The wetland: source of wellbeing and support

“Sustainable livelihoods” is the maxim for this 2016 campaign in salute of February 2, World Wetlands Day

Since the beginning of last century the uncontrolled and irrational use of swampy ecosystems has made it possible for them to disappear.

The execution of unwise works and use of improper handling, like the drying of wetlands, the extinction of these natural aquifers is estimated at 64 percent.

To aid this situation, on February 2, 1971 several nations initialled the Convention on Wetlands or Ramsar Convention, the name of the Iranian city on the Caspian Sea, which was adopted for the first time, for this international agreement.

As a first treaty based on the conservation and rational use of wetlands, the Ramsar list includes more than 1,900 designated sites, representing over 190 million hectares in 160 countries.

“Sustainable livelihoods” is the maxim that in 2016, the international campaign wields for demonstrating the crucial role of marshes and swamps in the current and future well-being of life on the planet.

Every year in Cuba, the celebration of this day includes a host of cultural activities in order to increase the knowledge and awareness of children and adults to the amazing environments of fresh water.

In schools near wetlands scientific exchange workshops, festivals of community participation, cultural programs, interest clubs and competitions in the categories of drawing, poetry and photography, among others are performed.

Swamps of Cuba

The Cuban archipelago has about 10 percent of its territory occupied by swamps and marshy areas (coastal and inland) and 30 percent of its surface protected areas are swampy areas of high fragility and vulnerability.

The Republic of Cuba has been part of the Ramsar Convention since 2001 and has six spaces registered as Ramsar sites.

The list of places that Cubans today hold in this international category is headed by the Zapata Swamp in Matanzas province and is the largest bog in the Caribbean.

In addition to Zapata, are the Biramas wetlands, located south of the province of Las Tunas, the second largest of the island.

The Cauto Delta wetlands are also part, in the province of Granma and the Buenavista, in central Cuba.

Next in importance is the Lanier Swamp, in the south of the Isle of Youth; Maximum addition to the Río Máximo Wetland in Camaguey and the Great Wetland North of Ciego de Avila.

Together they amount to a total approximate area of ​​10,410 square kilometers of the country.

At present, researchers at the National Centre for Protected Areas are working on the inclusion of two new proposals for Cuban Ramsar sites: the Guanahacabibes wetlands and south of Los Palacios, both in the province of Pinar del Río.

The Centre also deals with the inventory of Cuban wetlands, regulatory approval of Ramsar sites, and proper management of these ecosystems for conservation and care.

Rescuing the wetlands

Recent studies claim that, globally, in just over 40 years about 40 percent of the marshes have degraded; now at an accelerated rate of 1.5 percent annually.

The rapid decline of coastal, marine and inland wetlands is a reality that can be reversed if we deploy adequate management and conservation programs.

It matters a lot to ensure the survival of these heterogeneous contexts in their fauna and flora. In them, biodiversity, climate regulation and the water cycle in the atmosphere are integrated.

Sometimes, ignorance of their benefits makes many people consider them useless and vacant lots.

But, far from being unproductive places, we all need them for fresh water. Directly, over a billion people worldwide depend on wetlands for a living.

These amazing aquatic areas as well as generating and supplying water resources also are split into excellent areas for tourism and fishing.

Among other human activities, the cultivation of rice, the sale of water, construction, as well as textile processing, medicine and transportation are sources of income for many inhabitants of the marshes.

For small producers the healthy wetlands are essential for their livelihoods and fundamental for their welfare.

The future of humanity really depends on these aqueous reservoirs, which act as true natural shields against floods and droughts.

Finally they protect us from one of the greatest environmental threats of our time: climate change.

Translated by ESTI