Making the Business Case for Nature-Based Infrastructure: How the City of Cape Town boosted funding for restoring its waterways

The City of Cape Town is investing in nature-based infrastructure (NBI) to restore its degraded rivers and wetlands. When funding was under pressure, the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD’s) NBI Centre supported the city with two integrated cost–benefit analyses (CBAs). By translating environmental, social, and economic benefits into clear evidence, the analyses helped strengthen the investment case, moving projects toward implementation. From the mountain slopes and Cape Flats to the coast, the rivers of the Sand and Zeekoe catchments