IN a bold initiative to promote sustainable tourism practices and wetland conservation, local youths have embarked on a walkathon from Harare to Victoria Falls, ahead of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) set for the resort city next week.

The journey has begun for youths partaking in the Ramsar Walkathon that will end in the resort city of Victoria Falls, where Zimbabwe is set to host COP15 from July 23 until the 31st.

The initiative serves to raise awareness on the importance of wetlands, with the walkathon team set to engage communities along the way.

“As Zimbabwe youths in tourism, we are going to have an 800km walkathon from Harare to Victoria falls aimed at raising awareness on wetlands preservation. We will arrive on the 23rd, which is also the day when COP 15 starts,” Steward Mutizwa said.

The government says environmental and wetlands conservation is a collective responsibility.

“We want to thank our youths for this initiative. Wetlands are important, and this is being done by the youth who are the generation for tomorrow. It means enough education has been done in environmental issues. This signifies the importance of the Ramsar convention, which talks about the importance of the environment,” Harare Metropolitan Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Cosmas Chiringa said.

The initiative is a build-up to COP15 and features activities, which include wetland visits and community engagement.