By Guest Writer
Opinion: Every second day of February, we celebrate World Wetlands Day to honor the milestones of environmental groups and increase awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural wetlands for future generations.
This year, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAQ), in collaboration with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, hosted the World Wetlands Day Celebration.
The day aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the important role humans and the globe play in wetlands and commemorated the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971.
A broad definition of wetlands includes both freshwater and marine and coastal ecosystems such as all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps, grasslands, and mangroves, among others, and they are critical to people and nature given the intrinsic value of these ecosystems and their benefits and services, including their environmental, climate, ecological, social, economic, scientific, educational, and aesthetic contributions to sustainable development and human well-being.
Although they cover only 6 percent of the Earth’s land surface, 40 percent of all plant and animal species live or bleed in wetlands. Wetland biodiversity matters for our health, our food supply, tourism, and jobs.
This certainly shows how important wetlands are to the world, and there’s a need for collective efforts and responsibility to protect them for us and future generations.
We have had international practices like the Paris Agreement in France and others to keep these wetlands for generations.
Uganda, like any other country in the world, has, in addition to its constitution, put up organs like the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), enacted laws like the National Environment Act, the NEMA Act, and regulations, among others, to protect the wetlands.
But there is a lot to be done at a time when the world is grappling with the rampant negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation.
Natural wetlands are being lost at a rate that is three times faster than forests, with 85% of the world’s wetlands either lost or degraded since 1700.
Protected areas like swamps are being drained and encroached upon to the extent that private individuals are owning free-hold land certificates, and human activities like construction, pollution, and overfishing are degrading these wetlands.
Therefore, before we get to the exciting stuff to celebrate World’s Wetlands Day and reflect on how humanity has been treating our wetlands, let’s face it. There’s no denying the gravity of the problem. We have been poor custodians.
The earth is facing a plethora of planetary crises, climate disruption, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste that are threatening the well-being and survival of millions and millions of people around the world. The building blocks of happy, healthy lives—clean water, fresh air, and a stable and predictable climate—are at stake.
We must take action as we celebrate World Wetlands Day. We must wake up every day to fight for it and justify the celebration. All governments, including the government of the Republic of Uganda, must appreciate the right to a clean and healthy environment.
They must put the UN Sustainable Goals first. Government bodies, ministries, environmental organizations, institutions of learning, educators, activists, and advocates must work with local communities, women, and youth to advance environmental progress in areas such as the circular economy, climate action, and biodiversity protection.
They must advocate for the creation of green industries and jobs that are connected to renewable energy resources, advocate for greater support of organic, local, and sustainable techniques, and provide wetland education programs with resources and solutions to create a more sustainable planet.
Finally, I argue that young people should be more concerned about the wetlands and the earth as a whole to raise awareness about climate change, conserve the world’s biodiversity, and spearhead the transition as we transition from fossil fuel investments to clean renewable energies and modern environmental technologies.
The author is Comfort Tusingwire, a climate enthusiast, an environmental economist, and the Chief Executive Officer of Initiative for a Green Planet (IGPU).
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