Manica Youth Assembly joins the rest of the world as we celebrate world wetlands day. The Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of Wetlands for people and planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention in Wetlands on 2 February,1971 in the Iranian City of Ramsar. A call to action for Wetlands is the focus of this year’s campaign. It’s an appeal to invest financial, human and political capital to save the World’s Wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded.
Wetlands are protected by section 73 of the Constitution, the Environmental Management Act, in addition, Zimbabwe is internationally bound by the Ramsar Convention. Despite, these policies and regulations, the management of wetlands in Zimbabwe remains a challenge due to several reasons not limited to housing and infrastructure facilities being developed on wetlands, archaic environmental laws, corruption, lack of policy consistency, limited institutional capacities among others.
Zimbabwe is experiencing rapid growth of urban populations as a result of natural increase augmented by rural to urban migration. This has placed high demand on land in urban areas, fuelling rapid urban expansion and in certain instances houses are being constructed on wetland ecosystems. This has led to rapid loss of wetlands and high pressure on remaining wetland areas due to intensive agriculture, drainage, pollution, sand digging, release of sewerage and industrial effluents among others. These challenges can also be confronted by ensuring that relevant institutions involved in the management of wetlands are capacitated to address the problems resulting from poor wetland management.
MAYA Volunteers
The wetlands are the homes of many creatures, and they would be homeless if the wetlands were to vanish. Save the wetlands as the future of the Earth depends on them.