By Paul Sixpence
ZIMBABWE played host to the Ramsar COP15 meeting which was held in Victoria Fallsin July year. Realising significant wetland loss in Zimbabwe hosting the Ramsar Conference of Parties (COP) 15 was significant as it served as a reminder for the need to conserve nature, moreso in light of climate change.
“The Ramsar Convention marked a significant milestone for Zimbabwe’s environmental conservation ambitions,” said Nyasha Mpahlo, Executive Director at Green Governance Africa. “Key to this was the Victoria Falls declaration which emphasises the need to embed wetlands restoration and protection in development plans, climate action and policy development.”
Wetlands financing
Birdlife International Zimbabwe in a reflection report highlighted the importance of mobilising innovative financing to ensure “restoration, protection and effective management of wetlands,” of which without collaboration the world will lose an estimated US$39 trillion in lost benefits by 2050.
“For Zimbabwe, Ramsar COP15 provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… The Convention has only been held in Africa once before,” said Julia Pierini, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BirdLife Zimbabwe in a reflection report. “We look forward to supporting the Zimbabwean Government through their Presidency to champion actions for wetland protection and restoration, at home and abroad.”
Beyond Zimbabwe assuming the presidency of the Ramsar COP for the next three years, the significance of Ramsar meetings lay in that they are a significant reminder of the need to conserve and halt the loss of wetlands by ensuring that states work towards the sustainable use of all their wetlands.
“The conference also managed to achieve significant climate finance commitments both for wetlands restoration fund and a four percent increase for the wetlands secretariat. A development which saw Zimbabwe committing to restore 250 000 hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030 was also a key highlight,” Mpahlo further added.
Legislative protection of wetlands
“State parties committed to the enhancement of the protection of wetlands through effective legislation,” said Anglistone Sibanda, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Africa Carbon Market Forum.
For an agro-based economy like Zimbabwe, ecosystem destruction directly leads to the disruption of people’s livelihood, water security and sustainable agriculture with devastating consequences in relation to climate change.
“For rural communities who heavily rely on forest-based enterprises and non-timber forest products, ecosystem destruction disrupts both their economic sources and further impacts their sources of livelihood including nutrition and health,” Mpahlo further added. “Wetlands governance in Zimbabwe is facing a tragic encounter as witnessed by the arbitrary destruction of protected wetlands particularly within the country’s urban centres. We are witnessing massive construction projects occupying wetlands in our urban centres following boom of Zimbabwe’s construction industry.”
Communities at the centre of conserving and protecting ecosystems
Community ecosystem conservation efforts can generate immense benefits for communities through alternative livelihood choices such as beekeeping and mushroom production.
“Community environmental conservation groups can collaboratively develop local mechanisms aimed at preserving nature. Communities can practice sustainable farming practices such as agro-ecology and agroforestry to preserve the ecosystem,” said Mpahlo.
However, communities alone cannot fully conserve wetlands. Conservation of wetlands requires a multi-stakeholder, multi-institutional and community monitoring approach were compliance to environmental management and protection laws is adhered to.
“In most cases, communities are victims of wetlands destruction because these natural habits are their sources of water for drinking and subsistence agriculture. This self-interest makes them naturally play the role of managing environments surrounding wetlands by avoiding disruption of water ways, desisting from cultivating on wetlands and construction activities,” Mpahlo averred.
The Global Wetland Outlook report, a key discussions catalyser document for the Ramsar COP15 discussions notes that the world has lost 22% of wetlands since 1970 and is further set to lose another 20% by 2050.
Zimbabwe currently has seven designated Ramsar wetland sites, namely; MonavaleVlei, Driefontein Grasslands, Cleveland dam, Lakes Chivero and Manyame, Victoria Falls National Park, Mana Pools National Park and Chinhoyi Caves.
The Ramsar Convention, officially known as the Convention on Wetlands, is an intergovernmental treaty that was adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, to promote the conservation and “wise use” of wetlands and their resources worldwide. It is the first modern international treaty for natural resource conservation, providing a framework for countries to take action to protect wetlands like marshes, swamps, mangroves, and coral reefs, and to cooperate on transboundary wetland issues.
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