The uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership (UEIP) is a catchment-wide partnership in the uMngeni River Basin of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, founded in November 2013 with partner organisations from provincial and local government, academic institutions, research institutions, business and civil society signing a five year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to find ways of protecting and restoring the natural water resources to ensure that people of the Mngeni River catchment have access to good quality water of adequate supply. The UEIP has strengthened over the years allowing partners to learn and work together, respect differences and bring along new organisations to the partnership. With the expansion in the membership of the partnership, the UEIP has become a “learning organisation”, taking advantage of the available expertise and capacities from the different partner organisations, to create solutions to challenges and issues around protection of mountain catchments, grasslands that supply our rivers, wetlands and other ecological infrastructure components. There is an underlying agreement to co-operate and work together rather than duplicate efforts or compete with one another as partner organisations.

You can hear more about the UEIP from Nontutuzelo Pearl Gola.

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