New wetlands policy on cards Minister Ndlovu

Nesia Mhaka Herald Correspondent

Government is working on measures to ensure efficient sustainable management of wetlands and guarantee food security.

The guidelines are expected to be complete by end of March.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu made the announcement  during a Press conference on the upcoming World Wetlands Day commemorated annually on February 2.

This year’s World Wetlands Day will run under the theme, “Wetlands and Biodiversity”.

The theme underlines the crucial role of wetlands as biodiversity hotspots.

Minister Ndlovu said the Government would soon put in place mechanisms to ensure the protection of wetlands.

He said the conservation and wise use of wetlands was in line with the country’s Vision 2030.

“Government is, however, seized with this matter and is in the process of formulating wetlands management guidelines to provide a roadmap and tool-kit on the protection of wetlands.

“Currently, stakeholder consultations are in progress as part of the process of formulating the wetlands management guidelines which should be ready for use during the first quarter of 2020. In this way wetlands management would be guided.

“In line with (the objectives of) Vision 2030 of creating a middle income economy, anchored on food security, the Njovo Wetland Protection and Utilisation Project clearly demonstrates how wetlands provide essential ecosystem services and benefits such as regulating and providing water for agricultural activities, which provide food security for our people,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said that wetlands’ ecological integrity remains the country’s major concern.

He said transformative action was needed to protect and restore degraded ecosystems such as wetlands.

“… my ministry, through EMA, is involved in wetlands protection and utilisation projects across the country to demonstrate to communities that wetlands protection and sustainable utilisation is possible. Examples of these are the Nyamuenda Wetland in Nyanga, Domborutinhira in Mutasa, Muvhami Wetland in Makonde and Songore Wetland in Murehwa, among others, where communities are benefiting from market gardening, fish farming whilst at the same time conserving their wetlands.

“My ministry has noted with concern the growing pressure and conflict in the manner in which wetlands are managed in Zimbabwe. Infrastructure development through commercial and housing construction projects is the greatest threat in the urban set-up of the country, particularly in Harare and Chitungwiza, as they have turned our wetlands into a concrete jungle,” he said.

He warned that the reckless destruction of the country’s biodiversity could lead to the extinction of species, water, forests, healthy soils and climate change.

“On the other hand, unsustainable agricultural activities, resources extraction and veld fires are major threats to rural wetlands. If we continue business as usual we will lose our wetlands in urban areas by 2040 impacting on ecological goods and services such as water provisioning in the right quantity and quality.”

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