Jaime Webbe, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), emphasized that wetlands are a rich source of biodiversity and provide crucial ecosystem services that are under threat by various factors, including climate change. She outlined the CBD provisions on wetlands and on the cross-cutting issue of biodiversity and climate change, and stressed the need to raise awareness on the importance of wetlands biodiversity for climate change adaptation.
Pieter van Eijk, Wetlands International, underscored that wetlands perform critical services for climate change adaptation, such as: protection from storms and salt water intrusion; storage, regulation and purification of water; erosion control; and flood mitigation. He noted that wetlands degradation magnifies the impacts of climate change and called for the incorporation of wetlands management and restoration into adaptation strategies.
Claude Gascon, Conservation International, said the global freshwater system is under threat and highlighted the linkage between wetlands and human well-being. He called for: improving the understanding of climate impacts on freshwater species; and building the resilience of natural systems and the capacity to create early warning systems of climate change impacts. He presented the work of Conservation International in the Pantanal wetland and in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Basin.
Participants discussed: the role of wetlands in climate change mitigation; the importance of cross-sectoral and regional policies; and the possibility of drafting a code of conduct for wetlands.
More information
http://www.cbd.int
http://www.wetlands.org
http://www.conservation.org
Contacts
Jaime Webbe <jaime.webbe@cbd.int>
Pieter van Eijk <pieter.vaneijk@wetlands.org>
Claude Gascon <cgascon@conservation.org>
Comments