PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to wetland conservation and sustainable management with Government having crafted various key legal frameworks guiding wetland protection efforts.
In a speech read on his behalf by Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri on Thursday during the belated 2025 World Wetlands Day at Kasibo area in Hwange District, Matabeleland North, the President Mnangagwa said his administration has put in place a raft of measures and an ambitious plan towards wetland management through increasing wetland area under sustainable management.
The annual event is observed every February 2 in recognition of the importance of wetlands and their role in environmental sustainability and economic resilience.
The day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. This year’s commemorations were held under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future.”
Zimbabwe is one of the 173 contracting parties to the Convention on Wetlands having ratified it in 2014.
President Mnangagwa said the various measures that the Government has implemented to enhance wetland conservation include increasing the area under sustainable wetland management in alignment with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the Wetland Rehabilitation Rolling Plan (2021-2025) and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan(NBSAP),
The National Wetlands Policy and the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) serve as key legal frameworks guiding wetland protection efforts.
President Mnangagwa said wetlands play a critical role in securing water sources and sustaining livelihoods.
“In as much as there is a lot of work to be done to reverse the legacy implication of past actions which were detrimental to the integrity of our wetlands, our commitment for a transformative and progressive sustainable wetland management is evident in the policy and administrative direction were are taking.
“The National Wetlands Policy outlines our aspirations to sustainably manage these vital resources and the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) remains our principal guiding legal instrument on wetland management in the country,” he said
“Zimbabwe is one of the 173 contracting parties to the Convention on Wetlands, having ratified it in 2014. This demonstrates our full commitment to ensuring that our wetlands remain pristine
“The protection of wetlands for posterity remains unquestionable. No single individual, organisation, or government can tackle this challenge alone. It requires collective efforts from all sectors of society, including the public and private sectors, local communities, and international partners,” he said
The President called for increased environmental education, particularly among young people, to cultivate a new generation committed to preserving these vital ecosystems.
A major highlight of the event was President Mnangagwa’s official launch of the countdown to the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15),which Zimbabwe will host in Victoria Falls from July 23 to 31, 2025. He expressed gratitude to the Ramsar Secretariat, particularly its Secretary General, Dr Musonda Mumba, for supporting Zimbabwe’s successful bid to host the prestigious conference.
“I want to promise you and the whole world that Zimbabwe will do its best to ensure that COP15 is successful,” he said.