By Elizabeth Sitotombe
THE country’s wetlands are under serious threat. Wetlands are being replaced by residential or commercial buildings.
With Zimbabwe’s urban population growing rapidly, urban settlements are in high demand, with wetlands not being spared.
Wetlands are areas where water logs the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. In Zimbabwe wetlands are also known as matoro or mapani (Shona) amaxhaphozi (Ndebele).
They are also areas where the water table is close to or at the water surface. Wetlands serve as natural water treatment works, absorbing chemicals, filtering pollutants and sediments, breaking down suspended solids and neutralising harmful bacteria.
Wetlands also abate the effects of climate change vagaries, such as droughts and floods. During droughts, wetlands naturally regulate the quantity and timing of water discharge. In times of floods, wetlands act as buffers and flood storage systems.
Flooding of homes, even when there have been no heavy rains are some of the effects arising from invasion of wetlands for residential purposes.
A report by the UN Development Programme of 2020 found that 30 wetlands were under threat from illegal settlements in Harare alone.
Furthermore, wetlands are increasingly being destroyed by construction projects, agriculture and mining, among other human activities.
This is despite the Zimbawe Government’s concerted efforts to conserve wetlands through key legislative measures that include, but are not limited to, the 2006 Environmental Management Act, the 2007 Environmental Assessment and Ecosystem Protection Regulations and the 2022 National Wetland Policy as well as Wetland Management Guidelines. These frameworks align with Section 73 of the 2013 Constitution, which also emphasises the importance of environmental protection, and are also consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is a legal requirement to apply for wetland utilisation from the Environment Management Agency (EMA). Ultimately, most of these efforts appear to be in vain, as more and more buildings continue to sprout on wetlands.
According to EMA, land invasions and illegal allocation of land remains a challenge, especially on urban wetlands, with many offences being recorded.
In a statement to commemorate World Wetlands Day, President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for the preservation and protection of wetlands as they play a pivotal role in the sustenance of biodiversity, water security and climate resilience.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on the second of February every year. This year’s World Wetlands Day is running under the theme ‘Protecting Wetlands for a Common Future’, highlighting the need for urgent decisive action to safeguard these invaluable natural habitats.
Zimbabwe belatedly commemorated the World Wetlands Day on February 6 2025 at Kasibo Wetland in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province.
Furthermore, the theme highlights the critical importance of wetlands in fostering sustainable development and addressing global challenges such as climate change, food security and biodiversity loss.
These ecosystems serve as natural buffers, mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, which are increasing as a result of the changing climate.
Zimbabwe will this year host COP15 in Victoria Falls scheduled for July 23-31.
The Ramsar Convention’s mission, which is the conservation and wise use of wetlands with the goal of achieving sustainable development, would realise results if more countries fully appreciate the role wetlands play in our lives.
The Convention on Wetlands is the only international treaty specifically dedicated to the wise use of wetlands.
Such areas (wetlands) are characterised by water-saturated soils and water-tolerant and water-loving plants.
World Wetlands Day marks the signing of the Treaty on the Conservation of Wetlands which was signed on February 2 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. The treaty came to be known as the Ramsar Convention and its aim is to raise public awareness on conservation, sustainable utilisation and management of wetlands and their resources.
The Ramsar Convention is an inter-governmental treaty whose mission is “…the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international co-operation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.”
Zimbabwe ratified the Convention on Wetlands in 2013, and has since designated seven wetlands as Ramsar sites or wetlands of international importance. These sites include the Victoria Falls, Driefontein Grasslands, Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Monavale Vlei, Cleveland Dam and Chinhoyi Caves, all cumulatively covering a total of 453,8 hectares.
The benefits of wetlands include storing and regulating water. Wetlands can improve water quality by removing pollutants from surface waters. In urban areas, many pollutants, such as raw sewage, road salts, grease and oil from vehicles are washed off by rainfall from settlements into water bodies.
Wetlands, therefore, play a crucial role in ensuring that the water quality is improved through removing pollutants from surface waters. The pollutants removal process provided by wetlands is done through sediment trapping, nutrient removal and chemical detoxification. This process ensures that water quality is improved, thereby making it safe to drink, providing stream flows for fish, animals, plants and other organisms that live near wetlands.
Campaigns by EMA and other environmental organisatons have helped increase awareness on the importance and need to protect wetlands.
There are currently 92 wetland restoration projects being implemented across the country.
According to the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), wetlands cover three percent of Zimbabwe’s area, while the country has seven Wetlands of International Importance.
ZELA also said that 21 percent of the country’s wetlands are stable, whereas 18 percent are severely degraded and 61 percent being moderately degraded.
Globally, wetlands are estimated to be storing 500-700 gigatonnes of carbon. The disturbance of wetlands will, therefore, result in the release of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, three major heat-trapping gases, into the atmosphere.
In a press statement, the Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, urged the relevant authorities and stakeholders to play their role in ensuring the continuous protection of wetlands.
“World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 annually and this day embraces environmental actions and commitments by various stakeholders in environmental management with particular reference to wetlands. This year’s campaign therefore serves as a rallying cry for global action, urging stakeholders to recognise and champion the protection of wetlands as a shared responsibility that benefits not only the environment but also humanity as a whole,” said Minister Nyoni.
He also encouraged the media to help raise awareness on the importance of wetland conservation and the negative impact that arises from wetland invasions.
Please let’s respect and protect our wetlands!
