Focus on wetlands at the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk of the Americas
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Climate and disaster risks
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Coastal resilience
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Coastal wetland conservation
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Community resilience
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Integrated delta management
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Natural infrastructure solutions
Wetlands should be better managed and restored for their ability to reduce disaster risk, says Wetlands International. To stimulate this, the post-2015 framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (the Hyogo Framework for Action, to be adopted in 2015 in Japan), should pay increased attention to the key role of wetlands to reduce disaster risk and the need for integrated water resources and wetlands management. Wetlands International delivers this call at the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas in Guayaquil, Ecuador from 26-29 May.
While water related disasters like droughts and floods are on the increase, wetlands, such as lakes, marshes, swamps and river systems are in continuing decline. Globally, the world has lost nearly 50% of its wetlands. The degradation of wetlands ecosystems often stems from flawed spatial planning or inappropriate water management policies. This exposes societies to increasing disaster risk, as the ability of wetlands to mitigate floods, prevent droughts, purify water, and support food security is impeded.
According to Wetlands International, the post-2015 Hyogo Framework should acknowledge the vital role of wetlands in reducing water related disaster risks. It should call upon Member States to assess disaster risk at a ‘landscape level’ (such as river basin or coastal zone scale) to better define risk reductions strategies and actions and ensure resilience at the community level. It should urge for a more integrated approach towards water and wetlands management in disaster risk reduction policies and efforts.
Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas, 26-29 May
Wetlands International participates at the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas (Guayaquil, Ecuador, 26-29 May) to deliver these calls. We invite those present at the Regional Platform to come visit us at stand #10 at the IGNITE stage and hear declarations by us and our partners on 28 May from 11.00-11.20am and 29 May from 15.40-15.55pm. Those not present can follow the presentations and declarations through the live stream.
Partners
We are member of the ‘Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction’ (PEDRR) a global alliance of UN agencies, NGOs and specialist institutes and are implementing partner of Partners for Resilience, an alliance of humanitarian, development and climate organisations that operates in nine countries to integrate ‘Ecosystem and climate smart’ disaster risk reduction programs focusing on community resilience. Wetlands International also joined the Latin America and the Caribbean section of Global Network for Disaster Reduction.
Read about our work on ecosystem-smart DRR (in Spanish) in Latin America.
Downloads:
Please download our policy briefs below and kindly share with country delegates and partners.
• Wetlands International policy recommendations to HFAII
• HFAII policy brief from the Partners for Resilience (Netherlands Red Cross, Cordaid, CARE, Red Cross Climate Centre, Wetlands International)
• PEDRR Input into Post-2015 Global Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction
More information
Julio Montes de Oca Lugo
Head of Office, Wetlands International Latin America and the Caribbean
[email protected] | Tel. +507 3171674
Sander Carpay (at the Regional Platform):
Communications Coordinator, Wetlands International Latin America and the Caribbean
[email protected] | SMS, Whattsapp or Telegram: +507 65432381
wetlands-prod.level-level.nl/lac