Zimbabwe Strengthens Wetlands Protection Efforts

 

By Elizabeth Kucherera

NYANGA – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to wetlands conservation through various policy measures and sustainable management strategies, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, has said.

Speaking at the Manicaland World Wetlands Day commemorations in Nyanga yesterday, Minister Mugadza emphasized the importance of wetlands in supporting biodiversity and human well-being.

“Zimbabwe has put in place a raft of measures and plans towards wetland management by increasing areas under sustainable conservation. The government has established the rehabilitation rolling plan, the National Wetlands Policy, and the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27), which remain our guiding legal instruments on wetland management,” he said.

Wetlands are areas of land that are flooded with water either seasonally or permanently, playing a critical role in water purification, flood control, and food security.

Traditional leader Chief Hata welcomed attendees, stressing the importance of wetland conservation to local communities.

“Most people do not understand why wetlands must be preserved. Now the society is aware that trees like water berry ( Makute )in wetlands also help preserve water. The tree is respected because its fruits provide food for monkeys, keeping them away from maize fields,” he said.

Manicaland Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Provincial Manager, Mr. Rambwai Mapako, highlighted the benefits of wetland conservation through fisheries projects, noting that 28 fish ponds have improved local nutrition.

“If we preserve our wetlands, we are also eradicating hunger. The community must continue working together to expand fishery projects since there is vast land for fishponds in these wetlands,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries of the Nyamuenda Wetland Protection and Fishery Project, 74-year-old Mrs. Ella Nyatondo, expressed gratitude for the initiative.

“Our diet has changed through this project, and we are now living more affordably since we sell harvested fish to local schools and communities,” she said.

She, however, appealed to authorities for support in securing nets to protect fishponds from predators.

The government continues to urge communities to adopt sustainable wetland management practices to safeguard water sources and enhance food security.