The 2024 World Wetland Day was celebrated as usual. I was invited into a live connection in “China 24” in CGTN (China Global Television Network) to introduce the importance of wetlands. It is crucial for people to understand the linkage between wetlands and human beings. Meanwhile, some hot topics should also be touched. And I mentioned mangroves.
Here is what I said:
Q1:Can you explain the significance of wetland conservation and the impact of wetlands on the overall ecological environment?
Wetlands play crucial roles in supporting both the environment and human well-being.
Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth. People not only see waterbirds and fish in wetlands, but can also benefit from their rich gene pool, like the hybrid of many crops including rice.
Wetlands are like natural filters, it traps sediments and pollutants from water and helps improve water quality by reducing the levels of nutrients.
Wetlands are our ally in mitigating climate change. They store large amounts of carbon, which help reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In short, protecting the wetlands will enable human beings to better enjoy their ecosystem services.
Q2:What efforts have been made by various countries and the World Wildlife Fund in wetland conservation, and what challenges do they face? What are the future focal points for wetland conservation initiatives?
Most countries around the world recognize the importance of wetlands:
– Global governance wise, most countries ratified Ramsar Convention, the birthday of which became the World Wetlands Day, namely today. WWF is one of the 6 International Organization Partners for Ramsar Convention. We serve as catalyst among stakeholders to restore and manage wetlands.
– Legislation wise, as the Law of Wetland Protection enacted in 2022, China became a champion in wetland legislation. Some other countries also have similar rules. The US has its “Clean Water Act” and the UK has its “Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981”.
– Many countries also took efforts to restore wetlands. In China, the national and all provincial administrations implemented their wetland restoration projects in the last decade. In Europe, a Living Danube Partnership directly contributed to restore vast area of floodplain. In Australia, there are continuous efforts to save the Great Barrier Reef Coastal, which is also a kind of Wetlands.
– I am proud that my colleagues and myself in the WWF network contributed to all these projects in these countries.
All kinds of wetlands are crucial to life and people, but here let me just highlight one kind for future, mangrove. Mangrove is our secret weapon in combatting climate change. Compared to rainforests at same latitudes, mangroves can sequestrate carbon much faster and thus mitigate the climate change. Meanwhile, it is a typical nature-based solution to safeguard the coastal line, so that communities living there won’t be hurt too much during extreme weather events like storm tides.
China is implementing a large scale mangrove restoration plan. It also established the Shenzhen International Mangrove Centre last year. We would observe and create successful stories with China and share the experience with the world.