The wetlands are a natural protection against certain phenomena of nature – News Iruya.com

Image illustrativeThe wetlands play an important role in reducing the impact of climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones.

The World Wetlands Day is celebrated the 2 of February of each year, marking the date of adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971, in the iranian city of Ramsar.

wetlands, defined as areas of land inundated with water on a seasonal basis or permanent, are our natural defense against natural phenomena.

The wetlands function as natural sponges, absorbing and storing excess water from rainfall and reduce flooding. During the dry season, they release the stored water, delaying the onset of drought and reducing the water shortage.

If managed properly, wetlands can be made that communities have sufficient resilience to prepare for disasters, deal with them and recover.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, its acronym in English) is working with different local communities in different countries to restore degraded wetlands and promote agriculture and sustainable fisheries.

The wetlands act as a natural protective barrier. When occurs a phenomenon end, the wetlands healthy can absorb part of its impact, reducing the damage to local communities. Keeping wetlands healthy and restoring degraded wetlands, communities can cope with disaster even better the next time.

wetlands can also accelerate recovery after a disaster, acting as natural filters and restoring nutrients.

The wetlands healthy can reduce the damage caused by the disaster and accelerate the recovery. However, in all the world, wetlands are receding at an alarming rate: at least 64% of them have disappeared since 1900.

Efforts inadequate

efforts inadequate as to channel the rivers, and limit the drainage reduces the natural effect of sponge of the flood plains and increases the force of the flood. Also the drainage or filling of wetlands for agriculture and real estate business eliminated its function as a natural sponge against flooding.

we Know that to burn or drain the peatlands(wetland type acid which has accumulated organic matter in the form of peat), releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) when they are added to the atmosphere contributes to worsen the Global Climate Change.

Argentina

Argentina presents a major surface and a wide variety of types of wetlands that occupy the 21.5 per cent of the argentinean territory according to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation. To INTA, only 25 million hectares correspond to these natural spaces.

The Paraná Delta is a wetland that covers about 1.7 million hectares, located in the provinces of Buenos Aires (15% of the area), Santa Fe (5%) and Among Rivers (80%). The Delta provides environmental goods and services essential to the society, and in particular to the cities and their inhabitants along the rivers delimiting it.

The wetlands of the Paraná Delta, should be preserved by Law because they are a natural capital that produces a flow of goods and services, present and future for the system itself, communities and their economies.

The Estuary of Bahía Blanca is a vital space for the conservation of biodiversity. This wetland, declared as an Area of Importance for the Conservation of Migratory Birds Neárticas of the southern Cone of South America, home to species in danger of extinction, but is highly vulnerable, because it has a renewal rate of water is very low and you must develop a strategy of Integrated Water Resource Management in the estuary as proposed by the Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS).

If we look in the NOA, the data generated from the research of the wetlands allow you to establish that the wetlands andean have a great value because they are inhabited by endemic species and species in general, fauna and flora associated or specific, of biological importance. Also, are vital to migratory species and to wildlife, local native, because, at certain times of the year may be the only source of water available.

The areas of wetland occupy almost 5 % of the territory of the argentine Patagonia and are located from the Andes to the atlantic coast. In the area extrandina and the wilderness of patagonia, in particular the wet meadows, or vegas, represent an important source of resources for these ecosystems are essential to sustain many species of fauna and wild flora.

Conclusion

governments should include wetlands in their strategies to cope with disasters, by designating wetlands as protected areas in areas prone to flooding; taking restoration measures and to adopt cross-cutting policies, especially on agriculture and water in order to contribute to the protection of wetlands.

Source: RAMSAR / AAPN