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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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What is the level of confidence South African infrastructure leaders have in government's recovery plans?

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The majority of respondents (65%) want to see the government provide a clear roadmap to help the sector with the recovery, while 53% want to see increased spending beyond the 2020 budget commitments and 53% called for better co-ordination between central and local government.

Is enough being done by the South African government to bring the infrastructure leaders on board in the recovery plan?


Infrastructure leaders have little confidence in government’s Covid-19 recovery plan


Infrastructure leaders across all sectors have expressed a lack of confidence in the government’s economic recovery plan from the Covid-19 crisis.

Less than one in five senior industry figures has confidence in the government’s response to the pandemic, according to a new survey commissioned by Atkins.

Support is lowest in the property sector with just 12% of respondents claiming to be “confident” with the government’s recovery plan.

In the transport sector, 23% of senior leaders surveyed said they were confident in the plan while just 21% of leaders within the utilities sector were happy with the government’s response.

In particular, the majority of respondents (65%) want to see the government provide a clear roadmap to help the sector with the recovery, while 53% want to see increased spending beyond the 2020 budget commitments and 53% called for better co-ordination between central and local government.

The report, Infrastructure Insights: COVID Impact and Recovery, adds: “Decision makers have a clear view on what is needed from the Government to help their sector.


“The actions most desired are those relating to big picture planning and spending, such as providing a clear roadmap to help the sector with recovery from COVID-19, reaffirming or increasing investment, and coordinating better between central and local Government.

“More specific interventions – such as speeding up planning or environmental impact assessments – are seen as less important, possibly as they are relevant only to specific subsectors within infrastructure.”

Despite a lack of confidence in the government’s plan, 97% of the 398 respondents said that their organisations were well prepared for recovery.

The report finds that 68% of infrastructure businesses expect their organisation’s outlook to have recovered to pre-crisis levels by Q4 2021, and 95% of senior decision makers believe that digital innovation will be increasingly important after the Covid-19 crisis.

Atkins UK&E chief executive Richard Robinson said: “The findings set out in this report represent a compelling and powerful take on the sector and its path forward.

“While it’s clear that we need a finalised National Infrastructure Strategy to give us more clarity and confidence, there’s an expectation for the private sector to step up the use of technology and data to accelerate the recovery by building back smarter as well as better.”

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