Wetland Degradation Is a Global Emergency” says Dr. Evelyn Ndlovu at COP15 Kickoff

By Hurumende News Hub

Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Hon. Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, officially opened the curtain on the Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15) today in Victoria Falls, amid growing global concern over wetland degradation.

Addressing journalists and stakeholders, Dr Ndlovu described the conference as a “pivotal convening” that comes at a critical moment for wetland conservation globally and nationally.

“Wetland conservation is not an environmental luxury; it is a hydrological necessity, a climate imperative, and a development obligation,” she said.

Over 172 contracting parties are in attendance for the high-level conference, held under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future.”

Victoria Falls, one of Zimbabwe’s seven Ramsar Sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is poised to become the country’s only Wetland Accredited City, according to the minister.

Dr Ndlovu cited findings from the Third Global Wetlands Outlook, launched just last week at the Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi.

The report reveals that wetlands cover only 6% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface but deliver ecosystem services valued at over US$47 trillion annually.

Alarmingly, since 1971, 37% of the world’s wetlands have been lost, with freshwater species populations declining by 84% since 1970.

In Zimbabwe, wetlands cover 34.96% of the country’s land area. Of these, 21% are severely degraded, 61% moderately degraded, and only 18% remain pristine.

“This situation underscores the urgent need for conservation and wise use of wetlands,” Dr Ndlovu warned.

The minister announced that COP15 is expected to catalyse three key shifts in wetland policy and practice: the adoption of the Victoria Falls Declaration to support wetland restoration, the integration of wetlands into national environmental strategies, and the deployment of new technologies like the Global Wetland Watch platform for real-time monitoring.

Zimbabwe also pledged to designate five new Ramsar Sites by 2030 and restore 250,000 hectares of degraded wetlands.

“Let this COP15 be remembered as the moment when the world transitioned from recognising the value of wetlands to actively investing in their future,” Dr Ndlovu said.

Delegates will also embark on a field visit to Kasibo Wetland in Hwange to witness nature-based restoration solutions in action.

Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to officiate at the conference later this week.