As calls grow louder for the protection of wetlands in Harare, stakeholders have called for enhanced civic education to raise awareness.
Harare's headwater wetlands which serve as water sources for the city are under constant threat due to a number of factors including unplanned settlements and development, urban farming, sand mining, pollution as well as corrupt allocation of land.
The city has 47 gazetted wetlands and three internationally recognised wetlands under the Ramsar Convention. The internationally recognised wetlands in Harare are Monavale Vlei, Cleveland Dam and Lake Chivero.
According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), 82 percent of the country's wetlands are moderately to severely degraded, with only 18 percent remaining in a relatively undisturbed state.
During a workshop organised by Birdlife Zimbabwe and the Harare Wetlands Trust in Harare yesterday, stakeholders pointed out that community led initiatives are key in raising awareness and ensuring increased protection of wetlands.
The stakeholders also pointed out that community mobilisation is a key tool to push for transparency as well as responsiveness and accountability on the part of duty bearers.
A representative from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Leon Mutungamiri said the agency is prepared to support community led initiatives on wetlands protection.
"It is important to come up with awareness meetings which are community based and as EMA we are prepared to be part of these meetings. That is one sure way of ensuring community involvement in the protection of our wetlands. It is vital to ensure we engage local communities in urban wetlands management," said Mutungamiri.
The workshop reflected on the current status of Harare's wetlands while exploring strategies to advocate for policy measures and enforcement mechanisms to protect Harare's wetlands.
Among the issues raised at the workshop was the need to push for the restoration of Harare's degraded wetlands, increased coordination among different agencies leading to a one stop shop on wetlands management in Harare and close monitoring and protection of wetlands through implementation of the law.
Stakeholders present also pointed out the need for government to come up with a framework to buy out private owners of wetlands.
The stakeholders also noted that Harare's new masterplan should integrate wetlands management as a way of ensuring sustainable development of the city.
Harare Wetlands Trust Programmes Manager Selestino Chari called for urgent action to protect wetlands in Harare.
"Harare has seen a dramatic loss of 50% of its wetlands over the last two decades, and without urgent action, the city risks losing the remaining wetlands in the coming few years.
The ongoing degradation of wetlands has severe implications for the City of Harare's future development, particularly in the quest for climate smart cities. The loss of wetlands threatens to worsen the already critical water shortages driven by rapid population growth and urban development, which in turn places immense pressure on existing water resources. Wetlands play a critical role in water purification, flood control, and sustaining biodiversity, all of which are essential for the well-being of urban populations," said Chari.
He added that the upcoming Ramsar Convention's 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) to be hosted in Victoria Falls presents a vital opportunity to advance both national and regional commitments on wetlands and biodiversity conservation.
"The timing is also aligned with the United Nations' Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), which calls for urgent efforts to restore degraded ecosystems and protect those that are under threat.
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Improved management and protection of wetlands are essential to ensuring healthy ecosystems that can provide clean water, support biodiversity and contribute to national development goals.
Wetland conservation directly supports the objectives of Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), including the attainment of national biodiversity and livelihood objectives.
Furthermore, it aligns with global targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the climate action goals by enhancing carbon capture, local climate regulation and resilience to climate change," said Chari.
Wetlands protection in Harare falls under the Environmental Management Act (EMA) Chapter [CAP] 20:27 No. 13/2002, alongside Statutory Instrument (SI) 7 of 2007, which outlines regulations for Environmental Impact Assessments and Ecosystems Protection.
