BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – The European Union (EU) in Eswatini has declared its support for wetland action.
This was said by EU Eswatini Head of Cooperation Eva-Maria Engdahl yesterday at Manzana in Mbabane. This was during an activity where the EU was working to restore a wetland in that area.
The EU did this with other stakeholders such as the Municipal Council of Mbabane, Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA), Yibutse Green Action, Manzana Community, school children, volunteers and others.
The day’s activities included a number of initiatives to improve the health of the wetland. Invasive alien plant species were removed, indigenous trees were planted, and litter was collected from the area.
Engdahl expressed happiness and appreciation to the people who made this event a success. “As the European Union Delegation in Eswatini we are proud of the actions taken at community level and to be working with municipalities, civil society and environmental organisations to restore and enhance the health of wetlands,” she said.
According to Engdahl, wetlands play an important role in supporting communities, mitigating flooding, and providing food. They also clean water by filtering out pollutants. However, she expressed concern that Eswatini’s wetlands have been destroyed over the years due to human activities such as drainage, farming, and road construction. She also noted that wetlands offer effective solutions to the impacts of climate change.
She noted that the diminishing area of wetlands in Mbabane was a major concern, as it reduced the resilience of the ecosystem. Illegal waste dumping, littering, and infestation with alien invasive species pose additional threats to the remaining wetlands, according to the EU Head of Cooperation. She pointed out that the EU was committed to taking immediate and urgent action to address the climate and biodiversity crises, and calls for strengthened ambition to protect the planet.
The Head of Cooperation stated that the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss were felt in everyday life, across the globe. She emphasised that no country was spared from these effects. When discussing climate and nature restoration action, she highlighted the need to transition to clean energy, create green jobs, promote a circular economy, and reverse deforestation trends around the world. She also stressed the importance of stopping plastic pollution, restoring habitats, protecting ecosystems, and empowering young people and local communities with skills in nature-based entrepreneurship.
She concluded: “we also understand that achieving global climate targets calls for collaboration with all parts of society. This is why we continue reaching out to Emaswati, especially the youth and local entrepreneurs, to step up our climate action and live in harmony with nature.”
E40M NEEDED TO SAVE WETLANDS IN MBABANE
BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – About E40 million will be needed over the five years to rehabilitate and protect wetlands in Mbabane.
This was said by Mbabane Mayor Vusi Tembe yesterday during the protection of a wetland in Manzana, Mbabane. The event was done by the European Union in Eswatini, Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA), Yibutse Green Action, Manzana Community, school children, volunteers and others.
The event was part of the EU’s global campaign, ForOurPlanet, which aims to encourage action from citizens and civil society to build resilience to climate change. The event was organised by Yibutse Green Action, a local organisation dedicated to environmental protection and conservation.
Tembe appreciated the stakeholders, particularly the EU, for making the event a success. “We applaud the EU for supporting Council’s environmental and recreation programmes such as waste reduction and construction of a skate park at the Coronation Park. We look forward to more partnerships in the future,” Tembe said.
According to Tembe, the city of Mbabane has a total area of 571 hectares of wetlands, which account for five percent of the city’s total land area. The wetlands are made up of riverbeds, riverbanks, and pools with restricted water flow.
The mayor noted that over 50 percent of the wetland area had already been affected by human activities, including construction, the spread of invasive alien species, illegal dumping, and pollution. This has had a detrimental impact on the health of the wetlands.
Yibutse Green Action Executive Director Musa Ndlangamandla noted that while there were many efforts being made to preserve and restore wetlands, a lack of awareness among communities, especially youth, was a major challenge. He explained that this lack of awareness led to increased dumping of waste, the spread of invasive plant species, and other forms of human encroachment on wetlands. Ndlangamandla stated that Yibutse would continue to forge partnerships to address this issue across the country.
