World Wetlands Day: Historical agreement a bolster to South Africa’s wetlands

World Wetlands Day: Historical agreement a bolster to South Africa’s wetlands

February marks World Wetlands Day, and this year conservationists have something to celebrate – the world’s wetlands will now be given an extra layer of protection thanks to a landmark environmental agreement signed late last year.

The historic agreement was reached at the UN 15th Biodiversity Conference of the Parties in Montreal, Canada in December. Supported by 196 countries, the agreement seeks to protect 30% of our land, coastal areas, and oceans before 2030.

RAISING AWARENESS OF WETLANDS

World Wetlands Day is commemorated annually on 2 February on the anniversary of the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in 1971.

South Africa is one of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention). South Africa signed the Ramsar Convention at its inception. The membership was formalised in 1975 when South Africa became the fifth country to ratify the Convention. One of the obligations of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention is to commemorate World Wetlands Day.

South Africa is a water-scarce country, where both droughts and floods are common. Wetlands are able to reduce the severity of droughts and floods by regulating stream flow. They also help to purify water. This allows for ecosystems, plants, and animals to flourish. Wetlands play an important part in river catchments both directly and indirectly by contributing to flooding control, drought relief, water storage, sediment and nutrient retention, and water purification, among others.

However, a lack of community awareness of the value and benefits of wetlands often leads to their transformation by humans. The country also faces the challenge of tackling polluted waterways.

Wetlands are considered one of the world’s most productive ecosystems

Wetlands play a critical role in improving water quality, by removing toxic substances and sediment from the water.

AGAINST BIODIVERSITY DEGRADATION

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), held in Montreal in December, resulted in the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) on the last day of negotiations. The GBF aims to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights. The plan includes concrete measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.

The agreement also brings with its targets to protect critically important ecosystems such as rainforests and wetlands.

The GBF consists of four overarching global goals to protect nature:

• Halting human-induced extinction of threatened species

• Sustainable use and management of biodiversity

• Fair sharing of the benefits of the utilization of genetic resources

• The means of implementing the GBF be accessible to all Parties, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

The agreement has been welcomed by Wetlands International, as wetlands are “disproportionately important for biodiversity”.

Wetlands are home to 40% of the world’s biodiversity and provide vital connectivity between land and sea. However, wetlands are being lost faster than any other ecosystem.

At home, the situation is just as dire as on the global stage. Almost half of South Africa’s wetland ecosystem types are critically endangered, and the country has lost around half of its original wetland area. Approximately 300 000 wetlands remain and only around 11% are well protected.

Of South Africa’s 791 wetland ecosystem types, 48% are critically endangered, 12% are endangered, and 5% are vulnerable - making wetlands the most threatened ecosystems of all in South Africa.

Wetlands are considered one of the world’s most productive ecosystems, which is even on par with rainforests. Wetlands provide various foods to several different types of animals and act as a refuge for mammals, insects, fish, amphibians, and birds.

South African wetlands are estimated to comprise less than 5% of the country. However, despite their relatively small size, they are imperative to the surrounding environment.

To protect these critical ecosystems, the South African government embarked on the development of the National Wetland Management Framework (NWMF) in 2020, a process that is still underway. The NWMF is expected to assist with the conservation, preservation, and management of wetlands at a high level.

Wetlands around the world all have something in common: They are essential to rich biodiversity, playing an important role in the lives of humans and animals, and they are also extremely threatened. The latest COP15 agreement is a step towards protecting these essential ecosystems and will be bolstered by increased legislation from the South African government.