AS wetlands continue to deplete across the globe, the United Nations environment programme (UNEP), in a message to mark World Wetlands Day yesterday reiterated the need to urgently raise national and global awareness about wetlands in order to mitigate their depletion.
“It is urgent that we raise national and global awareness about wetlands in order to reverse their rapid loss and encourage actions to conserve and restore them,” read the statement.
Celebrated annually on February 2nd, this year’s commemorations were held under the theme “It’s time for Wetlands Restoration” thereby emphasising on the critical need to prioritise wetland restoration.
The day also coincides with commemorations to mark the date for adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.
As such, the convention is widely known as the Ramsar Convention.
Wetlands day commemorations are also an opportune time to raise and increase people’s understanding of these very important ecosystems.
According to UNEP, “nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies and more.”
Locally, Zimbabwe launched a policy two years ago that is meant to establish a comprehensive wetlands management framework. The policy’s thrust is to facilitate establishment of an institutional legal framework for integrated management regarding wetland management.
Illegal construction continues to be a major contributor towards the depletion of wetlands in Zimbabwe and people have largely ignored calls by authorities to desist from the act.
According to an August 2021, Climate Justice Report on wetlands in Zimbabwe, between 2008 and 2019, Harare lost 784 hectares of wetlands to structural development which represents loss of close to half of the capital’s total wetland area.
