Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has 232 protected areas covering 106,838 km (UNEPWCMC & IUCN, 2019y). Zimbabwe has a rich history of biodiversity conservation. It has established an extensive protected areas network and enacted legislation for strict conservation and preservation in some areas and sustainable utilisation in others.
Its protected areas network puts Zimbabwe among the top 50 countries globally with respect to protected area coverage. Biodiversity is an important base for Zimbabwe’s economy and supports the livelihoods of the majority of its population.
Protected and conserved areas designated as global sites of importance |
|
Global designation |
Number of sites |
UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves |
1 |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Natural or Mixed) |
2 |
Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) |
7 |
Source ((Ramsar, 2019; UNESCO, 2019a, 2019b)
Priority areas for conservation |
|
Designation |
Number of sites |
Alliance for Zero Extinction sites |
1 |
Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas |
18 |
Key Biodiversity Areas |
6 |
(AZE Secretariat, 2019; BirdLife International, 2019c, 2019a)