ISSUE 48/DEC2022 - Flipbook - Page 53
Environmental
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PUBLIC SERVICE
Conservationist | Climate Champion
“
The importance of wetlands and the duty of managing
them is crucial, and so is Dr Mumba’s role.
Wetlands — according to a Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands of which
Dr Mumba is the newly appointed Secretary
General — are vital for human survival, and
are indispensable for the countless benefits
or ecosystem services that they provide
humanity, ranging from freshwater supply,
food and building materials, biodiversity; to
flood control, groundwater recharge, and
climate change mitigation. Yet studies show
that wetland area and quality continue to
decline in most regions of the world. As a
result, the ecosystem services that wetlands
provide to people are compromised.
The importance of wetlands and the
responsibility of managing them is critical,
and therefore inarguably so is the role
Dr Mumba is tasked with as Secretary
General of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
It was back in 1998 when she had her first
experience in the field when she interned
at the Convention on Wetlands for Africa
Region. Twenty-four years later, in October
2022, she returned as the Secretary General
of the Convention on Wetlands — which is
based in Gland Switzerland.
Holder of a BSc. Ed from University of
Zambia and a PhD from University College
London in Wetland Conservation and
Hydrology, Dr Mumba is an accomplished
and dedicated environment and climate
conservationist and comes into her current
role with over 25 years of proven experience.
A former UN Diplomat, she spent over
12 years at the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) working on
climate change adaptation and diverse
environmental issues linked to nature-based
Solutions.
She worked in senior roles on issues related
to Landscape Ecosystems Management,
Climate Change, Restoration, Conservation
and Sustainable Development.
In 2021 she joined the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) as the
Director of the Rome Centre for Sustainable
Development supporting the Italian
G20 Presidency. She later took on the role
of Senior Advisor for the UN Decade on
Ecosystem Restoration.
Prior to joining the UN, she worked for
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the
Zambian Government.
In 2019 she chaired the Global Partnership
on Forest and Landscape Restoration
(GPFLR) and in 2021, she was the Vice-Chair
for the Collaborative Partnership on Forests
(CPF). She is currently, also a Visiting Senior
Research Fellow at the Perry World House
(PWH) of University of Pennsylvania and
Honorary Senior Research Associate at
University College London (UCL).
Dr Mumba is also the Founder of the
Network of African Women Environmentalists
(NAWE). She also publishes regularly in
scientific journals and has contributed to
book chapters as well as news media.
And her dedication and work in the field
has not gone unnoticed. Among other
accolades, in March this year during
International Women’s Day celebrations, s
he was named by the Global Landscape
Forum (GLF) as one of the 16 women from
across the world, who are restoring the
planet today.
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