COP16: Although some wetlands sequester more carbon than rainforests, they remain unprotected

One type of wetland is peatlands, which include bogs and swamps. Although they cover only 3% of the planet's surface, these ecosystems store twice as much carbon as all the world's tropical forests, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Yet the protection of these and other inland aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, estuaries, swamps and rice fields, remains an issue on which the world is lagging behind.

As explained by Martha Rojas, former Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (known as the Ramsar Convention) and current Executive Secretary of the International Whaling Commission, the scientific community now recognizes that these biomes are critical not only for combating climate change due to their significant carbon sequestration capacity, but also for their role in water management, biodiversity protection, and provision of resources to communities.  

Simple examples such as the water filtration provided by the páramos that supply Bogotá, the provision of food (such as fish) by the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, or the shelter for birds and other animals provided by the La Cocha lagoon in Nariño, demonstrate how vital these ecosystems are to the daily lives of communities and to the future of nature.

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But the biggest challenge today, experts say, is that many of these areas around the world remain unprotected and most people are unaware of their importance. "What has been observed over the years is that these ecosystems perform essential functions. They also provide economic services: they are used for consumption and energy production. Wetlands act like sponges, holding and releasing water, making them essential for preventing floods and droughts. They also clean and filter pollutants and, in some places, can be used to improve water quality. No one can deny that water is important, but it is an extremely scarce resource," he said.

According to the scientist, who headed the convention responsible for promoting the protection of these ecosystems worldwide, wetlands are also key to preventing extreme climate events, as 90% of natural disasters are water-related. But she says few countries are currently concerned about protecting them.

According to Rojas, even within the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is organizing COP16 to protect biodiversity, wetlands have not yet reached the level of importance they deserve. "The conservation and restoration of aquatic biodiversity is essential to achieve the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Framework (to be reviewed this year at COP16 in Cali). Without wetlands, there is no water, and without water, there is no life. The whole biodiversity agenda depends on ensuring that the aquatic biodiversity agenda is no longer delayed," she stressed.  

In this regard, the scientist identified six challenges that must be addressed today to ensure the integrity of wetlands: creating an ambitious agenda for the restoration of freshwater ecosystems; addressing the causes of wetland loss; integrating wetland conservation into the development agenda; strengthening data and monitoring, i.e. creating a global wetland inventory; promoting the implementation of actions on the ground through legal frameworks; and finally, promoting community participation and empowerment.

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"Loss of wetlands is never news. Forest loss is news, but wetland loss is never news. Resources and commitments need to be mobilized at different levels. Biodiversity and water are two elements that are completely cross-cutting to all the goals of the Kunming Montreal Framework," the expert added. 

In this context, Carlos Rodríguez, director of the Tropenbos Colombia Foundation, emphasized that the protection of aquatic biodiversity in continental areas requires the of communities, as is the case with other highly important ecosystems. According to the expert, in areas such as the Amazon Basin, traditional knowledge must work in synergy with Western scientific knowledge and institutions for the conservation of fishery resources.

"Communities here play a fundamental role as active participants in fisheries management. Colombian legislation has made significant progress in recognizing and validating fishing agreements made by communities with resolutions from fisheries authorities. This is a good step, but more progress is needed to make communities environmental stewards of these resources," said Rodríguez.  

For the expert, another area in which the country has made progress is the recognition of several rivers as legal entities with rights, a globally novel legal measure that strengthens efforts to protect river basins through legislation. "This is crucial because it recognizes the needs of the river itself - the need to flow, to expand and to remain healthy. At the same time, it recognizes bioculturality: the relationship that communities have developed over time with aquatic territories and their practices for caring for them, which can facilitate their long-term participation," the researcher said.

On this point, Mariana Varesse, coordinator of the WCS Amazon Waters Program, emphasized the importance of shared learning and knowledge in conserving the Amazon. This is something the program has leveraged, for example, by using data and citizen science records in remote areas to understand the state of biodiversity.

Finally, biologist and director of the Natura Foundation, Clara Solano, stressed the need for urgent global action, as the loss of wetlands could have serious consequences for human well-being and negatively affect communities, countries and businesses.

"I think there are two very clear examples that help to introduce this issue: a city like Bogotá currently has a water resource problem despite being surrounded by a system of upland wetlands (páramos), and we have been forced to reevaluate our relationship with water because our system is struggling to meet the needs of a growing city. A second example is the FAO report that came out a few weeks ago, which revealed a figure on the degradation of biodiversity associated with inland freshwater ecosystems: for the first time, more than 50% of the fishery resources consumed by society, 51%, come from aquaculture systems and 49% from fishing," Solano emphasized.

EDWIN CAICEDO

Environment and health journalist

@CaicedoUcros