What is World Wetlands Day?

 

this treaty. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2013 is “Wetlands and Water Management”. In designating 2013 as the UN International Year of Water Co-operation, the United Nations General Assembly recognises that water is critical for sustainable development and for human health and well-being.

What is the key objective of World Wetlands Day?
The key objective of World Wetlands Day 2013 is to raise awareness of the interdependence between water and wetlands, to highlight ways to ensure the equitable sharing of water between different stakeholder groups and for people to understand that without wetlands there will be no water. 
What is a wetland?

Wetlands are areas that are seasonally or permanently covered by shallow water and areas where the water table is close to or at the surface, and there are water-saturated soils and water-tolerant or water-loving plants.

They are transition zones between land and open water. Wetlands are essential to the health of our lakes, rivers and streams.

The survival of hundreds of plant and animal species depends on the unique and specialised habitats found only in wetlands.

Wetlands comprise an incredible array of landscapes. They can be found near the banks of rivers and streams, along the edges of lakes and ponds, or in open fields and wooded areas where the watertable is near the surface.

Some wetlands may not appear to be wet year-round. Wetlands occur widely throughout both rural and urban areas and can be very small or thousands of hectares in size.

In some areas, particularly near cities and towns, wetlands may be the only remaining “wild” spaces. Throughout the world many different names are used to describe wetland areas. Marshes, vleis, dambos, floodplains, springs are the types of wetlands found here in Zimbabwe.

Types of Wetlands found in Zimbabwe
Marshes: Marshy areas are home to many kinds of plants and animals, including fish, which are often present in high numbers. Marshes also serve as stopping point for migratory species, especially birds.

Floodplains: lie in areas surrounding lakes, such as Lake Kariba, and in areas alongside river. The regular flooding of floodplains give rise to local areas of nutritious grassland for grazing for wildlife and stock.

Floodplains also regulate water flow as they act like gigantic sponge, absorbing the seasonal rains, holding them and then slowly releasing them down into rivers.

Dambos: They act like a sponge, storing large quantities of water during the wet season and gradually releasing it during the dry season.

Springs: They form a major source of water supply for many rural communities. Their occurrence is to a large extent dependent upon climate.

Temporary pans and vleis: Pans usually have no established vegetation while vleis typically have some emergent plants.

Although temporary, these wetlands support a wide variety of highly adapted organisms which can complete their life cycles rapidly, can cope with large fluctuations in temperature and salinity, and can survive desiccation (drying out) or are mobile enough to move to another water body when theirs dries up.
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”

Legislation concerning wetlands
Wetlands are protected by the laws of Zimbabwe and it is illegal to cultivate or build in wetlands without the approval of EMA.

Wetland utilisation is governed by Section 113 of the Environmental Management Act  (Cap 20:27), a Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 Environmental Management (EIA and Ecosystems Protection Regulations). Section 113 of the Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27) states that, the Minister may declare any wetland to be an ecologically sensitive area and may impose limitations on development in or around such area.

Any activity conducted on/in a wetland, without a licence from the Agency is considered illegal, and is punishable with a level 10 fine and/or a prison sentence of no more than six months. It is, therefore, a legal requirement to apply for wetland utilisation from any nearest EMA offices throughout the country.

Values and functions of Wetlands
1. Wetlands are known to be some of the most biologically productive ecosystems on earth, with their productivity comparable to that of rain forests and coral reefs.

2. Wetlands store water, thus maintaining the water table.

3. Wetlands act as flood busters. They slow down the floodwaters of streams and rivers by acting as giant shallow bowls, and also control erosion and downstream flood damage. 
Plants in wetlands hold back the water.  The wetlands also act as a sponge in which floodwater is stored and slowly released, instead of it all rushing to the sea within a few days.

4. “The interactions of physical, biological and chemical components of wetlands, such as soils, water, plants and animals, enable the wetland to perform many vital functions, for example: Water storage; storm protection and flood mitigation; shoreline stabilisation and erosion control; groundwater recharge (the movement of water from wetlands down into underground aquifers); ground water discharge (the movement of water upwards to become surface water in wetlands); water purification through retention of nutrients, sediments and pollutants; and stabilisation of local climate conditions, particularly rainfall and temperature.”

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