Zimbabwe: Trust Mobilize Communities On Wetlands Protection.
In a bid to increase awareness on the need to preserve wetlands, the Harare Wetland Trust has started a campaign aimed at mobilizing communities to be actively involved in the preservation of wetlands in Harare.
Residents from various suburbs around Harare are set to be part of Local Environment Action Plans (LEAPs) which are local plans that local authorities develop for the management of the environment within areas under their jurisdiction.
The City of Harare has given its support to this initiative.
Section 95 of the Environmental Management Act mandates local authorities to develop the action plans on environmental management.
Speaking during training programmes held in Rugare and Dzivarasekwa high density suburbs on Tuesday, Hardlife Mudzingwa, who is a Programmes Officer for the wetlands preservation project emphasized the need to preserve wetlands as they are important sources of water.
"Residents need to be actively involved in the preservation of wetlands as they are important sources of water.
"The involvement of communities that benefit from the wetlands is thus very critical.
Wetlands are among the major sources of water for Harare.
Ramsar sites in Zimbabwe include the Monavale Vlei, Cleveland Dam, Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Driefontein Grasslands, Chinhoyi Caves and the Victoria Falls National Park.