Thread by @mentorshipzim

Greeting everyone & happy Friday. Please welcome @LeninChisaira, an environmental and wildife justice lawyer. He is the founder & director of @Advocates4Earth. Lenin will be sharing insights on laws & issues relating to #wildlife & environment in #Zimbabwe. Feel free to ask

Lenin holds an LLB Hons (UZ) and Master of Laws from @UCC, Ireland and University of London. His research mainly focused on climate and environmental justice as well as the interaction of these rights with human rights. #ClimateCrisis ucc.ie/en/law/researc…

Good Morning. It's a pleasure for me to be part of this week's Tourism and Wildlife Week by @mentroshipzim. I will try to be interactive as I share both my journey & also respond to any questions on wildlife & environmental laws. For starters, Wed this week was #WorldElephantDay

MAIN THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
The key threats to the environment and wildlife that we campaign against include:
- Habitat destruction
-Pollution
- Poaching
- #IllegalWildlifeTrade
-Inappropriate introduction of foreign plants & animals (Invasive Alian Species)

The other threats to the environment and wildlife in #Zimbabwe that we monitor at @Advocates4Earth include:

-The expanding mining industry (esp into Hwange & Gonarezhou Nat Parks)
-Monoculture farming by big agrobusiness
- Wildfires
-Urban expansion & wetlands
-Climate crisis

So some may want to know: WHAT IS #EnvironmentalLaw?

Environmental law refers to rules & regulations, agreements, treaties, policies & common law that governs how people interact with the environment.
I will give examples of main local environmental laws in #Zimbabwe next.

Aside: Just 2 more followers and we will reach 10k🍷

1/2: Some of the main environmental & wildlife legislation in Zimbabwe one must be knowledgeable of as an environmentalist/environmental lawyer:
🌳 Constitution of Zimbabwe
🌳Environmental Management Act
🌳Parks & Wildlife Act
🌳Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act
🌳Forest Act

2/2: Some of the main environmental & wildlife legislation in #Zimbabwe one must know as an environmentalist/environmental lawyer:
🌳 Water Act
🌳Communal Lands Forest Produce Act
🌳Rural District Councils Act
🌳 Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act
🌳CPEA
🌳& many more

Did you know?

Environmental Rights are enshrined in the 2013 Constitution of #Zimbabwe.

Sec. 73 provides for the right to an environment that is not harmful to health or well-being & to the protection of the env. for benefit of present & future generations.

@Advocates4Earth

Some of today's issues are covered in this academic article I wrote in the latest University of Zimbabwe Law Journal Vol 2

'Access to Information Laws, Environmental Rights & Public Participation in the Wildlife Sector' by @LeninChisaira

You can find it on the @ZimLII website.

Remember to ask anything about the environment & wildlife.

Next I will be talking about UN/ international environmental processes & how we are involved on the global stage. From experience as an environmental lawyer , @Advocates4Earth as an advocacy org. & #Zimbabwe as a State

Zimbabwe is involved in international environmental & wildlife processes as a result of being signatory to treaties & conventions governing global or bilateral environmental issues , ie, biodiversity, climate change, wildlife trade, desertification , sustainable dev. Etc etc

The main int. environmental treaties to know include:

🌍UNFCCC (#ClimateChange)
🌍Convention on Int. Trade in Endangered Species (#CITES)
🌍Conv. on Biological Diversity (CBD)
🌍Minamata Conv. on Mercury
🌍Ramsar Con. on #Wetlands
🌍UN Conv. to Combat Desertification

In terms of global wildlife policymaking, one of my informative experiences was attending the UN Convention on Int. Trade in Endangered Species #CITES CoP18 in Geneva, Switzerland last year.

There is lot of effort put into debate & negotiations over #wildlife by State parties.

It was a very interactive day today curating @mentorshipzim and sharing insights on environmental and wildlife laws.

For more information, get in touch with me on @LeninChisaira or the organisational handle @Advocates4Earth .

Have a great weekend 🍷.