Hon.
Dr
Evelyn
Ndlovu
(center),
Minister
of
Environment,
Climate
and
Wildlife,
Republic
of
Zimbabwe
and
Secretary
General
Musonda
Mumba
(right)
speak
at
a
press
conference
ahead
of
the
#WetlandsCOP15,
which
officially
kicks
off
today
in
Victoria
Falls.The
Convention
on
Wetlands
As
Zimbabwe
hosts
the
15th
meeting
of
the
Conference
of
the
Contracting
Parties
to
the
Convention
on
Wetlands
(COP15),
this
location
invites
a
closer
look
at
the
role
wetlands
play
in
sustaining
life,
and
the
decisions
now
needed
to
ensure
they
continue
to
do
so.
COP15
arrives
at
a
moment
when
wetlands—essential
for
climate
resilience,
food
production,
water
supply,
and
biodiversity—are
being
lost
and
degraded
at
a
rate
that
outpaces
our
responses.
According
to
the
Convention’s
recently
released
flagship
publication,
the Global
Wetland
Outlook
2025,
global
wetland
extent
has
declined
by 22%
since
1970,
with
losses
continuing
at
an
average
rate
of 0.52%
per
year.
Degradation
is
accelerating: one
in
four
remaining
wetlands is
now
in
poor
ecological
condition,
with
that
proportion
rising.
Despite
these
figures,
wetlands
still
provide
some
of
the
most
valuable
and
cost-effective
solutions
to
the
world’s
most
pressing
challenges.
They
support
water
security
for
billions
of
people,
absorb
carbon
more
efficiently
than
most
other
ecosystems,
and
deliver
an
estimated $7.98
to
$39.01
trillion in
annual
ecosystem
services.
Yet
these
contributions
remain
undervalued
in
decision-making
and
underfunded
in
public
and
private
investment.
Zimbabwe
knows
better
than
many
others
just
how
important
wetlands
are.
Wetlands
provide
water
to
more
than
two-thirds
of
the
population,
allowing
for
agriculture
and
tourism
while
buffering
against
floods
and
droughts.
In
response
to
growing
pressures,
the
Government
has
implemented
stronger
legal
protections,
advanced
local
restoration
initiatives,
and
deepened
public
engagement
on
wetland
issues.
The
recent
recognition
of
Victoria
Falls
as
a
Wetland
City
reflects
both
local
commitment
and
the
kind
of
urban
ecological
leadership
that
can
be
replicated
elsewhere.
But
national
ambition—however
strong—cannot
substitute
for
global
coordination.
Wetlands
are
shared
systems.
They
cross
borders
and
connect
sectors.
Protecting
them
requires
cooperation,
consistent
investment,
and
a
shift
in
how
they
are
understood:
as
strategic
infrastructure
that
protects
the
stability
of
our
economies,
health
systems,
and
food
supply.
The Global
Wetland
Outlook
2025,
sets
out
the
scale
of
action
needed: at
least
123
million
hectares must
be
restored
to
account
for
past
loss,
and 428
million
hectares of
remaining
wetlands
must
be
conserved.
Doing
so
will
require
a
major
increase
in
global
financing—somewhere
between $275
and
$550
billion
per
year—yet
current
investments
fall
far
below
that
range.
In
fact,
biodiversity
conservation
across
all
ecosystems
receives
just 0.25%
of
global
GDP.
Zimbabwe’s
hosting
of
COP15
is
both
timely
and
significant.
It
brings
global
attention
to
a
region
where
wetlands
are
still
deeply
embedded
in
the
landscape
and
culture,
but
also
increasingly
vulnerable.
The
conference
presents
a
unique
opportunity
to
prioritise
wetlands
in
the
biodiversity
and
climate
agendas,
and
to
align
technical,
political,
and
financial
systems
behind
that
goal.
Africa,
home
to
approximately 40%
of
the
world’s
remaining
wetlands,
is
well
positioned
to
lead
this
shift.
Many
of
the
continent’s
wetlands
remain
ecologically
functional,
and
traditional
knowledge
of
sustainable
management
practices
endures.
But
external
pressures—driven
by
extractive
industries,
land-use
change,
and
climate
stress—are
growing
rapidly.
Without
targeted
support,
we
risk
losing
these
ecosystems
for
good.
COP15
can
help
turn
that
tide.
The
Convention
provides
a
platform
for
negotiation,
as
well
as
strategies,
data,
policies,
and
innovations.
It
is
also
a
place
to
elevate
voices
that
are
often
underrepresented—local
communities,
Indigenous
groups,
cities,
and
young
people—who
are
already
shaping
the
future
of
wetland
stewardship
on
the
ground.
This
meeting
in
Victoria
Falls
will
not
solve
every
problem.
But
it
can
set
a
new
trajectory.
Decisions
made
here
have
the
potential
to
ripple
outward,
shaping
how
wetlands
are
valued
and
governed
across
continents.
Rivers
rarely
follow
straight
lines,
and
neither
does
meaningful
change.
But
when
enough
tributaries
converge,
that
momentum
can
become
difficult
to
ignore.
It’s
a
life
lesson
that
wetlands
have
taught
us,
and
perhaps
now
the
world
is
finally
ready
to
listen.