The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands will hold its 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Victoria Falls this year, hosted by Zimbabwe.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, popularly known as the Ramsar Convention, provides a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Wetlands, or “dambos” as they are known in some parts of southern Africa, store large quantities of water during the wet season and gradually release it during the dry season, making agriculture possible even when it is dry.
In some countries, this allows for agricultural production to take place throughout the year.
Wetlands also serve as natural sewage treatment works, absorbing chemicals, filtering pollutants and sediments, breaking down suspended solids and neutralising harmful bacteria.
Despite the significance of wetland ecosystems to human life and health, these areas continue to experience high rates of decline and degradation due to human activities such as housing construction and unregulated cultivation, in addition to the impact of climate change.
As part of raising awareness of the importance of wetlands to humanity, the World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February, and is commemorated in 2025 under the theme of “Protecting wetlands for our common future”.
“World Wetlands Day 2025 underscores the need for collaboration and foresight as we build a future wherein all people, everywhere, can continue to benefit from the life-sustaining services that wetlands provide,” the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, Dr Musonda Mumba said.
“By valuing and protecting wetlands today – and by inspiring one another in this united effort – we better ensure our common future and wellbeing.”
COP15 will take place from 23 – 31 July 2025, and representatives from more than 170 countries are expected to attend. The Convention was signed in 1971 at Ramsar in Iran, and entered into force on 21 December 1975.
“Wetlands are critical for our country’s wellbeing, providing essential services such as flood control, climate regulation, and supporting local livelihoods,” said Angella Kabira, the Principal Natural Resources Officer in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife in Zimbabwe.
The Ramsar Convention National Focal Point is Phanuel Mangisi, who is the Environmental Impact Assessment Manager at the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
The Conference of Parties normally meets at three-year intervals and the COP 14 was hosted in November 2022 in Wuhan, China. Negotiations and other aspects of COP took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Parties to the Convention are required to designate at least one site that meets the Ramsar criteria for inclusion in the Ramsar List and ensure maintenance of each site’s ecological character, including wetland conservation within national land-use planning to promote sustainable use of all wetlands within their territory.
The Ramsar List pertains to “Wetlands of International Importance”, which have been designated by the Parties to the Ramsar Convention as internationally important based on one or more of the criteria that have been adopted by the Conference of the Parties.
The Convention establishes that “wetlands should be selected for the List on account of their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology.
For example, one of the criteria is that a wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.
The Ramsar Convention calls for the establishment of nature reserves on wetlands and the promotion of training in research and management; and for parties to support each other on implementation of commitments, especially on issues regarding transboundary wetlands, shared water systems, shared species, and development projects affecting wetlands.
Zimbabwe ratified the Ramsar Convention on 11 February 2012 and has since designated seven Ramsar sites, which include the Victoria Falls National Park, Monavale Vlei, Mana Pools National Park, Lake Chivero and Driefontein Grasslands.
Other wetlands in southern Africa include the Etosha pan in Namibia, and the Makgadikgadi pans in Botswana where communities engage in flood recession agriculture known as molapo farming. This has helped communities to derive livelihoods even in drought years.
Floodplains such as Malagarasi and Kilombero in Tanzania, Barotse and Kafue flats in Zambia or Marromeu in Mozambique are designated due to breeding grounds for fish as well as wildlife habitat, grazing and specialised agriculture.
Dr Mumba visited Zimbabwe in March 2024 to sign the Host Agreement with the Government, and the Ramsar Secretariat is set to visit again in April 2025 to discuss technical and logistical arrangements for the meeting. (sardc.net)
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