Story by Elroi Ngara
HARARE-ENVIRONMENTAL stakeholders have urged the Government of Zimbabwe to scale up efforts in the protection of wetlands, in line with the country’s obligations under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, ahead of Zimbabwe’s hosting of the global conference in Victoria Falls this July.
The remarks were made during the National Wetland Policy Dialogue held in Harare this Tuesday, which brought together legal experts, city officials, environmental organisations, and civil society actors to assess the current state of wetlands across the country, including the seven internationally recognised Ramsar sites.
Mr Robert Cunliffe, a representative of the Harare Wetlands Trust, said the dialogue sought to critically examine whether Zimbabwe has sufficiently domesticated the Ramsar Convention and whether the legal and policy framework is adequate for long-term wetland conservation.
“The policy dialogue we are having today is partly in preparation for the Ramsar Convention, which Zimbabwe will be hosting soon. One of the key objectives is to assess if we are adequately protecting Ramsar sites in Zimbabwe. We also want to identify gaps in our legislation and policy and explore ways of improving protection for these vital ecosystems,” he said.
Mr Lisbent Chipfunde, Head of the City of Harare’s Environmental Management Unit, stressed the need for urgent legal reforms to align existing regulations with international obligations.
“Unfortunately, our current laws and regulations are not fully protecting wetlands. We are calling for the full domestication of the Ramsar Convention through an active Parliament and amendment of instruments such as SI 7 of 2007, which governs Environmental Impact Assessments. We have already gazetted maps of key wetlands in Harare, Epworth, Chitungwiza, and rural areas,” she said.
Legal experts also emphasised the need to view wetland preservation not only as an environmental priority but as a critical component of Zimbabwe’s broader biodiversity and climate resilience strategies.
“Zimbabwe is a party to the Ramsar Convention, which is the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, and we have seven Ramsar sites, which are seven wetlands of international importance. We are a country that is very rich in biodiversity and has a lot of rivers and river systems providing key supporting biodiversity areas. Wetlands are some of the most important and rich biodiversity areas. Actually, Harare is developed within our water source, so we are a wetland city. We really need extra protections to protect our wetlands,” Senior Legal Consultant (Human Rights and Environmental Law, Ms Fiona Iliff said.
Zimbabwe’s government has committed to strengthening wetland preservation efforts by reforming environmental policies, amending existing legislation, and domesticating international frameworks.
These efforts are aligned with national targets under the Biodiversity Strategy and Vision 2030, aimed at safeguarding ecosystems while promoting sustainable development.
As the Ramsar Convention draws nearer, stakeholders are hopeful that Zimbabwe will take this opportunity to reaffirm its leadership in environmental conservation on the global stage.
