Suburban
CHISIPITE Senior School Conservation Club last week undertook a visit of the Monavale Vlei as part of celebrations to mark the 2023 World Wetland Day where club members were told about the importance of preserving wetlands.
Suburban Reporter
“Last week our Conservation Club commemorated World Wetland Day by visiting the Ramsar wetland (site), Monavale Vlei.
“During the brief tour Monavale Vlei scouts, as well as staff from Bird Life Zimbabwe, talked about the importance of preserving wetlands,” Chisipite Senior School said on their Facebook Page.
The theme for the 2023 World Wetland Day is restoration of wetlands and Monavale was an ideal site from where Chisipite Senior School Conservation Club commemorated the day.
The Monavale Vlei is a model for headwater wetland restoration in Harare and Zimbabwe.
Monavale Vlei Scout Jimmy Muropa and Bird Life Zimbabwe staff guided the Chisipite Senior School student and staff on their tour of the wetland, teaching them about the rich biodiversity which is needed to be intact for these headwater wetlands to manage the water to keep the streams flowing year round.
“Chisipite Senior School visited Monavale Vlei yesterday (Thursday February 2, 2023) for World Wetlands Day. The girls learnt a lot from vlei scout Jimmy Maropa and Ronnie from BirdLife, as well as Dorothy Wakeling from COSMO. They loved wading through the water and discovering all sorts of creepy crawlies. We have new wetland warriors in the making,” said the Conservation Society of Monavale in a post on their social media handle.
Last year, the Conservation Society of Monavale coordinated a petition to stop the building of between 105 and 121 cluster houses on the Monavale Vlei which puts the wetland, a Ramsar Convention recognised site, under threat.
A private developer who owns a piece of land in the area is planning to build cluster houses but residents say the housing project poses an environmental threat if allowed to go ahead. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty under the United Nations that calls for the protection of wetlands.
“The Monavale vlei is under threat of development again. It has been proposed that 105 cluster homes be built on this important wetland, which is a recognised Ramsar Site, and a key player in Harare’s water supply and climate resilience. Building on Monavale Vlei will destroy it. We need to stop this! We need to stop this for several reasons,” read the petition.
The petition said the cluster houses would have a serious impact on Harare’s water crisis while the Monavale Vlei is also an important educational source as it offers students an opportunity to carry out research.
“The Monavale Vlei has shown itself over time to be a crucial resource to the country in marking our national commitment to the Ramsar Convention and the reduction of wetland loss. Monavale Vlei is a Ramsar site, recognised nationally and internationally as one of 2,453 important wetlands, ranked alongside places like Victoria Falls, Mana Pools, Lake Chivero, Okavango Delta, and Drakensberg Park,” reads the petition.
It said like all the listed Ramsar Convention sites, the Monavale Vlei plays an essential role in refilling rivers and water tables.
“Monavale Vlei feeds river systems that feed into Lake Chivero – the city’s main water supply. Destruction of this wetland will have dramatic and lasting effects on Harare’s water, making a bad situation, much worse.”
The petition added that building on wetlands was not advisable as the structures suffer damage in future.
