Wetlands and Climate Change

This statement originally appeared on the peslawyers.org website.

The People and Earth Solidarity Law Network (PESLawyers) notes with concerns the escalating attempts and development of private construction projects on wetlands around the world, but especially in Harare. These projects happen at a time when the World commemorates World Wetlands Day on the 2nd of February each year to commemorate the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. Development decisions informed by economic and profit considerations, however, continue to threaten wetlands around the world.

IN Zimbabwe, the Ramsar Convention entered into force on 3 May 2013. However, the environmental justice sector continues to monitor and note with apprehension, the recent attempts and efforts to carry out construction projects in the Borrowdale, Eastlea, Mabvuku, Budiriro, Ashbrittle and Monavale Wetlands, the latter of which is one of the seven declared wetlands of international importance in Zimbabwe under the Ramsar Convention.

We remind politicians, business, communities and civil society that every person and species and nature are entitled to environmental rights both at the international and domestic law levels. Furthermore, it is a trite environmental principle that the environment must be protected for both present and future generations hence our wetlands deserve protection. As PESLawyers we will be pursuing several courses of action in order to ensure the continued protection of wetlands around Harare and other parts of our world, and we urge concerned individuals and groups to get in touch on the contacts at the end of this statement.

Please share, follow and like us: