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Africa: There Can Be No Climate Action Without Targets to Protect Wetlands
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2 February 2022
Safeguarding and restoring shrinking wetlands is our last, best defence against global warming and biodiversity loss Read more »
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Africa: Wetlands - the Unsung Heroes of the Planet #AfricaClimateCrisis
UNEP, 1 February 2022
Wetlands are some of the planet's most important ecosystems. They're a haven for wildlife, they filter pollution and they're important stores of carbon. Read more »
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Mauritius: Mauritius Marks World Wetlands Day 2022
Government of Mauritius, 29 January 2022
In the context of World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2nd February, the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, in collaboration with the National Parks and… Read more »
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South Africa: Killing the Will of the Village Next to St Lucia Lake
New Frame, 19 January 2022
KwaNibela residents rely on the fish and reeds they harvest within the protected iSimangaliso Wetland Park. But authorities consider this poaching, threatening the community's… Read more »
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South Africa: Legal Tools Exist to Protect City Ecosystems - It's Up to Councils to Use Them
The Conversation Africa, 17 January 2022
The world is experiencing an environmental crisis coupled with rapid urbanisation. This affects city ecosystems, which are a combination of the built environment, planned green… Read more »
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Africa: Invest in Nature and Reap Cash Benefits, World Economic Forum Urges Cities
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 16 January 2022
Cities should invest more in expanding green spaces and nurturing natural systems - not just to keep residents healthy and tackle climate-change risks but to boost their economies Read more »
Wetlands - the Unsung Heroes of the Planet #AfricaClimateCrisis
Wetlands, which include marshes and peatlands, are the unsung heroes of the climate crisis. They store more carbon than any other ecosystem, with peatlands alone storing twice as much as all the world's forests. Inland wetland ecosystems, also absorb excess water and help prevent floods and drought, widely seen as critical to helping communities adapt to a changing climate, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
"Not all wetlands are permanently wet and not all wetlands are natural. Artificial wetlands, such as reservoirs and fish ponds, help cool the planet and soak up carbon. Constructed wetlands make use of the natural purification processes of vegetation, soils and microbes to remove contaminants from wastewater, and when designed right can serve as biodiversity hotspots and migration stopovers. This relatively low-cost technology improves water security, making it important for climate change adaptation".
InFocus
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President Museveni's brother, Shadrack Nzeire, has been accused of brokering illegal acquisition of land titles in wetlands and on the shores of Lake Victoria. Evidence presented ... Read more »
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The rapid rise of disease caused by a new coronavirus seems to have caught much of the world by surprise. It shouldn't have, write Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ernest Bai Koroma. The ... Read more »
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A small group of people are gathering with spades, buckets and plants at a local wetland on a sunny autumn morning in Cape Town, South Africa. They're here to help replant ... Read more »
