Wetlands, amongst the world’s most economically valuable ecosystems and essential regulators of the global climate, are disappearing three times faster than forests, says Global Wetland Outlook by the Ramsar Convention, a globally treaty ratified by 170 countries to protect wetlands and promote their wise use.
“Wetlands, amongst the world’s most economically valuable ecosystems and essential regulators of the global climate, are disappearing three times faster than forests”, says Global Wetland Outlook by the Ramsar Convention, the oldest environmental convention, ratified by 170 countries to protect wetlands and promote their wise use.
Wetlands are critical to human and planet life. Directly or indirectly, they provide nearly all global consumption of freshwater. Half of the world’s wetlands are located in the Arctic. More than one billion people depend on them for a living and they are among the most biodiverse ecosystems. Up to 40% of the world’s species live and breed in wetlands, although now more than 25% of all wetlands plants and animals are at risk of extinction.
Peatlands, that account for just 3% of the world’s land surface, store twice as much carbon as forests, playing a pivotal role in delivering
global commitments on climate change, sustainable development and biodiversity. According to IPCC potential additional carbon release from future permafrost thawing and methane release from wetlands of the Artic would reduce budgets by up to 100 GtCO2 over the course of this century and more thereafter (IPCC, 2018).
Integrating efforts of three global agendas on sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and climate change is essential. Wetlands also help reduce disaster risk, draughts, as they mitigate floods, protect coastlines and help to keep the planet cool. Despite their essential role in global climate regulation, wetlands remain undervalued by policy and decision-makers in national plans. Approximately 35% of the world’s wetlands were lost between 1970-2015 and the loss rate is accelerating annually since 2000. The Global wetlands Outlook (GWO) emphasizes the necessity of developing effective wetland management and integrating wetlands into the planning and implementation of national plans on sustainable development, climate change and other key global commitments.
The report also stresses good governance and effective institutions at local, national and regional levels as a crucial factor in preventing, ending, and reversing trends in wetland loss and degradation. The report recommends using existing funding mechanisms to apply economic and financial incentives for communities and business to protect wetlands through tax benefits. Perverse incentives for farmers and business such as subsidies to agriculture that encourage wetland conversion or pollution should be ended.
