Restoring Zimbabwe’s river systems
Zimbabwe’s rivers are the backbone of its water security, agricultural productivity and ecological health. Yet across major catchments, decades of streambank cultivation, sand extraction, deforestation and poor watershed governance have left river systems heavily degraded –widening channels, increasing sediment loads, reducing water quality and destabilising communities that depend on these corridors for survival.
CarbCred Africa is implementing a structured, five-year National River Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration Programme to reverse this degradation at scale – using nature-based solutions, community stewardship and targeted catchment restoration across four strategic provinces.
Why this matters
Degraded rivers cost Zimbabwe in ways that compound over time. Sedimentation blocks irrigation infrastructure. Eroded banks undermine farmland. Poor water quality affects livestock, crops, and household use. Wetland loss removes natural flood buffers. And ecological decline reduces biodiversity, weakens ecosystem services and erodes long-term climate resilience.
Rehabilitation is not a conservation luxury – it is critical natural infrastructure investment with direct relevance to food security, rural livelihoods and national climate adaptation.
The key issues the programme addresses:
Our approach
The programme is built around three integrated delivery components that treat both the visible symptoms of river degradation and the upstream drivers that continue to undermine river health.
River rehabilitation
Riparian buffer restoration, bank stabilisation, wetland protection, erosion control structures (gabions, check dams) and sediment reduction across priority corridors.
Community stewardship
Partnering with communities, traditional leadership and community river stewardship committees, supporting behaviour change programmes, alternative livelihoods and water systems (Irrigation schemes & Boreholes).
Catchment restoration
Assisted natural regeneration, indigenous tree planting, gully reclamation, contour bunds, grassland restoration, tree nurseries and small water harvesting structures across degraded upstream landscapes.
Monitoring & verification
GIS mapping, water quality testing, drone surveillance, ecological baselines and structured reporting to track and verify impact throughout the programme lifecycle.
All activities are implemented in alignment with national environmental regulations and in close collaboration with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), ZINWA, Rural District Councils and traditional leadership structures.
Active Project
Where we work
Mashonaland Central
Mashonaland West
Mashonaland East
Matabeleland South
Partner with us
CarbCred Africa is building a network of technically capable, environmentally committed partners to support delivery on the ground. We are seeking contractors and organisations that can contribute field operations, rehabilitation works, equipment, logistics and community engagement support within our active provinces.
Partners operate within a structured programme framework aligned to national environmental regulations, EMA compliance requirements and CarbCred Africa’s community stewardship standards.
We are seeking partners who
- Have operational capacity to support field-based rehabilitation works
- Are committed to environmental compliance and responsible practices
- Can work collaboratively within a structured programme and reporting framework
- Have relevant experience in river works, civil engineering, community engagement or ecological restoration
- Hold valid company registration
Partnership enquiry form
CarbCred Africa is committed to building high-integrity, environmentally responsible restoration programmes that deliver long-term impact for communities and ecosystems across Zimbabwe.