STATE-OWNED telecoms provider, NetOne has unveiled a digital monitoring programme to protect the country's wetlands as global leaders urge stronger enforcement to protect the environment.
NetOne Group chief executive Rapheal Mushanawani said the initiative was part of a broader push to align Zimbabwe's digital transformation with environmental conservation efforts.
The company announced the deployment of internet-of-things (IoT)-enabled wetland sensors and launched a regional data-sharing platform aimed at improving cross-border responses to wetland degradation.
The telecoms provider also launched its OneConnect platform, designed to enable data sharing among regional scientists, government departments and civil society groups involved in environmental monitoring.
"At NetOne, we have chosen to respond not with slogans - but with solutions - through IoT-enabled wetland sensors, we are turning data into early warning systems because if nature sends signals, we must learn to listen," he said in his address at the COP15 youth welcome dinner held in Victoria Falls on Wednesday.
The initiative is supported by the Environment, Climate and Wildlife ministry, the Environmental Management Agency (Ema), and the Ramsar National Youth Steering Committee.
Zimbabwe is one of the most biologically diverse countries in southern Africa, but its wetlands - classified as Ramsar sites of international importance - face growing threats from urban expansion, mining and climate change.
The conference opened with a strong emphasis on youth participation, with NetOne describing the event as a "pivotal moment" to empower young leaders and scientists.
Delegates from across Africa are attending the summit, which is running under the theme Building wetland resilience through technology, co-operation and climate financing.
Each attendee received a NetOne e-SIM card upon registration - an act the company said symbolised a pledge to "connect better and conserve deeper".
"And yes, every delegate tonight received a NetOne e-SIM card. But don't think of it as just a tech tool."
At the conference, environmentalists called for stronger enforcement mechanisms to prevent the continued degradation of wetlands.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands secretary-general Musonda Mumba cited Trinidad and Tobago as an example, where authorities have introduced stiff penalties for unauthorised development in wetland areas.
Mumba also pointed to China's national wetland legislation framework as another example of growing international efforts to protect these ecosystems.
Environment, Climate and Wildlife minister Evelyn Ndlovu said a new statutory instrument on further protection of wetlands would be finalised within two weeks.
"In Zimbabwe, we have legislation in place and we also have statutory instruments that enforce that legislation to make sure that whoever damages the environment pays," she said.
"We are actually working on the statutory instrument to make sure that we enforce that law within two weeks."
According to data from Ema, more than 50% of Zimbabwe's wetlands have been disturbed or degraded, primarily due to construction, agriculture and illegal sand extraction.
- newsday
Concern over Masvingo black market 
Kenya declares three days of mourning for Mugabe 
UK's Boris Johnson quits over Brexit stretegy 
SecZim licences VFEX 
Zimbabwe abandons debt relief initiative 
European Investment Bank warms up to Zimbabwe 
Young Investment Professional (YIP) Graduate Programme 2019 
Young Investment Professional (YIP) Graduate Programme 2019
Editor's Pick