A knowledge-base and call to action for mangroves In July, the Global Mangrove Alliance released the ground- breaking report, The State of the World’s Mangroves, which compiles for the first time ever the very latest information available on the value of mangroves and how we can reverse the downward trend impacting the world’s best natural carbon sinks.
Leading the way for how to Build with Nature By collaborating with Wetlands International and many international partners, Indonesia has become a pioneer country for Building with Nature: an approach to infrastructure and environmental management that works with the forces of nature, rather than opposing them. Our programme, Building with Nature Indonesia, creates stable coastlines with reduced erosion risk through a unique integration of mangrove restoration, small scale hard- engineering and sustainable land use. Our publication, Restoring an Eroding Coastline and Inspiring Action at Scale (2015-2021), summarises the insights and lessons from our landscape scale implementation of the Building with Nature approach between 2015 and 2021 in Demak, a coastal area in Central Java impacted by erosion, flooding and devastating land loss. Local communities helped shape the design and led the implementation, ensuring long-term sustainability, while it was developed and financed through a unique public-private partnership under the leadership of the Indonesian government, Wetlands International and Ecoshape. The success here has already led to replication and upscaling in many other environments in Indonesia and has stimulated other countries in the region to follow suit. As part of the project, we published technical guidelines for restoring eroding tropical coastlines, to support the scaling up of Nature-based Solutions as an alternative to traditional coastal engineering solutions. For more information on Building with Nature, visit: https:// www.wetlands.org/publications/building-with-nature-in- indonesia-restoring-an-eroding-coastline-and-inspiring- action-at-scale-2015-2021/
Wetlands and nature take centre stage at Glasgow climate talks
Alliances built for saving Sahelian wetlands The Blue Lifelines for a Secure Sahel (BLiSS) initiative brings focus on water management and accelerates the safeguarding, restoration, and sustainable use of the Sahel’s wetland ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, floodplains, and deltas. In late 2021 we launched our Blue Lifelines strategy, developed together with our core partners CARE, International Alert, and the International Water Management Institute. Together, we are building a wider alliance in the Sahel region of government agencies, private sector, and civil society organisations to catalyse change and achieve our ambitious goals and long-term impact. Specifically, for 2030, we propose a goal to safeguard and restore 20 million hectares of wetlands in six major wetland systems and four basins across the Sahel, enhancing the resilience of 10 million people to climate risk, poverty, conflict, and displacement while benefiting biodiversity.
There was a growing realisation at COP26 that without enabling nature to recover, including wetlands, there is no 1.5° C future.
Wetlands International co-organised the first-ever Peatland Pavilion, which shone a light on peatlands and positioned us as a key player with a proven track record in their protection and rehabilitation. We also contributed to the first-ever Water Pavilion which helped raise the need for better water management in tackling climate change. Continuing our long-standing participation in the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action — enabling collaboration between governments and cities, regions, businesses, and investors to immediately lower emissions and increase resilience against climate impacts — we emphasised the critical role of wetlands in contributing to resilient water management and the increased role for water and water-related activities in NDC enhancement. COP26 signalled a new beginning in the need to invest in natural climate solutions as a core part of climate action. An Article 6 rulebook agreement was a positive step to activate the necessary finance needed to protect nature and wetlands, and benefit those on the frontlines of the climate emergency while keeping global heating to below 1.5° Celsius
Coordinated by Wetlands International and The Nature Conservancy — both members of the Alliance — and drawing from the Global Mangrove Watch, we contributed significantly to this remarkable synthesis, alongside 100 authors from around the world who shared cutting- edge science and compelling stories. We now have the knowledge to turn things around for these critical ecosystems. As we begin to realise their full value — as carbon stores, fish factories, coastal defences and more — ever-greater efforts need to be made to protect what remains, and to upscale programmes of restoration. For more information on the State of the World’s Mangroves report, visit: https://www.wetlands.org/ publications/state-of-the-worlds-mangroves/
In 2021, we used the strategy to raise political awareness and endorsement for BLiSS at key events such as the 6th Regional Committee Meeting of the Great Green Wall Initiative and in bilateral dialogues with governments including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti.
For more information on Blue Lifelines for a Secure Sahel, visit: https://www.wetlands.org/casestudy/bliss/
For more information on peatland track record, visit: https://peatlands.wetlands.org/
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Wetlands International Annual Review 2021
Wetlands International Annual Review 2021
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