环保人士忧心津巴布韦湿地遭破坏

Environmentalists Worry about Zimbabwe Wetlands 环保人士忧心津巴布韦湿地遭破坏

Environmentalists in Zimbabwe are concerned about the building of shopping malls and housing on wetlands. They say the development will affect water supplies in heavily populated areas. Environmentalists say that if the work continues, the city of Harare may face water shortages or will need more money to purify its water.

Those are sounds from one of the few remaining wetlands near Harare. Unlike other parts of the city, the area is covered with green grass and a few trees.

Officials say more than 250 bird species live in the wetlands. Some of the birds travel there from other parts of the world.

But shopping malls and other buildings now cover much of the wetlands. The population of Harare has grown more than 100 percent over the past 10 years. It is now estimated at more than two million people live in Zimbabwe’s capital. Most of the increase is a result of people moving to the city from rural areas.

Another mall is planned for wetlands in Borrowdale, east of Harare. Jimmy Muropa is a conservation field officer. He worries about this development.

"We are not against any form of development, but what we are basically saying is that those malls or houses should actually be properly sited on higher ground. We are for development but on appropriate ground. Simple."

Scientists say wetlands clean up and store water. The purified water is slowly released into rivers and lakes.

Harare Residents Trust, a community group, says Zimbabwe's water prices are now high because of the destruction of wetlands.

Precious Shumba is head of the trust.

"The monitoring framework is very weak. The Environment Management Agency (EMA) does not follow laid down procedures when it comes to approval of buildings. There is so much corruption¹. There is no monitoring. The only relief that is available to EMA and the council is to charge penalties for violations². But they are not stopping, meaning to say that our wetlands will continue to go."

The Environment Management Agency is a government group. Its job is to guarantee sustainable use of the environment in Zimbabwe. Steady Kangata is a spokesman for the agency. He says the group was trying to share information about the importance of not building on wetlands. He denies that Harare does little to enforce wetlands laws.

"Zimbabwe laws are very comprehensive when it comes to wetlands. We are part of the Ramsar Convention pertaining³ to the proper utilization⁴ of wetlands. We have even gone further to domesticate⁵ the provisions of the Ramsar Convention. Wetlands are protected areas. But in the urban sector⁶ there is pressure for infrastructural⁷ development. "

Conservationist Dorothy Wakeling says the wetlands are important areas that cannot be destroyed.

"These wetlands are our only source of water. If we take all our wetlands of Harare, we are taking away our water source. What are we going to do for replenishing streams and rivers that feed into dam?"

But the demand for land for housing, businesses and offices continues to increase.

Words in this Story

comprehensive – adj. including many, most, or all things

conservation – n. protection of animals, plants, and natural resources or to prevent the loss or waste of natural resources

sector – n. an area of an economy; a part of an economy that includes certain kinds of jobs

shopping mall – n. a large building or group of buildings with many different stores

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

3 pertaining   

与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to)

参考例句：

• Living conditions are vastly different from those pertaining in their country of origin. 生活条件与他们祖国大不相同。
• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school. 视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。

4 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

5 domesticate   

vt.驯养；使归化，使专注于家务

参考例句：

• Many thousand years ago people learned how to domesticate animals.数千年以前人们就学会了饲养动物。
• If you domesticate this raccoon,it will have trouble living in the wild.如果你驯养这只浣熊，它生活在野外将会有困难。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 infrastructural   

adj.基础结构的基础设施的

参考例句：

• Must increase the investment dynamics unceasingly, strengthens the countryside infrastructural facilities. 要不断加大投入力度，加强农村基础设施建设。 来自互联网
• In the 1980s, India started with some infrastructural advantages over China. 1980年代，印度在某些基础设施方面优于中国。 来自互联网