Sam Matema, Correspondent
“Taking Action for Nature” is the theme of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), scheduled for Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19 to 30, 2026.
The conference will assess progress towards the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), adopted in 2022. As Zimbabwe prepares to join other nations in
Yerevan, the central question is: who will take action, and what must be done to ensure people live in harmony with nature while pursuing sustainable prosperity?
Environmental and climate justice must remain central to these efforts, with no person or place left behind.
COP17 also presents an opportunity to build on the outcomes of COP16, held in Cali, Colombia, particularly the Cali Fund, the role and rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources, as reflected in KMGBF Targets 9 to 13.
Biodiversity loss and climate change
Zimbabwe heads to Yerevan amid mounting biodiversity loss, driven largely by human activities. Biodiversity and climate change are closely interconnected, with KMGBF Target 8 calling for action to minimise climate change impacts on biodiversity through mitigation, adaptation and resilience-building.
According to the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, the country loses more than 300 000 hectares of forest annually, largely through deforestation, fuelwood consumption and unregulated settlements.
Zimbabwe’s energy challenges contribute significantly to this loss. Although the country has a strong agricultural sector, limited access to electricity, particularly in rural areas, leaves many households dependent on firewood for cooking.
Growing tobacco production also places pressure on forests because much of the crop is cured using firewood. Therefore, addressing deforestation requires a combination of sustainable agricultural practices, alternative energy sources and stronger forest management.
Water pollution and siltation are equally serious concerns across Zimbabwe’s seven catchment areas: Save, Manyame, Mazowe, Runde, Sanyati, Umzingwane and Gwayi. KMGBF Target 7 seeks to reduce pollution risks, including excess nutrients and pesticides, by at least half by 2030.
Wetlands, which are essential for water regulation and biodiversity, are also under pressure. Available national assessments indicate that only 21 percent of Zimbabwe’s wetlands remain in pristine condition, while the rest are degraded or partially degraded.
Unregulated artisanal mining, unsustainable agricultural practices and uncontrolled settlements contribute to soil erosion and the siltation of rivers and dams. A study of the Upper Runde catchment recorded soil loss of 1,2 and 1,7 tonnes per hectare in 2000 and 2016, respectively.
By the end of April 2026, Mazowe Dam had received inflows equivalent to just 14,8 percent of its capacity, compared with a national average of 93 percent. Such disparities underline the urgent need to improve environmental stewardship and protect water resources. The declaration of a state of disaster concerning Zimbabwe’s rivers by President Mnangagwa, alongside Statutory
Instruments 91 and 92 of 2026, signals a Government response that includes riverine rehabilitation across 17 rivers. These interventions should be accompanied by sustained enforcement, restoration and community participation.
Environmental justice and shared responsibility
Environmental justice means ensuring that everyone, regardless of race, religion, origin or income, receives fair treatment and meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions affecting the environment.
It encompasses distributive justice, procedural fairness and recognition of the needs and rights of different communities. These principles align with Section 73 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution,
which guarantees the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being and places corresponding duties on the State.
We are both rights-holders and duty-bearers. While everyone is entitled to a clean and safe environment, everyone also has a responsibility to protect it for future generations.
This calls for a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach, bringing together public institutions, businesses, communities, civil society and development partners.
Turning commitments into action
First, there is a need to strengthen environmental legislation. Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change demand stronger laws and more effective enforcement.
Zimbabwe has taken steps to strengthen its environmental legal framework, including amendments to the Parks and Wildlife Act and consideration of the Climate Change Management Bill, alongside efforts to review and align other relevant legislation, such as laws governing forests, water resources and environmental management.
Statutory Instrument 91 of 2026 illustrates how regulatory measures can be used to address urgent environmental challenges. However, legislation should be backed by adequate resources, enforcement and public awareness.
Second, expansion of afforestation. Tree planting should become a sustained national effort and not an occasional campaign. Churches and other faith-based institutions can play a particularly important role because of their reach and influence within communities.
Religious leaders could mobilise congregants to plant and care for trees, helping establish a culture of environmental responsibility. For example, a church leader encouraging each congregant to plant and nurture 10 trees could generate a substantial collective contribution.
Other countries offer useful lessons. Kenya has set a target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032, while Mongolia is pursuing a one-billion-tree initiative. Zimbabwe should strengthen its own programmes and explore opportunities to link restoration with sustainable investment and carbon markets.
Third, acceleration of rural electrification. Expanding access to affordable, clean energy is essential to reducing dependence on firewood and slowing deforestation.
The Rural Electrification Agency, development partners and private investors should accelerate the rollout of renewable energy solutions, including mini-grids and systems connected to the national grid.
Projects at Hakwata in Chipinge, Gororo in Chivi and Mlibizi in Binga demonstrate the potential of solar mini-grids. Supported through the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office and the United Nations Development Programme under the Climate Adaptation, Water and Energy Programme, these initiatives provide cleaner energy while supporting livelihoods.
Such projects should be replicated where appropriate, helping reduce pressure on forests and advance sustainable agriculture and forestry under KMGBF Target 10.
Fourth, restoration of degraded ecosystems. Zimbabwe should work towards land degradation neutrality while accelerating biodiversity conservation and restoration.
KMGBF Target 2 calls for the effective restoration of at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030. Target 3 seeks to conserve at least 30
percent of these areas through effectively managed and ecologically representative systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
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Wetlands and other sensitive ecosystems require particular attention. More wetlands should receive appropriate protection, while degraded areas should be restored through science-based interventions and meaningful community participation.
Fifth, closing biodiversity financing gaps. Achieving the KMGBF targets requires financing that goes beyond conventional measures of economic growth.
The Climate Parliament’s Beyond GDP campaign highlights the importance of assessing development through environmental and social outcomes, instead of relying on gross domestic product alone.
The Cali Fund, established to support benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources, is also important to equitable conservation financing. Its effectiveness will depend on sustained contributions, transparent governance and fair distribution of benefits.
Zimbabwe should strengthen environmental budgeting across sectors, assess the ecological costs of development and mobilise investment from Government, development partners and the private sector. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, in particular, have a role in supporting fair benefit-sharing where their activities draw on genetic resources and related information.
With the 2030 biodiversity targets approaching, the gap between commitments and implementation should be closed urgently. Climate risks, including the prospect of a strong El Niño event, further reinforce the need for preparedness and resilient ecosystems.
Unveiling Zimbabwe’s 2026/27 National Climate Outlook, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, mandated a fully funded national preparedness plan. She stressed that seasonal climate statements are no longer passive documents, but “critical national planning tools” required to curtail weather-induced shocks before they escalate into structural disasters.
The road ahead
Therefore, COP17 should be more than another international gathering. It should be an opportunity to translate commitments into measurable improvements in Zimbabwe’s forests, wetlands, rivers and other ecosystems.
Achieving this requires stronger laws, cleaner energy, ecosystem restoration, sustainable production and adequate financing. Above all, it requires the participation of communities whose livelihoods depend directly on the natural environment.
Taking action for nature is not the responsibility of the Government alone. It is a shared obligation to protect the ecological foundations of our economy, our well-being and the future of generations to come.
We can do it, and it is possible, if we act collectively and decisively.
· Sam Matema is the National Assembly member for Buhera Central, ZANU PF Manicaland Province Secretary for Administration, chairperson of the Climate Parliament Zimbabwe Chapter, and chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Wildlife. He writes in his personal capacity.
