Wetlands in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe Wetlands are also known as Matoro(Shona), Mapani(Shona) and Amaxhaphozi (Ndebele). The table below outlines the wetlands in the different areas of Zimbabwe, with a map indicating where these areas are in the country.

The international organisation Ramsar has designated 7 sites (Victoria Falls, Driefontein Grasslands, Middle Zambezi/Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Monavale Vlei, Chinhoyi Caves and

Cleveland dam) in Zimbabwe which are meant to be protected from being developed on or sold for other purposes. But, as you can see from my later information this is not the case for many of these protected wetland areas. For the rest of the report I will focus on Harare (the countries capital and my home town) to outline what exactly is happening to wetlands there.

HARARE WETLANDS. NO WETLANDS, NO WATER!!!

 ?Harare loses 20% of its water storage capacity annually to wetland interference.?

?Zimbabwe's life-giving wetlands saved from cluster home fate.?

 ?Construction on wetlands ramps up water stress in Zimbabwe.?

 ?Wetlands destruction: Harare residents appeal to First Lady.?

 ?Zimbabwe?s wetlands under threat?

?Wetlands continue to disappear.?

These headlines are just 6 of the 103000 newspaper articles, from 2017 and 2018, I found when searching for information about wetlands in Harare on google. Majority of these headlines highlight the problem wetlands face with continued development. Just like many other countries in the world, the wetlands of Harare are shrinking because of the housing and development needs and demands of the people. According to EMA spokesman Steady Kangata (as cited in Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2017), approximately 60 percent of Harare wetlands have been invaded or taken over for construction purposes despite these constructions being unlawful. In Chitungwiza, a town approximately 25kms outside of Harare, 14 out of the 15 wetlands have been built on. Environmental activists in Zimbabwe say they are struggling to keep up with the rate of wetlands destruction.

What exactly is a wetland and why is it so important?

According to the Environmental Management Act (EMA) of Zimbabwe, wetlands are:

?Areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including riparian land adjacent to the wetland?

The water covering the soil for extended periods of the year is absorbed into the underground water tables creating consistently high reserves and natural reservoirs. The wetlands filter and purify the water and resupply rivers and streams.

The Wetlands of Harare contribute to the Manyame / Marimba / Gwebi catchment basin, upon which the city is built. This basin is the only water source for the majority of the resident?s in Zimbabwe. Construction on wetlands reduces their capacity to feed into the catchment and therefore reduces the amount of water available to the residents of Harare. Additionally, when wetlands are developed on, less water is absorbed creating higher possibilities of floods occurring.

Wetlands are not only just water lifelines for humans but are also natural habitats for all sort of plants, animals and other species. As buildings and houses develop on these natural areas, the habitats for these plant and animal species are destroyed or reduced causing problems for the natural ecosystems. Wetlands also contribute to the reduction in the impact of climate change. Without their preservation, the wetlands are not able to reduce the impact and therefore create more problems for humans and animals to live and breathe. Climate change also makes it extremely difficult to restore or rehabilitate wetlands in the future.

Despite these numerous benefits of wetlands as sources of water in our country, they continue to be developed on illegally. Land rights and use are distributed by the government illegally, the Environmental Management Act, an organisation that is meant to protect the wetlands, is allowing development to be passed on the land and citizens are building on these wetlands. All these illegal actions are having damaging effects for the wetlands and therefore contributing water shortages and problems in the country. Without drastic changes to save these wetlands, these areas will be damaged beyond repair.