Topic: 2025-Conserving Wetlands
Country: Bolivia
Delegate Name: Avery Phillips
Over half, 87% of the world’s wetlands has been lost in the past 300 years. Why must we concern ourselves with this fact? Do we even depend on them or are they swampy acres of land taking up space on which houses or factories or schools could be built? Wetlands store over 50 times more carbon than rain forests, they support cultivation of foods such as rice and fish that more than half the world depend on, they provide clean water, serve as a vital habitat for millions of animals, they can reduce costs for wastewater treatments by billions of dollars, protect our cities from storms and reduce flooding. With all this in mind and more, why wouldn’t we protect them? Bolivia has the world’s largest protected wetland, reaching more than 6.9 million hectares. In 1990 Bolivia agreed to the RAMSAR Convention and ratified it in 2002 leading to the protection of 8 other RAMSAR wetland sites. Bolivia is highly concerned and realizes the significance wetlands have in the conservation of our Earth, of our people, and our resources. That is why we must pay dire attention to the alarming rate at which our wetlands are being destroyed. All countries must unite under the RAMSAR convention, and join the Freshwater challenge to conserve our planet. Protection and restoration of wetlands needs to be amalgamated into national policies. A framework for these policies should be created in the IUCN, countries then must integrate them into government directive. A committee dedicated to restoring wetlands past just the Freshwater challenge should be created in the IUCN that aids countries in restoring their destroyed wetlands. The IUCN must also globally coordinate partnerships among countries, NGOs, and local communities that foster the sharing of knowledge, resources, and technology. Countries must be reminded of the fact that this is not a crisis concerning a single nation but every person on this planet. Countries must not stand individually in the fight to preserve our Earth but collaborate and work together. This issue surpasses the vendettas, issues, or beliefs of single countries and concerns every single person. The IUCN plays a critical role in leading global conservation and restoration efforts for these essential and irreplaceable ecosystems.
