Topic: 2025-Conserving Wetlands
Country: Ghana
Delegate Name: Evan Gagliardo
Committee: International Union for Conservation of Nature
Topic: Preserving the Wetlands
Country: Ghana
School: Forest Hills Central
In recent years, the loss of our world’s wetlands has increased exponentially. Wetlands are defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods during the year, including during the growing season. 85 percent of wetlands in 1700 were lost by 2000 with many drained to make way for development, farming, or other “productive” uses. Disappearing three times faster than forests, their loss spells an existential threat for hundreds of thousands of animal and plant species alike. Wetlands are present on every continent and consist of ten percent of Ghana’s territory. According to the Yale School of Environment, “It covers over 5 million miles, with more than 1 billion people depending on them”. Wetlands provide habitat for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, natural products, recreation, and aesthetics. Without wetlands, we risk losing our biodiversity, including plants that give the world oxygen. We also risk the loss of one of our major freshwater sources, leading to a decline in quality of life for millions. When wetlands are lost, society loses services such as clean water. In addition, we also risk the slowing of coastal erosion, protection against flooding, drought, and fire, and resilience to climate change, and sea level rise. All of these things, and more, affect both Ghana and countless other countries.
The UN has been working toward wetland restoration since 1971 when the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance(Ramsar Convention, 1971) came into force, wetlands have been internationally recognized as ecosystems of considerable importance, comparable to our forests, rangelands, and marine ecosystems. Key points about the UN’s wetland conservation efforts include the Ramsar Convention, which is the pillar for wetland conservation, and encourages countries to designate wetlands as protected Ramsar zones. World Wetlands Day, celebrated February 2nd day raises global awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need for their conservation. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) also plays a key role in monitoring wetland health and supporting countries in their efforts to conserve wetlands. Recent initiatives include highlighting the importance of peatland conservation and promoting nature-based solutions to wetland restoration.
As previously mentioned, 10 percent of Ghana’s territory is made up of wetlandsGhana has been advocating for the protection and preservation of wetlands since 1971 when the country signed the Ramsar Convention, Ghana has also implemented the Ghana EnvironmentalFacility, which funded Coastal Wetlands Management Project from 1993 to 1999; carried out public education and awareness, and created programs to enlighten the general public on the values, benefits, and functions of wetlands and the need for their
conservation and sustainable use. Although Ghana has been implementing the policies, wetlands are still declining rapidly in the country. Ghana has lost about 30-40 percent of its natural wetland ecosystem since the 1970s, and the population is suffering, the loss of wetlands in Ghana significantly impacts people’s livelihoods by reducing access to vital food sources like fish, disrupting water regulation leading to increased flooding, limiting grazing areas for livestock, and diminishing the availability of natural resources like medicinal plants and building materials, which are often harvested from wetland ecosystems; essentially impacting the food security and economic stability of communities relying on these areas. This has the biggest impact on the many farmers in Ghana as agriculture is Ghana’s main source of revenue and there is an ongoing battle for space between the wetlands and the farming lands. The wetlands sustainability, especially in the cities in the Global South, is undermined by anthropogenic activities such as farming, sand, and salt harvesting, among others. The region’s rapid urbanization is expected to exacerbate the threats. Due to a recent study that indicated a negative statistical association between rapid urbanization and the availability of wetlands, the government has begun to implement strict buffer restrictions along these wetlands to mitigate human encroachment as well as intensify awareness campaigns to expose people to the values and benefits of this important ecosystem.
Ghana firmly believes that this is a global issue that affects countries all around the world, and recognizes climate change is actively making this problem harder to solve. Ghana wants to see global action taken, believing every country can benefit from it. Ghana believes that each country’s government should establish the legislative concept of giving priority to protection, focusing on restoration and sustainable utilization, and formulating a careful Wetland Legal System; Secondly, the government should formulate corresponding wetland conservation policy principles or plans and strengthen scientific and technological research to improve the level and quality of traditional wetland protection in Ghana and other countries around the world; Thirdly, strengthening the protection of wetland through the establishment of wetland nature reserves; Finally, formulating relevant laws to improve the level of local wetland protection, the government could truly protect the world’s wetland ecosystem. Ghana strongly urges the UNEP to work with them and others to implement a plan that provides the clear steps that need to be taken to solve the crisis and fund the steps needed, so every country—no matter their GDP— can work toward protecting their wetlands.
