosion — practical measures taken as part of estate works and landscaping accompanying campus rebuilding. These are examples where planning and development work explicitly includes biodiversity restoration.
  5. Research and institutional centres feeding planning — Max Planck Centre (birds) & marine/biogeochemistry labs (inform biodiversity-sensitive planning)
    1. UCT launched research capacity in 2024 (for example the Max Planck Centre collaboration announced 2 Jul 2024 focusing on bird behaviour and bird–human interactions) and maintains marine and terrestrial research groups whose findings inform how the university and partners manage habitats and human interactions with wildlife. Research outputs and institute activity provide the science base that supports biodiversity-aware planning decisions for campus and local landscapes.
  6. Clearing of alien plant species and replacement with indigenous, water-wise plants
    1. The University of Cape Town has committed to the removal of alien invasive plant species and the planting of indigenous vegetation on its campus as part of its ecosystem restoration efforts. For example, in a 1 September 2024 news article UCT noted that following the devastating 2021 fires, the Properties & Services team initiated a major “re-foresting” project in the dam precinct, which included the removal of invasive species and the planting of indigenous trees and shrubs adapted to the local Cape Floristic biome. This work is especially important because the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is one of the richest plant biodiversity hotspots on Earth, yet highly threatened by invasive alien plants. According to conservation assessments, alien species already cover up to ~2 % of the region in dense stands and affect many thousands of endemic species by altering soil chemistry, fire regimes and hydrology. In short, by removing alien plants and restoring indigenous vegetation, UCT is helping to safeguard the native ecosystem functions, reduce fire and erosion risks, and maintain the unique biodiversity of the Cape Floristic biome.

How this shows biodiversity is included in planning

  • The Integrated Development Framework with its Integrated Landscape Framework demonstrate that planning for biodiversity protection and improvements is integral to the overarching development frameworks of the university  
  • Operational structures are in place to implement these frameworks, with responsibility for annual planning and management largely resting with the Estates & Custodial Department.
  • Requiring a minimum Green Star certification for new builds and major refurbishments (4-Star minimum) is a clear procedural requirement that channels building projects through an internationally recognised sustainability framework that includes site and ecological considerations. The d-school Afrika example (6-Star) is concrete proof that UCT applies these standards in practice.
  • Operational evidence: The campus “living labs”, restoration projects (planting, dam precinct work, post-fire rehabilitation) and Khusela Ikamva funding indicate that biodiversity and indigenous vegetation are actively managed as part of campus development and landscape planning.
  • Research input: UCT’s research centres (birds, marine biogeochemistry, restoration science) provide the evidence base and technical expertise that inform how the university manages habitats and plans development to minimise harm to biodiversity and ecosystem services.