• Lets say no to destroying our wetlands and call for their protection.   NOW !!!

• Lets stop all Developments on Wetlands.   NOW!!!

• Lets stop councils changing our byelaws on wetlands so as to develop on them.   NOW!!!

Wetlands cover less than 3% of Zimbabwe and are an endangered habitat

Wetlands
:
•    Are a natural filter for our water and prevent pollution
•    Are a flood regulator
•    Play a vital hydrological role
•    Are a sponge and maintain our water table
•    Are centers of biodiversity

No Wetlands - No Water - No Water - NO LIFE.


Act now to SAVE OUR WETLANDS

Further detailed information about the Importance of our wetlands
Compiled by Sharon Waterworth from Black Crystal with input from Environment Africa .

Wetlands are life - Wetlands cover less than 3% of Zimbabwe as they can only be found where the rainfall is greater than 800mm. Zimbabwe only has a small number of wetlands because it is not a wet country by regional standards.   Wetlands are an endangered habitat and practically all wetlands in the vicinity of Harare are under cultivation, their hydrological functions and biodiversity are severely threatened.

Although Zimbabwe has yet to sign the international Ramsar Convention on wetlands protection they are currently afforded local protection by the following existing legislation:

-    Water Act Chapter 20:24
-    S.I. 7 of 2007 Environmental Management (environmental Impact Assessments and Ecosystems Protection) Regulations 2007
-    Environmental Management Act, Chapter 20:27
-    Some local plans and by laws

What is a Wetland, what do they do? The term wetland covers a wide range of natural systems such as a dambo (mapani or matoro or vlei) which is land where the water table is: near, or above the land surface or that is saturated for a long enough time to support wetland or aquatic processes and where various kinds of biological and physical activity adapted to the wet conditions.  

They are typically grass covered areas but treeless that are periodically inundated with water and are of great importance.  They act like natural sponges in the earth and function through the interaction of water, soil and vegetation which is driven by certain hydrological processes.
 
Why do we need to conserve Wetlands? Wetlands are very important for many reasons:

•    Increase biodiversity, they provide a biological niche unit for many different species of flora and fauna
•    They are important ecosystems as they act as water quality regulators with high water storage capacity
•    They play a key role in the purification of the water, having the ability to hold water for long periods of time allowing time for decomposition processes and for the vegetation to reduce sediment and toxins from the water
•    Wetlands perform vital hydrological functions for instance flood control, groundwater discharge and recharge and regulating river flows
•    They recycle nutrients
•    Wetlands are an important environment to many migratory bird species.
•    Wetlands give habitats to a lot of different land animals, semi-aquatic and plants including amphibians and arthropods which are also at the beginning of the food chain. This means they help support all kinds of other life, from fishes and frogs to birds.
•    Wetlands provide animals with food and shelter, as well as a place to raise their young. There are also some fascinating creatures that live only in specific wetlands.
•    The plants in wetlands are many and varied, and a lot of them can only live in the wetlands and nowhere else

Wetlands are not wastelands!  As we write there are proposed changes to the existing legislation and by laws, which are looking at allowing the development on wetlands.

If wetlands are destroyed wild animals won't be the only ones to suffer. Pollution levels will rise because the wetland vegetation won't be filtering the water. Flooding will increase because there won't be wetlands to store and regulate the water. One acre of wetlands can store up to 360,000 gallons of water. As wetlands play a vital hydrological role, their destruction and of their margin (buffer zones) will result in a decrease in biodiversity and no recharge to ground water which we so critically need. We are already struggling daily already with water supplies. Underground water is not limitless. It will run out. And then what?

Please send your Name , City, Country to to sign a petition and save our Wetlands