Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana recently in Victoria Falls
WILDLIFE Conservation Action (WCA) has called on global policymakers to adopt community-led approaches to wetland protection, emphasising that local involvement is essential for achieving lasting conservation outcomes.
The appeal was made during the recent COP15 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held in Victoria Falls.
Speaking at a side event, WCA Environmental Education and Awareness Programme Officer, Ms Lisa Chitura, highlighted that rural communities living closest to wetlands possess deep ecological knowledge and should be central to wetland preservation strategies.
“To truly meet the goals of the Ramsar Convention, we must invest in community-based, climate-resilient, and regenerative approaches. The people who live with and depend on wetlands are the ones best placed to protect them,” she said. The side event, jointly hosted by WCA and Green Botswana Trust, was titled “Collaborating for Wetland Preservation: The
Community Guardianship Approach and the Sexaxa Village Model”.
It showcased community conservation successes in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Basin and Botswana’s Sexaxa wetlands, where trained community guardians are restoring degraded ecosystems, monitoring biodiversity, and responding to environmental threats.
Green Botswana Trust founder and executive trustee, Sela Motshwane, said the guardianship model has proven both effective and scalable, particularly in rural areas where wetlands face increasing pressure from climate change and unsustainable land use.
“As the global community reflects on the outcomes of COP15, we reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding Botswana’s wetlands as critical ecosystems in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change. We commend the progress made at
COP15 for giving us the platform to present our work,” Motshwane said.
In Zimbabwe, WCA has been working with communities in Mbire, Binga, and Nyaminyami, where wetlands are vital to both livelihoods and local ecosystems. The organisation says community guardianship, rooted in traditional knowledge and local leadership, has strengthened resilience and protected key habitats.
WCA urged governments, donors, and environmental institutions to increase funding for nature-based solutions that prioritise local participation and indigenous wisdom, arguing that top-down approaches alone have failed to deliver enduring conservation impacts.
“Conservation must not be a distant directive. When local voices are empowered and supported, wetlands thrive — and so do the communities that depend on them,” Chitura said.
The Ramsar COP15 Conference brought together more than 180 parties and international stakeholders to agree on actionable strategies for global wetland protection, with a strong emphasis on financing, indigenous rights, and nature-based climate solutions.
Bongani Moyo