CBD COP9 side event Bonn, 20 May 2008

1. Water, wetlands, biodiversity & climate change: Managing the avoidable … and avoiding the unmanageable Nick Davidson Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands CBD COP9 side event Bonn, 20 May 2008

2. Ramsar, CBD and climate change • Ramsar Convention on Wetlands • Acts since CBD COP4 as CBD’s lead implementation partner on wetlands • Inland waters, but also …. • Wetlands occur in, and are vital components of, all coastal and terrestrial ecosystems • Wetlands and water management cross-cut all CBD ecosystem programmes • Collaboration delivered through Joint Work Plan • Global and national actions

3. Ramsar and climate change • Ramsar COP8 (2005) – significant attention to climate change • Scientific & Technical Review Panel (STRP) technical review on impacts, mitigation and adaptation • COP8 Resolution • STRP 2006-2008: • In light of new information and emerging issues • Increased further attention to climate issues

4. Why are wetlands important in climate issues? • IPCC 4th Assessment Report, GEO-4 etc: • Major climate impacts felt through water • Changes in distribution, availability (+ & -) and quality • Increased extreme weather & unpredictability • Already big water allocation and use challenges – over-abstractions, droughts etc. • Water vital for wetlands, but also • Wetlands vital for water • Wetlands key role in global hydrological cycle

5. Climate change impacts on wetlands … • … and their capacity to mitigate and adapt to change • Driven by water: wetlands are dependent on the global water cycle, and deliver their services through this cycle • Need to manage wetlands for water … and water for wetlands … more sustainably

6. Wetlands’ water services • Major $$$ value • Flood control • Water purification • Water supply • Groundwater recharge • etc. • Ramsar’s commitments to wise use and maintenance of wetland ecological character • Provide tools for maintaining (and improving) c.c. adaptation capacity

7. Wetlands & flood mitigation UK, July 2007: direct flood costs >$ 6 billion

8. Wetlands & forests • Ramsar/CBD: “many wetlands are forested” • UNFCCC/CBD: “many forests are wetlands” • i.e. are water-driven ecosystems • so water management is key to maintaining forests for climate change responses and biodiversity • >35% of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) are forested • Both peatland (e.g. peatswamp forest) and • non-peatland (e.g. mangrove) systems • Ramsar site management – valuable adaptation tool Forested peatlands

9. Ramsar/CBD recent, current & future actions“wetlands, water, biodiversity & climate change” • Expert Meeting: March 2007 (Gland, Switzerland) Participants: • Ramsar Scientific & Technical Review Panel (STRP) members • CBD & Ramsar Secretariats • Invited experts • Consultant – prepared draft materials, and follow up work • Funded by the government of Canada, as part of Project of the Convention on Biological Diversity for Activities on Climate Change and Biodiversity

10. Expert meeting objectives • Enhance the availability of scientific and technical information on the linkages between biodiversity, wetlands and climate change • to contribute to the international debate and strengthen in-country adaptation and mitigation planning Specifically to: • review general state of knowledge on wetlands, biodiversity and climate change linkages; • identify key areas where wetlands should have a higher profile in the international debate on climate change; and • identify key strategic opportunities to promote the enhanced awareness of the contribution of wetlands • to the mitigation of climate change, and • in climate change adaptation measures

11. Expert technical meeting • Focussed on scientific/technical knowledge & issues • How to better communicate these issues and how to respond to them – to range of different target groups • CEPA tools…

12. Meeting report now available • Launched jointly by CBD & Ramsar Executive Secretaries: World Biodiversity Day 2007 • Available on:http://www.biodiv.org/doc/case-studies/wtr/cs-wtr-ramsar-en.pd

13. Meeting report • Also to be published jointly also as Ramsar Technical Report /CBD Technical Series

14. Key messages from the expert meeting… • We know what the problem is • We know what to do • We know how to do it (technically but not necessarily institutionally) X but key audiences don’t know this - lack of awareness and understanding continues to make things worse • We need to communicate with these audiences in a way which makes wetlands-biodiversity relevant to them – to explain how the subject helps them to reach their goals

15. Wetlands and climate change mitigation • Global wetland loss and degradation continues faster than for other ecosystems (MA) • This is further reducing capacity of wetlands to deliver their many ecosystem services, including to mitigate climate change • In both developing and developed world

16. Wetlands & greenhouse gases • Wetlands are critical to mitigating climate change • They have an important and underestimated role in both carbon storage and the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions • Degraded wetlands are already a significant source of atmospheric carbon, and • the restoration/rehabilitation of wetlands offers a return on investment up to 100 times that of alternative carbon mitigation investments

17. Wetlands & climate adaptation • adaptation measures for wetlands are very important to human well-being • Wetland ecosystem services are not only vulnerable to climate change … • but must be maintained in order to reduce - cost-effectively - the impacts of climate change on people

18. What’s coming up?STRP current work … • Several review & methodological reports/guidance – during 2008: • Role of wetland restoration in climate adaptation and mitigation • Review of role & importance of different wetland types (coastal & inland) in carbon storage • Vulnerability assessment methods for wetlands • Simple methods for assessing wetland type sensitivity to hydrological changes • Will be made available to both Ramsar and CBD parties • Supporting draft Resolution (Ramsar COP10, Rep of Korea, October 2008) “Climate change and wetlands” • Review by Ramsar Standing Committee – June 2008 (DOC. SC37-27)

19. What’s coming up?STRP 2009-2011 proposed work … • Climate change – priority thematic work area • Proposed focus on: • further development of assessment methods for hydro-ecological impacts of climate change on wetland types and their testing in data-poor areas • reviewing wetland distribution in relation to land use and population distribution trends • to demonstrate potential effects on human health if wetlands are lost due to climate change impacts • guidance for Contracting Parties on: • the latest knowledge of the current and potential impacts of climate change on wetlands; • appropriate policy and management responses for addressing these impacts; and • how wetland management and restoration can contribute to improving adaptation to climate change

20. What’s coming up?Other priority activities 2009-2011 … • COP10 Draft Resolution also urges: • Parties to develop and implement policies that promote opportunities to take advantage of the climate regulatory services already provided by wetlands and other ecosystems • Parties and others to make full use of the existing Ramsar guidance on wise use of wetlands (Wise Use Handbooks) • much of which is applicable to many of the threats and impacts on wetlands arising from climate change • in developing their policy and management responses relating to climate change • development of a coordinated programme of work (with inter alia CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC, IPCC, UNEP, UNDP, FAO and the World Bank) to investigate the potential contribution of wetland ecosystems to climate change mitigation and adaptation • in particular for reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience to climate change