In the three days of the meeting on “Conservation and management of wetlands in the face of climate change”, which can be followed in streaming and which starts this Wednesday at 9 with the presence, among others, of the Vice-Rector for Sustainability, Cooperation and Healthy Living of the UV, Pilar Serra, representatives of international organisations and civil society, and scientific, political and professional personnel committed to the conservation of these ecosystems will address issues such as the threats and challenges faced by wetlands, governance and green employability.

Antonio Camacho, professor of Ecology at the University of Valencia and coordinator of the scientific part of the project explains that “actions for management, management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems can be designed, based on scientific knowledge such as those generated in this project that, “While they favour the recovery of the ecological health of the system, they are also aimed at maximising carbon sequestration, and that can reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere”.

In addition to this potential mitigating role that wetlands can play in the fight against climate change, the planned presentations and round tables will analyse the state of conservation of the AlbuferaofValència according to various indicators and the management and restoration of Mediterranean wetlands; and threats and pressures on wetlands. Issues about environmental education, the importance of audiovisual communication for understanding wetlands, and more technical aspects such as the legal regulations that protect them or the need to implement protection measures and correct management will also be discussed.

Context

For reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, the best-known ecosystems are forests, but there are other natural spaces capable of fixing large amounts of carbon, and thereby mitigating climate change, such as wetlands. Despite their importance, the Ramsar Convention warns that during the last century more than 60% of the planet’s wetlands disappeared. The most recent case of alarm has been the repeated drying up of the last permanent lagoon in Doñana, the Laguna de Santa Olalla, a very unusual situation and especially relevant due to its symbolism in the territory and for being the largest nature reserve in Europe. The current drought situation has aggravated its situation and that of other wetlands, especially the Mediterranean ones.

According to Vanessa Sánchez, representative of the Global Nature Foundation and project coordinator, “Mediterranean wetlands, when properly managed, can act as important carbon sinks, and thus contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions”.