Wetlands are the source of water for the majority of the world's people, for instance for drink water supply, sanitation, agriculture and food. Wetlands are also key areas for absorbing extreme water flows after heavy rainfall and melting ice water, and for providing water in periods of droughts.
Wetlands are becoming increasingly crucial in the light of climate change as rainfall patterns are expected to change and glacial and permafrost melt will be accelerated due to increasing temperatures.
However, this role is not very well recognised; most development plans and water management schemes do not include wetlands. As a result wetlands are becoming highly degraded and polluted, further contributing to poverty. Wetlands International works globally with communities, governments, river basin organisations, regional economic organisations, NGO's and the water-related private sector to manage and restore wetlands for water and livelihoods.
Millennium Development Goals
To meet the Millennium Development Goals and targets, specifically the ones on combating hunger and providing access to drinking water and sanitation, we must start working on better management of wetlands. Wetlands should therefore not be seen as a luxury for the sake of nature, or as just one of the many important ecosystems. Wetland conservation and management is a necessary component of progress rather than a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford.
Need for change
Unfortunately, inland and coastal wetlands are being lost faster than any other ecosystem and the demand on these services is intensifying worldwide. Wetlands International predicts increasing poverty due to decreasing availability and access to wetland resources unless development policies need to drastically change. The conservation and development sector need to engage and create win-win situations for people and nature through sustainable wetland management.
What we do
All over the world, we are working with local communities, development authorities, governments and others to manage and restore wetlands and all their values. The aim of this work is to directly support the people and nature in these areas, but also to demonstrate on a larger scale that wetlands are vital to reach commonly shared goals in nature conservation, economic development and poverty reduction.
Wetlands International therefore facilitates training, demonstration, exchange of professional expertise and technical inputs, and capacity building activities through global and regional initiatives.
Our work on Integrated Water Resource Management focuses on a selection of river basin and coastal zones in Africa, South Ameria, Asia and Eastern Europe.
New: Wetlands, Water and Sanitation programme
Recently Wetlands International has started a Wetlands, Water and Sanitation Programme, a new approach in which we aim to link the water, sanitation and the conservation sector. The aim is to achieve standard engagement between the environment and the sanitation sector for integrating wetland ecosystem health into planning and implementation of saniation and water supply provision. Read more.