UCT Sustainability and the SDGs 2022 - Report - Page 40
7
Environmentally
sustainable &
climate resilient
economies &
communities
SDG 15: LIFE ON LAND
Environmental sustainability is a top priority for UCT. Efforts are constantly underway to
educate the campus community on more sustainable living, and supporting them to do
so through initiatives such as the colour-coded recycling bin system that has been in
place at UCT for over a decade to keep campuses clean and stop waste from entering the
surrounding ecosystems.
UCT is also a living laboratory for students and academics who wish to test sustainability
projects. These also contribute to a campus that is more sensitive to supporting landbased ecosystems.
Khusela Ikamva: The wildlifewaste-food nexus
One of the focuses of the Khusela Ikamva campus
sustainability project is the wildlife, waste and food nexus
on campus. UCT is nestled at the base of Devil’s Peak,
which forms part of the city’s Table Mountain National
Park, and so occupies an important position on the urban
fringe. This means the institution has a responsibility to
ensure minimal human–wildlife conflict and impact on the
area’s natural biodiversity.
Food waste is an important element of this. Poorly
disposed food waste on campus leads to rodents
40 – University of Cape Town
breeding, which is then fought with toxic pesticides,
which in turn find their way into the precious remaining
wildlife in the national park. The work around the wildlife–
waste–food nexus involves the monitoring of wildlife and
rodents on campus with motion-sensitive cameras, to
better understand UCT’s relationship with nature. These
cameras have revealed the presence of animals such as
caracals, porcupines, mongooses and domestic cats.
This component of the project also has a strong
educational focus through action research and by
employing innovative art to support recycling, waste
reduction and integrated pest management of external
spaces on upper campus.
