It’s time to restore degraded wetlands!
As we join the rest of the world to commemorate World Wetlands Day on February 2nd we are reminded that it is time to restore our degraded wetlands. But why should we? According to the Global Wetland Outlook, 2021, wetlands have always provided services to humanity, yet recognition of the scale of these benefits and the consequences of their loss is quite recent. Critical wetland ecosystem services include: carbon sequestration and storage, particularly in peatlands and marine ecosystems; ensuring safe and reliable supplies of drinking and irrigation water; the provision of goods and services connected with food security; and management against water-related disasters such...
Making believers out of sceptics: Wetland’s Hidden Treasures
by Attish Kanhai “What about the area in front of Five Islands Amusement park?” was the suggestion from a colleague as we planned our activities for World Wetlands month (February 2022). “I don’t know, is there nice?” came my sceptical reply. “Well there’s a lot of birds and the place is quite scenic,” was the subtle retort. I remained unconvinced and with some trepidation, I prepared for a site visit. Granted it was five minutes away from the office and I am not much of a bird watcher, “How bad could it be?” I thought to myself. To my knowledge, much of the coastline in the western peninsula...
