Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Evelyn Ndlovu, says the future of global wetland conservation hinges on empowering indigenous and local communities.
Speaking at the Ramsar Convention’s 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) in Victoria Falls, Ndlovu positioned community involvement not as an option, but as a critical necessity for effective environmental stewardship.
“Communities are the custodians of the wetlands and their management. Any wetlands management that does not take on board the role of indigenous and local communities is fatal,” the Minister said.
“Member states should take the role of communities seriously, and empower the communities to protect their wetlands through policy regulations.”
She said humanity is facing the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.
“…it is critical that we act now. This is a critical journey towards sustainable wetlands conservation and management. Our presence, here today, from across the globe is a testament to our commitment to addressing critical issues around our wetlands,” Ndlovu said.
The conference, running under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future,” seeks to establish a unified global strategy for wetland preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands is running from July 23 to July 31.
Zimbabwe’s journey to hosting COP15 began in 2022, following a successful bid at COP14. The nation’s role as host for this critical gathering reflects a global urgency to act decisively on environmental challenges.
Minister Ndlovu expressed optimism for the coming days of discussions, anticipating “tangible results” that will shape the future of wetland conservation worldwide.
“We need to come up with a common way of ensuring wetlands protection irrespective of their local, regional and global positioning because they save an identical purpose,” she said.
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