Everyone of us must have known that February 2^nd is celebrated as World Wetlands Day as this day marks adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The theme for previous years were: Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future- 2018, Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction- 2017, Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods- 2016, Wetlands for our Future- 2015, Wetlands and agriculture- 2014, Wetlands and water management- 2013, Wetlands and tourism-2012 and Wetlands and forests -2011.

The theme for the year 2019 is Wetlands and Climate Change.  In this report I will be discussing how wetland as natural solution to climate change and how should we protect it.  Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life.

Wetlands and ClimateChange

IGO Statement to UNFCCC COP23 on behalf of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands says Wetlands are the planet’s most effective carbon sinks and represent unrealised potential for climate mitigation. Peatlands are particularly important; they store twice as much carbon as the entire world’s forest biomass. Coastal wetlands - mangroves, tidal flats and seagrass beds – now being referred to as “blue carbon ecosystems” also play an important role in carbon sequestration. Wetlands provide buffers against sea level rise and storm surges, and reduce the impacts of floods, droughts and cyclones.

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment compared the carbon sequestration potential of a handful of marine ecosystems and found that mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows have the greatest impact on being as solution to climate change.

Wetlands are a natural solution. Wetlands naturally absorb and store carbon Peatlands, mangroves, and seagrass store vast amounts of carbon. Peatlands cover about 3% of our planet’s land and store approximately 30% of all landbased carbon. Wetlands They reduce the intensity of waves, storm surges, and tsunamis, shielding the 60% of humanity who lives and works along coastlines from flooding, property damage and loss of life.

Wetland Preservation

We must conserve and restore our wetlands. Wetland although being so much important to us, 64% of the world’s wetlands have been lost in the last century. We continue to lose wetlands, at the rate of 1% per year, which is faster than the rate of deforestation.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty with 169 Contracting Parties, provides a ready platform for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and to contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement ambition and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

We must Restore, Conserve and make wise utilization. We shouldn’t drain, build building and structures over them and degrade our wetlands.

Let’s protect our Wetlands and cope with climate change.

Reference: https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/documents

https://www.ramsar.org/news/wetlands-crucial-in-addressing-climate-change-0