The 17 sustainable development goals launched by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 were set to bring a sustainable living for everyone by 2030. However, to achieve the goals Zimbabwean communities have been urged to take part in preserving Wetlands as they are crucial in the journey to better and sustainable living, stakeholders said.
As the world commemorates World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2022, some climate change experts and environmental champions indicated that wetlands are a pillar towards the achievement of some of the ten sustainable development goals which have been prioritized by the Zimbabwean government.
SDG 2: Zero hunger
The Founder and Executive Director of Mhakwe Heritage Foundation Trust David Mutambirwa urged citizens to observe the importance and significance of wetlands as they provide a source of food and organic medicines.
“Wetlands play a pivotal role in the fight against hunger. They promote food production and food security through providing water for market gardening and aqua-farming. Also, they are a habitat for hundreds of plants species some which can even have medicinal value,” said Mutambirwa.
He also said there is a need to equip communities with knowledge about wetlands, impact of destroying them and encourage everyone to be environmental stewards to achieve sustainable living.
In ward 10, which sits within Chivi, a drought-stricken district that falls under Zimbabwe’s agro-ecological region five, villagers use Govaguru wetland as a source of water for gardening and their livestock.
Goal number two aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030.
SDG 6 clean water
Sustainable Development Goal number six is set to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
During the rainy seasons, various pollutants (agrochemicals, sewer and oils) are washed away from agricultural lands, industrial and residential areas into water bodies.
An environmental expert Shamiso Mupara pointed out that wetlands play a huge role towards the achievement of SDG 6 as they act as a natural sponge to filter underground water.
“Wetlands help to filter water, thereby making sure that underground water is clean and safe to use. They also remove pollutants from surface waters,” said Mupara.
She also said they have reached community members in Mutare South as a way of encouraging and strengthening the participation of local communities in protecting wetlands.
“We reached out to a total of 250 community members through five workshops that we held in Mutare South in September and October 2021 which were all focused on protecting water sources such as rivers and wetlands.
“We also discouraged sand mining in rivers, stream bank cultivation and use of chemicals when catching fish,” she added.
Bridging the ecological literacy gap in communities is also of great significance in the protection of wetlands and achievement of some of the SDGs.
SDG 13 Climate action
Goal number 13 takes government and its stakeholders to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.
Masvingo Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Environmental education and publicity officer Brian Makani said wetlands are carbon sinks that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
“Wetlands help to mitigate effects of climate change through capturing and storing carbon dioxide and can also make an area receive better rains,” said Makani.
Statistics from the World Data Atlas, shows that in 2020 carbon dioxide emission per capita for Zimbabwe was 0.65 tons of carbon dioxide.
In Zimbabwe, much of the carbon dioxide emission is from the burning of fossil fuels (liquid, solid and gas fuels).
Some of the ten prioritized SDGs include SDG 3 (Good health), 4 (Education), 5 (Gender equality), 7 (Clean Energy), 8 (Economic growth), 9 (resilient infrastructure) and 17 (Partnerships).
Between the years 2000 and 2015, Zimbabwe was also part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and there were eight MDGs that were set to be achieved.
