Environmentalists are urging the government to place traditional knowledge at the centre of efforts to protect wetlands, warning that the fragile ecosystems are disappearing faster than they can be restored.
The calls come as the country joins the rest of the world in marking World Wetlands Day under the theme “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage.” The day highlights the role of indigenous practices in sustaining wetlands and safeguarding cultural identity.
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation (ZELO) said conservation initiatives that sideline local communities were failing.
“ZELO joins the global commemoration by calling for greater integration of communities in conserving these vital ecosystems, reflecting the organisation’s people-centred and inclusive values,” the organisation said in a statement.
It added that traditional knowledge systems and the active participation of communities were essential to effective wetland conservation, and that incorporating such knowledge into national and global monitoring frameworks would improve understanding of ecosystem change and enable meaningful involvement of indigenous peoples.
ZELO said wetlands across cultures are cultural landscapes embedded in identity, art and spirituality, but rapid social and economic change has threatened their preservation.
“Significant declines have been recorded in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, while degradation has also increased in Europe, North America and Oceania,” the organisation said.
It warned that wetlands continue to disappear faster than they are being restored, citing the Global Wetland Outlook 2025, which shows that rates of degradation vary by region and over time, driven largely by development and land-use change.
Wetlands play a critical role in water supply, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience and food security, particularly for rural and peri-urban communities that depend on them for livelihoods.
However, rapid economic development has pushed construction, agriculture and mining into protected wetland areas, often with limited consideration of long-term environmental impacts.
“Despite policy commitments, wetland integrity remains threatened by encroachment from agriculture, mining and urban development,” ZELO said.
In Harare alone, an estimated 3,717 hectares of wetlands, about 16% of the city’s total, have been affected by construction.
The organisation said embedding cultural values and traditions into wetland management remains one of the most effective ways to achieve good ecological conditions.
It urged government and development partners to invest in community-led wetland restoration projects, particularly in areas affected by mining, agriculture and urban expansion, while safeguarding cultural heritage and local livelihoods.
ZELO also called for wetland management to be integrated into national and local land-use planning, including stricter enforcement of Environmental Impact Assessments and a ban on destructive activities in wetlands and their buffer zones.
Zimbabwe recognises wetlands as central to biodiversity protection, water regulation and climate resilience under National Development Strategy 1 and has pledged to strengthen protection measures under NDS 2. Wetland protection is also anchored in Section 73 of the Constitution and the Environmental Management Act.
The country currently holds the Ramsar Conference of the Parties presidency for the 2025–2028 triennium, placing it at the centre of global wetland governance.
Zimbabwe has committed to restoring 250,000 hectares of degraded land and designating five new Ramsar sites by 2030.
“This offers an opportunity to lead in conserving pristine wetlands and rehabilitating degraded ones,” ZELO said.
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