Wetlands are one of the very important natural infrastructures around us, we are loosing fast. Wetlands perform many key services such as water filtration and purification, as well as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Peatlands, such as the vast permafrost areas of Russia and Canada, the Everglades in the US, Paramós of the Andes, or the Greater Berbak in Indonesia, harbour approximately 30% of all carbon on land; they represent the most important carbon storage on land, and the second most important one, next to the oceans.Other than services for biodiversity and water resources, wetlands provide food and other materials, such as fish, rice, agricultural products, timber and fibre, playing a vital role in the livelihoods of millions. They are also important natural infrastructure helping us to cope up of excess floodwater during floods or heavy rains.
IUCN, Leaders for Nature has been sensitizing the businesses about ecosystems and ecosystem services, defining natural capital around them. Businesses once sensitized take informed decisions to protect and conserve natural capital around their sites.
When WWF released its Living Planet Report in September 2014, it showed that of all species, freshwater species showed the most dramatic decline - 76% between 1970 and 2010. The main threats to these species are also the main threats to wetlands: degradation, conversion and pollution. Since 1900 some 70% of all wetlands worldwide have been destroyed.
From time to time Leaders for Nature has been organizing the nature walk for corporate executives to different biodiversity parks, to explain to them the various ecosystem services, we get from ecosystems.
Contributing towards NBT 1 (National Biodiversity Target) and Aichi Target 1, a two-day Nature Walk and Biodiversity Interpretation event was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, under their Leaders for Nature program in collaboration with DDA's Yamuna Biodiversity Park. The theme for the walk was; 'Walking through restored floodplains of river Yamuna’. Contributing towards NBT 1 (National Biodiversity Target) and Aichi Target 1, a two-day Nature Walk and Biodiversity Interpretation event was organized on the 27th and 28th of October 2017, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, under their Leaders for Nature program in collaboration with DDA's Yamuna Biodiversity Park. The theme for the walk was; 'Walking through restored floodplains of river Yamuna’.
The walk was very well received and was attended by senior executives from Veolia and Rio Tinto. The corporate learnt how restoration and management of ecosystems, such as wetlands and others can treat storm water runoff, offer biodiversity and recreational services, decrease climate change vulnerability, and increase resilience.
Mr Vijay Iyer, MD Rio Tinto India emphasized that law makers and judiciary should also come to understand the importance of conservation work and effort that goes into it.
In case of Rio Tinto, Mr Vijay Iyer, MD Rio Tinto India, himself came to participate. On this occasion he shared his opinion that such exposures are very important for all residents. He in fact emphasized that law makers and judiciary should also come to understand the importance of conservation work and effort that goes into it.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
On 2nd of February, when world celebrates World Wetlands Day to remember about the importance of wetlands, as were highlighted through Ramsar Convention adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, Leaders for Nature team participated in a multi stakeholder dialogue at Yamuna Biodiversity Park.
Other than services for biodiversity and water resources, wetlands provide food and other materials, such as fish, rice, agricultural products, timber and fiber, playing a vital role in the livelihoods of millions. They are also important natural infrastructure helping us to cope up of excess floodwater during floods or heavy rains.
On this occasion different experts spoke about the importance of wetlands around us. Prof C R Babu shared that in India's recent Union Budget high allocations have been made for the infrastructure sector, but will the schemes take care of the natural infrastructures also is to be seen. Mr Aditya from IUCN Leaders for Nature on this occasion appreciated the work done by YBP team in last 15 years and the commitment of DDA to support this kind of work for required span. Mr Aditya also shared that a large number of business have also started to understand the importance of ecosystems and ecosystem services and are thus integrating them in their business planning. He also shared that financial institutions like HSBS and International Finance Corporation and others have raised the bar for companies to be diligent to natural ecosystems, to be able to do good business with them in future.
The program was attended by a large number of youths and nature enthusiasts, some of whom also shared their stories of how they are trying to protect and conserve wetlands in their neighborhood.
Leaders for Nature(LfN), India, is IUCN India's business engagement network that sensitizes companies about the true value of nature and helps them to incorporate this in their strategic decisions. It has ten large companies TATA Steel, TATA Power, Apollo, ABG, Rio Tinto, Veolia, Ambuja, HUL, ACC and Wipro as its members who are already working towards nature conservation with support from IUCN, India.
