Wetlands: Key To Tackling Climate Change And Biodiversity Loss

At the end of June 2022, we saw the breakdown of the discussions of the Open-Ended Working Group for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which have been tasked with advancing preparation of the GBF. Very little consensus was reached on clear, meaningful targets for protecting and restoring global biodiversity. As we approach CBD COP15 in December, during which the GBF will be finalized for the next decade, we must see a concerted increase in ambition if we are to avert catastrophic harm to nature and exponential loss of biodiversity over the coming decades. And this ambition must inspire the global community to tackle the rapid decline in wetlands. Keep reading to know more...

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In global discussions around nature, much is made of the land-sea binary, with targets focused around one or the other. That has led many of us to question: where are wetlands in this framework? As the interface between land and water, wetlands fit comfortably into neither category. At the same time, they are crucial ecosystems for life on this planet, supporting a staggering proportion of global biodiversity, and giving security to over one billion people.

Wetlands are not just habitats, they are biomes. Despite this, the current iteration of the GBF fails to mention wetlands in the main text, and contains no explicit targets on their management or restoration.