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COP16: Why we must care for the planet's ecosystems

Logo del proyecto Cop16 Portada Especial El Tiempo

The need to protect ecosystems

Although some wetlands capture more carbon than forests, they remain unprotected

Experts highlighted the risks if urgent action is not taken to conserve these floodable ecosystems.

Peatlands are a type of wetland that includes paramos 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 Program. Yet the protection of these and other inland aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, estuaries, swamps and rice fields, is an area in which the world is lagging behind.

This was one of the main conclusions of the session "Inland Aquatic Biodiversity. The lagging agenda", the sixth meeting of the "Biodiversity Connection" forums, a series of pre-COP16 debates organized by the National Environmental Forum and the Ministry of Environment, in alliance with different actors such as EL TIEMPO, the Swedish Embassy in Colombia and UNDP, among others.

According to 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 world is now aware that these types of biomes are key in the fight against climate change, not only because of their great capacity to sequester carbon, but also because of their role in water management, biodiversity protection and providing resources for communities.

Simple examples, such as the filtration of water consumed in Bogotá by wetlands, 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 Cocha Lagoon in Nariño, show how important they are to the daily lives of communities and to the future of nature.

Wetland. Las Garzas Ecopark during Wetlands Day.PHOTO Archivo ET

The great challenge today, however, according to experts, is that many of these areas in the world are unprotected and the vast majority of people are unaware of their importance. "What we have seen over the years is that these are ecosystems that have essential functions. They also have economic services: they are used for consumption and for energy. Wetlands act as sponges, holding and releasing water, which makes them important 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 say that water is not important, but it is an extremely scarce resource," he said.

According to the scientist, who chaired the convention responsible for promoting the protection of this type of ecosystem around the world, wetlands are also key to preventing extreme weather events, as 90% of natural disasters are water-related. Today, however, only a few countries are concerned about their protection, she said.

"If these ecosystems have been lost, it is not because nothing has been done. What has happened is that much of the work that has been done has been done in the context of a community that is convinced that wetlands are fundamental, but has not looked outward," the expert said.

According to Rojas, even the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is organizing COP16 to protect biodiversity, has not been able to give wetlands the importance they deserve. "The conservation and restoration of aquatic biodiversity is fundamental to achieving the goals of the Kunming Montreal Framework (which will 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 this aquatic biodiversity agenda not being left behind," she said.

In this regard, the scientist identified six challenges that must be addressed today to ensure the integrity of wetlands: developing 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 inventory of wetlands; promoting the implementation of actions on the ground through legal frameworks; and finally, promoting the participation and empowerment of communities.

"Wetland loss is never news. Loss of forests is news, but loss of wetlands is never news. Resources and commitments need to be mobilized at different levels. Biodiversity and water are two elements that cut across all the goals of the Kunming Montreal Framework," the expert added.

In this sense, Carlos Rodríguez, Director of the Tropenbos Colombia Foundation, emphasized that in order to protect aquatic biodiversity located in continental areas, as in other highly important ecosystems, it is essential to have the of communities. According to the expert, in places like the Amazon basin, traditional knowledge must work in synergy with Western scientific knowledge and the institutional framework for the conservation of fishery resources.

For example, Rodríguez points out that indigenous communities in the Amazon have taxonomic and classification systems, as well as extensive and detailed knowledge of the hundreds of fish species that inhabit the various basins. They also understand the seasonality and behavior of the ecosystems, which makes it possible to take advantage of them without compromising the ecosystem's ability to provide.

"The communities here have a fundamental role as active actors in fisheries management. In this regard, Colombian legislation has made significant progress in recognising and endorsing community fishing agreements with resolutions from the fisheries authorities. This is a good step, but we need to do more to turn communities into environmental managers of these resources," says Rodríguez.

One point on which the country has also made progress, according to the expert, is the recognition of several rivers as the subject of rights, a novel legal measure at the global level, which allows for the improvement of conservation actions of the basins from the legislation. "This is fundamental because it recognises the needs of the river itself. The need to flow, to spread, to be healthy and sound. And at the same time it recognises bioculturality: the relationship that communities have built up over time with water areas and their management practices, which can facilitate their participation over time," says the researcher.

La La Cocha lagoon is one of the most visited destinations in Nariño. More and more properties are being acquired for summer homes or for tourist purposes. Experts and farmers report that deforestation has affected the neighboring moors. PHOTO: Andrés Felipe Cabrera

On this point, Mariana Varesse, coordinator of the WCS Amazon Waters Programme, stressed the importance of shared learning and knowledge in conserving the Amazon. For example, the programme uses data and records from collaborative science in remote areas to learn about the state of biodiversity.

This year, a few months ago, a number of scientific colleagues carried out an analysis of this data, which was not collected using traditional scientific methods but based on input from various people, mainly fishermen, and showed that the data were consistent with previous literature and even extended the known ranges of some key species," she said. In other words, community involvement and collaborative science made a significant contribution," she said.

Finally, biologist and director of the Fundación Natura, Clara Solano, stressed the need for urgent global action, as the loss of wetlands can have serious consequences for human well-being and negative impacts on communities, countries and businesses.

"I think there are two very clear examples that allow us to introduce the issue: a city like Bogota currently has a problem with water resources, despite being surrounded by a series of high mountain wetlands (páramos), and we have been forced to reassess our relationship with water because our system has problems with what it offers to a city that is growing. And a second example is the FAO report that came out a few weeks ago, which gave data on the degradation of biodiversity associated with freshwater inland aquatic ecosystems, and for the first time more than 50% of the fishery resources consumed by society as a whole, 51%, come from aquaculture systems and 49% from fishing," Solano pointed out.

EDWIN CAICEDO

Periodista de medioambiente y salud

@CaicedoUcros

UNDERSTANDING COP16

What are environmental crimes?

These are all criminal acts against natural resources, fauna, flora and ecosystems. According to Law 2111 of 2021, species trafficking, deforestation, illegal appropriation of territories, illegal mining, hunting and fishing, and pollution are prohibited and punishable in Colombia. Those found guilty can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

What are Ramsar sites?

These wetlands are considered internationally important because they are aquatic ecosystems with a high concentration of biodiversity and are vital for biological functions. They are included in the Ramsar List, named after the Iranian town where the convention to protect these sites was signed in 1971.

What are genetic resources?

The Convention on Biological Diversity has defined genetic resources as any material of plant, animal or microbial origin containing functional units of heredity or genes and having actual or potential value. They are any type of genetic material of seeds, animals, invertebrates, micro-organisms and aquatic species that contain functional units of a specific gene. For example, the ability of a plant to treat a disease or to be used in the production of a medicine is a genetic resource.

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Infografías Infographics

These charts are in their original Spanish version.

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Países que firmaron el Protocolo de Nagoya Countries that signed the Nagoya Protocol

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Colombia, potencia mundial de plantas Colombia, world power of plants.

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Humedales en Colombia Wetlands in Colombia

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Aumento de la temperatura en el mundo Global temperature increase

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Cómo funcionan los 'ríos voladores' How 'flying rivers' work

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Cambios en coberturas naturales Changes in natural cover

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Objetivos de Kunming-Montreal Kunming-Montreal Goals

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Triple crisis planetaria Triple planetary crisis

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Las zonas de la COP16 COP16 zones

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Pérdida de biodiversidad Drivers of biodiversity loss

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Alteraciones en los ecosistemas Changes in global biodiversity

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Contribucion Naturaleza How nature helps people

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.

Deforestación en Amazonia Deforestation in the Amazon

In print

De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
De a poco, la deforestación va destruyendo el bosque virgen de la Amazonia, sin que nada pueda frenarla.
imagen donde se muestra el zoom

CREDITS

Editorial concept and graphic design: David Alejandro López Bermúdez, Sandra Rojas, Daniel Celis, Norman Jaimes, Dany Valderrama, Luis Eduardo Jiménez, Katherine Orjuela, Juan Felipe Murillo, Sebastián Márquez. Infografía y Datos: Diseño EL TIEMPO Writers: Edwin Caicedo, Laura García, Carolina Bohórquez, Antonio Minota, Alejandra López, Mateo Chacón.  Video and live broadcasts:Juan Carlos Gómez, Juan David Cuevas, Daniel López, Sergio Medina and Carlos Forero.   Photographs: César Melgarejo, Juan Pablo Rueda and Santiago Saldarriaga. New contents editor: Aura Saavedra. Editora de nuevos contenidos: Aura Saavedra. Editor of Life topics: Camilo Peña. General Editor of EL TIEMPO:Ernesto Cortés.

Special coverage between September 2 and November 2, 2024.

According to the criteria of

logo de Trust Project More information

How is this journalistic special produced?

Since Cali was confirmed as the venue for COP16, EL TIEMPO has been covering all the preparations and decisions for the event. And it will continue to do so in the weeks leading up to the event, during its development and in the aftermath of its decisions.  

The multimedia coverage was unveiled on Monday, September 2, and will continue daily for at least two months. In the print pages and digital platforms, people will be able to find all the information related to this summit, exclusive interviews, analysis and special reports. In addition, a high graphic content, with explanations, data and X-rays that give an of the current situation of biodiversity in Colombia and the planet, the challenges for how humanity acts and what is being done to preserve and conserve fauna, flora and ecosystems.

The information comes from official sources involved in the development of the event, such as the Ministries of Environment, Culture and Foreign Affairs, the Mayor's Office of Cali and the Governor's Office of Valle del Cauca, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

From October 21st to November 1st, a 15-member multimedia news team will be responsible for covering the Summit events, the dialogues between the heads of state and the delegations of the participating countries, and the parallel activities that will take place. In addition, an exclusive e-mail newsletter will provide ed s with first-hand, confirmed and updated information.

Referencias

Convention on Biological Diversity https://www.cbd.int/

COP16 Colombia, official website https://www.cop16colombia.com/es/

UN Environment Program https://www.unep.org/es

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia https://www.minambiente.gov.co/

Ministry of Culture of Colombia https://www.mincultura.gov.co/

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/

Mayor's Office of Cali https://www.cali.gov.co/

Center for Sustainable Development Goals, Universidad de Los Andes https://cods.uniandes.edu.co/

National Network of Open Data on Biodiversity (SiB) https://biodiversidad.co/

Biodiversity Reports and Collections, Humboldt Institute http://reporte.humboldt.org.co/ biodiversidad/

BBC Earth collections and reports https://www.bbcearth.com/

BirdLife International https://datazone.birdlife.org/ country