Minister urges wetlands awareness

Kundainashe Chimbi

The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu, emphasised the need to raise awareness about wetlands during commemorations to mark World Wetlands Day yesterday.

‘‘Nearly 90 percent 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.

‘‘Thus, wetlands are unique ecosystems that provide a wide range of ecological goods and services. It is therefore 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,” he said.

The World Wetlands Day is commemorated to mark the signing of the Treaty on the Conservation of Wetlands on the February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, focusing on national action and international cooperation.

‘‘The Treaty became popularly known as the Ramsar Convention and its purpose is to raise public awareness on conservation and proper management of wetlands and their resources.

‘‘The Ramsar Convention is uniquely positioned to reverse the loss of global wetlands and preserve those that are still in their pristine state.

‘‘As the only international treaty focused on wetlands, it provides a platform of 170 Contracting Parties working together for wetlands conservation and wise use, and to develop the best available data, advice and policy recommendations to realise the benefits of fully functional wetlands to nature and society,” said Minister Ndhlovu.

Zimbabwe officially approved the Ramsar convention on February 11, 2012, in which seven wetlands were named as wetlands of international importance.

These includes the Victoria Falls, Driefontein Grasslands, Middle Zambezi/Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Monavale Vlei, Chinhoyi Caves and Cleverland Dam. ‘‘The World Wetland Day theme for this year is, ‘It’s time for wetland restoration’, a theme that clearly amplifies the urgent need for restoration of wetlands.

‘‘It also resonates well and contributes towards the efforts to heal the planet as championed by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration running between 2021 and 2030,’’ he said.