The Durban Pilot Study report is divided into 4 Sections, please remember that this is a pilot study and not intended to be a full State of the Environment and Development report:

Issues:

• Air
• Terrestrial resources
• Marine resources
• Fresh water resources
• Waste
• Cultural resources
• Noise
• Crime

The situation in each case is reported in terms of cause and effect, i.e. what factors and influences are causing environmental problems, what the current status is, and what is being done or should be done to alleviate environmental problems which impact on human health and quality of life. The chapters are drafted in the international framework of DRSIR : Driving Force, Pressure, State, Impact and Response. In this case, however,  "Pressure" includes "Driving Forces".

• Driving forces These are the underlying human activities that lead to environmental change. They may be governmental activities, such as agricultural policies, or energy subsidisation policies, corporate activities, such as irresponsible disposal of waste or inefficient use of raw materials, or they may be consumer activities, such as private vehicle use, or recreational activities.
• Pressures These are the consequent pressures on the environment and natural resources, such as increased pollution of air, water, and soil; or depletion of natural resources such as fish stocks and woody biomass.
• State This section describes the current state, and where data are available, shows trends in environmental quality over time.
• Impacts These are the consequences of the pressures on natural resources, such as reductions in biodiversity, soil degradation and desertification, or sea level rise.
• Responses This section describes the current policies and management strategies that are in place to combat environmental degradation, the effectiveness of these policies, and recommendations for additional activities to alleviate environmental problems.

Sectors Affecting the Natural Environment:

In this section, 3 of the key drivers of environmental change i.e Population, Economy and Transportation are discussed. These chapters are again drafted in the PSIR format. The chapter on Climate is not drafted in this format and is placed in this section as the climate although impacted on by other activities affects the natural environment e.g. inversions, global warming etc. At this point the chapter is not fully populated and merely gives an explanation of the climate of Durban.

Environmental Management:

This section describes the overall response of the Durban Metropolitan Council i.e. the development of an environmental management system aimed at improving the sustainability of the city generally referred to as "Durban's Local Agenda 21 Programme". 

Indicators:

This section provides information on the concept of sustainability indicators and provides a framework of such indicators. Environmental indicators are used to assess environmental conditions and trends on a national, regional and global scale; to compare countries and regions; to forecast and project trends; to provide early warning information, and to assess conditions in relation to goals and targets. In this way, large amounts of information can be easily presented and understood, thus enhancing decision making. The global core set is the list of indicatos provided in the CEROI project and has been populated as far as possible. Additional information and research is required before the section on indicators, particularly sustainability indicators can be completed.