Latest news with #wetland
Zawya
a day ago
- General
- Zawya
Zimbabwe: Unchecked development eats up wetlands in Harare
Linda Mujuru, GPJ Zimbabwe As wetland destruction escalates across the city, the Greystone Nature Reserve wetland is preserved by local residents in an effort to protect one of Zimbabwe's rapidly disappearing ecosystems. This story was originally published by Global Press Journal HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Not long ago, grass and flowers grew on the wetland in Borrowdale. Flocks of birds — including red and yellow bishops — were common here, and butterflies too. 'Everything from anthills, fig trees and flowers. People took walks there to enjoy the tranquility of the place,' says Brian Foster Mawer, a resident of Dandaro Retirement Village, which abuts the wetland. The 79-year-old has lived here for more than two decades and has watched much of the wetland disappear. Over time, people have dug up swathes of the land to cultivate maize, slowly degrading this natural flood buffer and vital water reservoir. But the remaining wetland may not survive much longer. Vifot Investments, a real estate investment company, aims to plant concrete in the heart of the wetland. Heavy vehicles have already started pouring construction materials into this neighborhood west of Harare, as the company primes the land to construct 130 homes and 20 office blocks. This project, still in its early stages, is just one example of a broader trend where authorities approve large-scale construction projects on wetlands despite clear environmental warnings, says Reuben Akili, director of the Combined Harare Residents Association. All this is happening as Zimbabwe prepares to host the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in July. This global summit is dedicated to protecting the world's remaining wetlands, but conservationists say the country is losing its own at an alarming rate, and in many cases through questionable land deals and by ignoring environmental regulations. Linda Mujuru, GPJ Zimbabwe Roger Fairlie sits on a bench overlooking a wetland he helps preserve with other residents in Harare. Fairlie, founder of the Greystone Nature Reserve, has been vocal about the urgent need to protect wetlands from unchecked development. 'The city of Harare has been irresponsible in terms of allocating pieces of land. They have been allocating land anywhere,' says Robert Mutyasira, chairperson of the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association. But the concern runs deeper than just one neighborhood and one construction project. In 2013, the Longcheng Plaza mall opened atop a vital wetland along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway. An analysis by Harare Wetlands Trust, using field surveys and Google Earth imagery, found that wetlands across Harare declined by 50% between 2007 and 2019. The study focused on 10 key headwater wetlands, including Borrowdale. The organization attributes the loss to cultivation, housing developments and illegal settlement. Wetlands act as natural sponges for rain. Because so many have been destroyed, heavy flooding has become a norm in the Harare suburbs of Budiriro and Mabvuku. The concern for wetlands preservation stretches beyond Zimbabwe. Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, is sinking due to decades of wetland destruction. The crisis there is so bad that the government is relocating the national capital. In Brazil, massive developments are eating into the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. And in Argentina, the Parana Delta luxury projects are taking over this vital ecosystem. In fact, around 35% of the world's wetlands have disappeared since 1970. In many of these cases, governments are scrambling to contain the damage, if a little too late. But in Zimbabwe, the government is aiding destruction that, if continued unchecked, could lead to more severe flooding and worse water shortages, environmentalists say. On paper, the country has strong environmental laws. Development on or near a wetland requires consultation with the Environmental Management Agency, and construction should only happen after an environmental impact assessment is approved by the agency. But enforcement is lax. In the Vifot Investments case, environmentalists from the Harare Wetlands Trust in a 2021 report accuse authorities of approving an environmental impact assessment while ignoring the serious irregularities it contained. They allege that Vifot included wrong information about the exact location of the site in the assessment they submitted, in order to bypass regulations. Although the project site is on a wetland, they say the assessment inaccurately categorizes it as within a light industrial zone in Tynwald, a different location. The case has been in the national spotlight for some time now. Several city officials have been arrested or charged over the land deal, including Aaron Chigona, director of the Environmental Management Agency. He was arrested in January 2024 and spent over a year on remand for his alleged role in the controversial land deal. This March, the court freed him without prosecution, and he retained his role at the agency. Linda Mujuru, GPJ Zimbabwe The Borrowdale Vlei wetland in Harare. A real estate investment company plans to build 130 cluster homes and 20 office blocks on the wetland, raising concerns among environmentalists and residents about water access and ecosystem degradation. The agency was satisfied with the Vifot environmental impact assessment, says Amkela Sidange, education and publicity manager. The project will have minimal impact on the wetland, she says. '[It] includes a nature park within the wetland area, enhancing rather than harming it. The cluster homes will occupy just 5 hectares of non-wetland land,' she says. When Global Press Journal first reached out to Vifot Managing Director Liangming Jin, he offered the reporter US$200 for 'lunch,' which she declined. What he later told Global Press Journal contradicts information from authorities. First, Jin says the company plans to construct residential houses on 14 hectares of the land, contrary to the 5 hectares mentioned by Sidange. The company will then construct office blocks on the rest of it. 'I will know the finer details of the office plans in six months, as my architects are still designing,' he says. Vifot will implement several measures to minimize impact on the environment, such as water canals, he says. Jin says he bought the land from the city of Harare. Mayor Jacob Mafume tells Global Press Journal he isn't aware of Vifot's particular project, but says he is aware that wetlands are being sold illegally in the country. Linda Mujuru, GPJ Zimbabwe Liangming Jin, managing director of Vifot Investments, at his office in Harare. His company's plans to develop housing and office blocks on a protected wetland have drawn criticism over misleading environmental assessments and the impact on Harare's already strained water system. 'Sometimes it's not brought to our attention,' Mafume says. When problems are brought to their attention, he says his office 'will attend to the reversal if need be or attend to the rectification of whatever problems have emanated from the permission that has been granted.' The judicial system has failed to protect the country's wetlands, says Mutyasira, from the Borrowdale residents association. 'We have not seen success in the courts.' When wetlands are private property, the issue becomes even more difficult to contest, he adds. But heftier penalties might help. 'Even if wetlands are privately owned, that ownership should be taken away,' he adds. One solution could be getting the community involved, says Roger Fairlie, founder of the Greystone Nature Reserve, a wetland he maintains with other local residents. 'You can't do it on your own,' he says. The real power, he adds, lies in helping people understand just how important wetlands are. Sidange, from the Environmental Management Agency, says companies with approved projects should not see approval as a green light to degrade the environment. It's a commitment for them to protect it. If not, authorities could easily cancel or nullify certification for construction, she says. Meanwhile, as the world prepares to gather in Harare and discuss protection of wetlands, the ground beneath this city is disappearing. The city doesn't supply water to many areas of Harare, while in many others the water that arrives is contaminated. People like Mawer rely on boreholes. But even the boreholes are drying up, and a large construction project could choke what groundwater remains. © Copyright The Zimbabwean. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
People urged to stay away from Warminster's nesting kingfishers
Signs have been put up around nature reserve's wetland to try and prevent the nesting birds being dogs or humans disturb the kingfishers at Smallbrook Meadows in Warminster they could leave their Dunn, from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said that the "beautiful bird" is usually quite hard to see, being very explained many of the rivers in the south Wiltshire area are hard chalk, so kingfishers cannot burrow into the banks to nest, but the wetland that makes up Smallbrook is soft. Wetlands are rare in Wiltshire and kingfishers like sandy banks."We potentially have higher numbers in that area than we would on other chalk streams in the area," added Mr Dunn. "They're just a beautiful bird to look at. They're incredibly enigmatic - you're much more likely to hear it than you are see it," said Mr Dunn."They tend to be a blue flash streaking down the river," he added, saying you have to be patient to see one, but when people do it is "magical".Mr Dunn told the the BBC that once eggs have been laid, the birds sit on up for up to 25 days, feed the chicks for three to fours weeks and once they are fully fledged will still be looking after them for a week or so before they are safe to leave the nest."All that time the parents will be desperately trying to get to the nest." If there is too much disturbance, especially from dogs, they will abandon it if it seems too unsafe to carry will land on a nearby branch before going in, to make sure a predator is not following them and they can be "discreet".
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Frustration as Plymouth wetlands project stalls again
The creation of a scenic wetland area for wildlife in a Plymouth park has been delayed after the city council axed the project in Central Park aims to tackle problems of flooding at Barn Park, on the east of the site, by creating a series of ponds and drainage was due to be completed in spring 2024 but, after work began in 2022, it ground to a halt. Work had been due to restart in April, but now the council has confirmed it is taking on a new contractor and work will not restart until June. "It is incredibly frustrating, given that the weather is now dry and bright and we should be making progress, but we're not," a city council spokesperson said. They added: "We told residents that work would begin by the end of April in good faith, as this was the understanding we had with the contractor. "It didn't happen and so we've decided to part ways with the contractor on the project. "Legal discussions are ongoing."The spokesperson said it was "now going through the process of getting somebody else onto the job"."The paperwork is being signed now and they've told us they'll be onsite in early June," they project was "still on course" to complete earth works by the end of the summer to allow landscaping to start, they added. 'It's an embarrassment' Yvette Moram, who lives nearby, said: "It's really upsetting for a lot of people that just enjoy this park. "They just want to see something better, something nicer, something to come and visit, and something for the animals."Chris Ewings, another local resident, said: "The council have got a really good record of starting stuff and not doing it very well. "It's not their finest hour and I feel sorry for the people in the park."It's a wonderful facility, we've got here and it's an embarrassment to be frank."
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I. Watershed Alliance says permits to develop wetlands must be 'a last resort, not for resorts'
The P.E.I. Watershed Alliance says it's disappointed that the province granted a permit to fill in a wetland as part of a golf course development in Summerside. The government received $406,500 compensation for the 27.1 acres of wetland involved. A spokesperson for the developer says they will be adding new lakes and enhanced wetland systems. CBC's Nancy Russell has more.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Watch: Construction underway on Johns Creek's Boardwalk at Town Center
The Brief The Boardwalk at Town Center will feature an amphitheater, terraced seating, wide trails, pedestrian plazas, and pond overlooks, creating a vibrant space for community events. A boardwalk will connect these amenities to a new three-acre wetland designed for stormwater detention and water quality enhancement. Construction progress includes poured sections of the boardwalk, installation of deck and shade structures, and landscaping around ponds, with completion expected by summer 2026. JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - Work is moving forward on the Boardwalk at Town Center, a signature park project taking shape behind Johns Creek City Hall. The city posted a video update on its Facebook page over the weekend showing drone flyover of the construction site. What we know Once complete, the state-of-the-art destination will feature an amphitheater with a poured seawall, terraced seating areas, 15-foot-wide trails, pedestrian plazas, and pond overlooks—all designed to create a vibrant public space for concerts, recreation, and community events. A boardwalk will link these amenities to a newly constructed three-acre wetland, which is engineered to enhance regional stormwater detention and water quality for future development in the Town Center district. What they're saying According to the city, progress is visible across multiple parts of the site. "A section of the boardwalk has been poured between the upper pond and lower pond. Deck and shade structures are being installed at the upper pond overlook areas," officials said. "Crews have started landscaping around the upper and lower ponds." What's next Upcoming work includes the installation of additional deck structures, continued pouring of boardwalk sections, and the start of electrical installations throughout the park. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2026. What you can do To follow project updates, residents can sign up for email alerts and visit the city website. The Source The city of Johns Creek provided the details and video for this article.
