Municipalities meet for annual environment and recreation convention
14 September 2022
The Institute of Environment and Recreation Management (IERM) held its annual Convention last week at Helderberg Nature Reserve in Cape Town.
The theme of the convention was ‘Building a Future on New Trends, Opportunities and Innovation’.
Over three days, experts were invited to present convention papers to stimulate discussions on how to:
- Build a sense of community
- Bring technology into parks and recreational spaces/activities
- Re-imagine the design and architectural features of outdoor spaces
- Increase the use of parks and the outdoors and
- Understanding how the elderly interact with parks
The current president of the IERM, Jacques Cedras, is a senior horticulturist at the City’s Recreation and Parks Department.
IERM is a non-profit with approximately 1 000 members, including 100 municipalities. its mission is to be the leading public sector organisation promoting integrated environmental and recreation management practices in South Africa.
Caption 1: Councillor Patricia van der Ross meets with national IERM exco members from various municipalities, academics and business owners.
Caption 2 (from left): Jacques Cedras, President of the IERM, Councillor Van der Ross and City of Polokwane Mayoral Committee Member for Waste and Environment, Councillor Seemole Jennifer Malope plant trees for Arbor Month in an area of Helderberg Nature Reserve previously affected by the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB).
Caption 3: Attendees planted three olive trees (a species deemed to be more resilient to the PSHB), to replace the mature oaks lost at a picnic site near the parking area.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
