Pamela Ntuli writes: It aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. The day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971.
“Wetland action for people and nature” is the theme for World Wetlands Day 2022, and it appeals for investments in the form of financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing, and to restore those already degraded.
Mpumalanga is blessed with both a grass and wetland region, a birding paradise, the Gert Sibande District. Wetlands are also found in the Lowveld, most of which are under threat due to invasion by humans, leading to their degradation.
Did you know that 35% of global wetlands have been lost in last 55 years, while the Mediterranean region has lost 50% of its natural wetlands since 1970? Unfortunately, human beings continue to destroy them.
Managing wetlands is a global challenge. Reaching proper management and protection of these areas requires complex interventions. The first step to protecting these areas is to raise awareness of their characteristics, importance and fragility.
Despite their importance, these areas are often undervalued by communities. Those communities, institutions, NGOs and private sector are fundamental stakeholders. Therefore, effective involvement and participation support collective decision-making for protecting wetlands and securing their sustainable management against future threats.
Conserving wetlands is a complex process that demands a multidisciplinary approach, sharing knowledge and information, strengthening institutional weaknesses, and building capacity and responsibility of all stakeholders to manage and conserve wetlands sustainably. Rivers, lakes, wetlands, the sea, and more generally water, are global assets, not properties of a single country.
They are interconnected. Knowledge and public awareness, inclusivity, cooperation, nature-based solutions and sustainable development, including integrated water resources management, should be part of the framework for tailored management and lasting solutions.
I make a call to every individual in communities to be part of a variety of events aimed at raising awareness such as lectures, seminars, nature walks, children’s art contests, community clean-ups, including participating in radio talk shows and writing newspaper opinion pieces on this subject, as part of their contribution against this scourge.
The bottom line is that we need wetlands, and wetlands need us. Pamela Ntuli is the chief director of environmental affairs in the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs
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