Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife

22/05/2026

MAY 22, 2026: CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Today, Zimbabwe proudly joins the rest of the global community in commemorating the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). Observed every year on May 22nd, this United Nations-sanctioned day is a powerful reminder of our profound connection to the natural world and our collective responsibility to safeguard the delicate web of life that sustains us.

The global theme for 2026"Acting Locally for Global Impact", perfectly captures the essence of our environmental mission. It highlights a fundamental truth: the grand global targets to halt and reverse nature loss can only be achieved through concrete, grassroots action right here at home.

The History: How This Day Began
The roots of this observance trace back to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, a historic gathering where world leaders recognized that human activity was altering ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. On May 22, 1992, the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was officially adopted.
To honor this milestone, the UN General Assembly proclaimed May 22nd as the International Day for Biological Diversity. It serves as an annual platform to elevate global awareness, review our conservation milestones, and re-mobilize societies to protect global ecosystems.

Why Biodiversity Matters
Biodiversity is not just about counting beautiful animals and rare plants; it is the infrastructure that supports all life on Earth.
✳️The Air and Water We Rely On: Forests filter our air, wetlands purify our water, and intact ecosystems regulate our global climate.
✳️Food Security: A significant proportion of the world’s populations rely on biodiversity for their food, medicine, and daily livelihoods.
✳️Economic Stability: Healthy ecosystems drive sustainable industries, prevent natural disasters, and act as our greatest buffers against the worst impacts of climate change. When biodiversity fails, human health and economies follow.

🌏Acting Locally: Our Commitment
Our commitment to the global Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is practiced in our local communities. Through preserving our local wetlands, adopting sustainable agricultural practices, switching to clean energy alternatives, and supporting community-led conservation such as Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), local Zimbabwean actions are creating a massive, positive global ripple effect.

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! 🇿🇼💚

United Nations Biodiversity

21/05/2026

Earlier today, the Minister of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife, Honourable Evelyn Ndlovu, delivered a powerful press statement from Victoria Falls Rainforest, to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB)!

Commemorated globally on the 22nd of May each year, this day was proclaimed by the United Nations to foster global awareness and action for our planet's vital ecosystems. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), May 22nd marks the historic adoption of the text of the Convention in 1992. This year’s global theme, "Acting Locally for Global Impact," reminds us that halting biodiversity loss depends entirely on a "whole-of-society" approach, connecting grassroots, local initiatives directly to the 23 global targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

Zimbabwe is stepping up to the challenge! Our rich natural heritage forms the backbone of our economy, culture, and climate resilience. Minister Ndlovu highlighted key national strides and legal transformations paving the way forward:

Robust Legal & Policy Frameworks

✅️Revised Parks and Wildlife Act [Chapter 20:14]: Modernizing wildlife protection, pollution control, and sustainable resource utilization.
✅️3rd National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) & National Wildlife Policy: Cabinet-approved roadmaps aligning national conservation directly with global targets.
✅️Community Empowerment: Strengthening the CAMPFIRE programme to enhance community-based natural resource management, generate sustainable livelihoods, and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Key Achievements

✅️Protected Areas: Proudly expanding and maintaining conservation areas covering more than 20% of Zimbabwe's land surface.
✅️Wetlands Leadership: Hosted the historic The Convention on Wetlands CoP15 in Victoria Falls, last year. Zimbabwe is utilizing its CoP Presidency to push for global funding for wetlands as biodiversity hotspots.
✅️Species Protection: Ground-level actions continue to preserve endangered icons like the Black Rhino and African Elephant.

Driving the Biodiversity Economy

Under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2) and Vision 2030, the biodiversity economy is targeted to contribute 10% to our GDP by 2030. We are actively developing "quick wins" across 5 critical pillars:

1️⃣ Wildlife 🐾
2️⃣ Forestry 🌳
3️⃣ Blue Economy 💧
4️⃣ Biotrade & Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) 🍃
5️⃣ Payment for Ecosystem Services 🔄

📢 Coming Soon:
Zimbabwe will host its inaugural Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Indaba later this year to unify government, private sectors, international partners, and local communities under a shared roadmap!

"Let us protect our biodiversity for our posterity and prosperity." Hon. Dr. E. Ndlovu.

21/05/2026

to last week's meeting with EU Ambassador Katrin Hagemann! Partnering under the Global Gateway Strategy & NaturAfrica Programme to drive green growth.

20/05/2026

The Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Honourable Evelyn Ndlovu, urged partners to align conservation and development ambitions with a coherent, nationally owned financing framework as she opened the Zimbabwe Strategic Plan of Action for Conservation and Ecosystem Stewardship (SPACES) Funder's Roundtable in Victoria Falls today.

Speaking to government, funders, NGOs, and community representatives, the Minister said that fragmentation and lack of resources, remain the main barrier to impact. She called for a SPACES Plan for Zimbabwe that integrates conservation, development and community priorities across all six TFCAs, and aligns with National Development Strategy 2, Vision 2030, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, SDGs and AU Agenda 2063.

The Minister outlined Zimbabwe’s biodiversity economy initiative under NDS2, built on five pillars: wildlife, forestry, blue economy, biotrade/ABS, and payment for ecosystem services. She announced plans for an inaugural Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Indaba later this year and invited partners to support quick wins under each pillar.

She stressed that communities must be at the centre, with governance arrangements, equitable benefit-sharing, and livelihood investments that strengthen legitimacy and reduce conflict. To funders, she proposed a mix of instruments: a Zimbabwe window in regional TFCA facilities, hybrid co-financing, legacy landscape platforms, carbon finance, and green bonds, all tailored to governance realities.

The roundtable is convened by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife in partnership with ZimParks, the KAZA Secretariat, SPACES Secretariat and KfW. Day 2 discussions focused on identifying feasible financing mechanisms and mapping current flows to define the next steps for structured implementation.

19/05/2026

The Zimbabwe Funders’ Roundtable on Biodiversity and Sustainable Development has kicked off in Victoria Falls!

Convened by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, in partnership with Zimparks and the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area - KAZA TFCA Secretariat, with support from Campaign for Nature and KfW, this landmark gathering unites over 80 conservationists, policymakers, and funders to secure Zimbabwe’s ecological future.

Running from May 19–21, 2026, the focus is transition from short-term funding to full implementation of the SPACES programme through long-term, coordinated financing frameworks.

🟩 Core Objectives & Expected Outputs:
Delegates are working toward an actionable 5-to-10-year roadmap to reduce fragmented or duplicate initiatives:

✅ A Shared Vision: Developing a "Value of Nature" assessment and a unified national conservation vision.
✅ Actionable Strategy: Creating a costed implementation plan, a prioritized investment pipeline, and a sustainable financing roadmap.
✅ Radical Alignment: Building airtight coordination between government, donors, NGOs, communities, and the private sector.
🟩 Agreed Strategic Direction:
Participants have aligned around crucial pillars for the country's biodiversity economy:
✅ Protecting core landscapes and scaling successful conservation models.
✅ Strengthening community stewardship, ensuring human-wildlife conflict solutions stay central to planning.
✅ Diversifying finance into innovative, blended structures to break traditional donor dependence.
✅ Integrating conservation directly into broader national development planning.
The momentum is building to turn strategy into sustainable, long-term survival for our wild spaces. Stay tuned for more updates!

ifaw, WWF Zimbabwe, Wildlife Conservation Action, BirdLife Zimbabwe Environmental Management Agency, Forestry Commission Zimbabwe

19/05/2026

19/05/2026

Happy birthday to our Permanent Secretary, Mr. Simon Masanga.

19/05/2026

An excerpt from yesterday's courtesy call by the Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

Honourable Evelyn Ndlovu
Mr. Simon Masanga

18/05/2026

Honourable Evelyn Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, and Permanent Secretary Mr. Simon Masanga met with South Korean Ambassador Amb. Park Jae Kyung today to strengthen cooperation on reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change impacts.

The discussion also focused on the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)-funded initiative, “Climate Action for the Last Mile: Reaching the Most Vulnerable Children in Zimbabwe.”

This 2-year project, which is currently running until April 2027, is a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe, UNICEF, and KOICA. It aims to:

1. Boost climate resilience by providing climate-smart WASH, health, nutrition, education, and protection services through inclusive, low-carbon solutions.

2. ⁠Enhance climate policy and finance to improve legal frameworks, funding access, and institutional capacity for child-focused climate action.

The project prioritizes giving children a voice in climate policy and governance, ensuring that no child is left behind in Zimbabwe’s climate response.

18/05/2026

As part of our commitment to delivering efficient, inclusive, and impactful services, the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife is conducting a Client Satisfaction Survey. This initiative is designed to gather valuable feedback from you; our stakeholders, to help us improve how we communicate, engage, and deliver on our mandate.

Your insights will directly inform our efforts to promote environmental stewardship and strengthen climate resilience across the nation. Whether you are a partner in the private sector, civil society, or community, your feedback helps us shape a more responsive and trusted Ministry.

How can you help?
Participate: Take a few minutes to complete the survey below.

Share: Pass this link along to your networks to ensure every voice is heard.

Impact: Your feedback directly supports our mission to build a sustainable and prosperous future for all.

Complete the Survey Here: 🔗 [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbo2tDHNyUS9cL491cqtCaYvIAKAb1EaD-3iikJ93v3y_jBQ/viewform]

17/05/2026

The Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Zimbabwe and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), hosted the Launch and Inception workshop for a 2-year Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project entitled, "Advancing Zimbabwe's Climate Resilience and Low Emissions Development" in Harare, on the 15th of May 2026.

The USD 853,570 Readiness project aims to strengthen Zimbabwe's climate resilience and low emission development pathways through conducting a Climate Technology Needs Assessment, enhancing private sector engagement in climate action, development of a climate change projects pipeline and strengthening institutional coordination.

The project aligns with Zimbabwe's Vision 2030, National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Climate Change Policy Frameworks, specifically the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) and National Adaptation Plan commitments.

The event brought together government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society, research and academia, youths, and other stakeholders to discuss the project's scope, objectives, expected outcomes, and governance structure. The workshop also validated the project's Annual Work Plan for Year 1 and established mutual monitoring, evaluation, and accountability frameworks.