Victoria Falls named among 31 world wetland cities

Leonard Ncube [email protected]
VICTORIA Falls, home to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, has been named among 31 world wetland cities, cementing the heritage city as a conservation and tourism destination of choice.
According to the Ramsar, wetlands, called masensa/masawu in Tonga or amaxhaphozi in IsiNdebele, include lakes, rivers and underground aquifers, as well as areas of swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, fen, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water.
The Ramsar Convention on wetlands is the only International Treaty focused on the sustainable management of wetlands and it provides a platform to 172 Contracting Parties working together for wetlands conservation and wise use.
Zimbabwe ratified the Ramsar convention on wetlands on 11 February 2012 and has since designated seven wetlands as wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites).
These are the Victoria Falls, Driefontein Grasslands, Middle Zambezi/Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Monavale Vlei, Chinhoyi Caves and Cleveland Dam.
A statement released from the ongoing Ramsar SC64 meeting in Gland in Switzerland showed that Victoria Falls has been accredited as a wetland city.
“Accreditation of Victoria Falls as the wetland city has just been confirmed among other 31 cities at the Ramsar SC64 meeting which is underway in Gland in Switzerland,” read the brief statement accompanied by a short video.
Some of the cities are Wenzou and Yueyang (China), Abbevile, Arles and Hampigny (France), Indore and Udaipur (India), Babor, Bandar Kiashar, Gandoma (Iran), Nagoya City of Japan, Mehdya of Morocco, Balanga City in Philippines, Poznan in Poland, Gimhae and Mungyeong in Korea, Novi Sad in Serbia, Geneva in Switzerland and Victoria Falls.
Morocco and Zimbabwe are the only African countries whose cities have been accredited.
Victoria Falls was added to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in 1989 due to its remarkable natural beauty and cultural significance.
The latest development is a perfect reason for Zimbabwe to join the rest of the world in celebrating the World Wetlands Day 2025 on 2 February under the theme: “Protecting Wetlands For Our Common Future.”
The country will also host the 15th Conference of the Contracting Parties (Cop15) to the Ramsar Convention on wetlands in Victoria Falls from 23-31 July.
Zimbabwe made the bid at the end of CoP 14 to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands held in Geneva in December 2022 and based on the tremendous work the country has done on wetlands conservation.
Zimbabwean wetlands make up 136 595.8km2 of areal cover excluding dams and lakes and Matabeleland North contributes 39 400.80km2.
Of the total wetlands in the country, 61 percent are moderately degraded and 18 percent severely degraded.
The world has lost 85 percent of its wetlands that are disappearing three times faster than forests.
Over the last few years Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to the importance of protecting and sustainable utilization of wetlands by putting in place robust strategies as included in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) to halt and reverse wetland loss and restore ecosystem goods and services.
he Government has mapped all wetlands in the country and now has the National Wetlands Policy and the attendant Wetlands Management Guidelines.
Wetlands serve as natural sponges, absorbing excess water during floods and releasing it slowly during dry periods thereby helping mitigate the impacts of climate change-induced disasters.
They are vital for human survival as they also act as carbon sinks, sequestrating/absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping to mitigate global warming.
Litterbugs have also violated the wetland, which is littered with plastic bags, bottles and other debris.
The effects of climate change have not spared the wetland as rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns have altered the hydrological regime of the wetland, posing significant challenges to its ecological integrity.
Wetlands are indispensable for the countless benefits or ecosystem services that they provide humanity, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.
-@ncubeleon
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