At the Biodiversity Foundation we have been supporting initiatives for the conservation of wetlands and the species that inhabit them since our inception, for which we have allocated more than 2.5 million euros to more than 50 projects.

From the Biodiversity Foundation we join the celebration of World Wetlands Day, a date that commemorates the signing, on February 2, 1971, of the Ramsar Convention, which is now 50 years old, and which is celebrated this year under the slogan “Wetlands and water“.

Wetlands are among the most complex, productive and dynamic, yet also the most fragile, ecosystems on the planet. They supply us with water and food, help mitigate the effects of climate change, contribute to flood control, mitigate droughts, protect the coast and filter water, among other services. In addition, they improve air quality, provide raw materials and genetic resources for medicines and hydropower.

These spaces they are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. 40% of the world’s species live in wetlands and 200 new species of fish are discovered in freshwater wetlands alone every year.

The loss and degradation of wetlands is largely due to changes in land and water use, as well as climate change. Almost 90% of the planet’s existing wetlands have been lost since the eighteenth century, although the rate of disappearance accelerated especially from the twentieth century, coinciding with the improvement of technological capabilities. In fact , it is estimated that between 1970 and 2015 wetlands shrank by approximately 35% (a rate three times higher than the rate of forest loss).

Wetlands sustain the economy, providing more than a billion jobs and services. They also protect us from natural disasters, as almost 75% of them are water-related. In addition, coastal wetlands protect local communities from storms, and each hectare of inland wetland absorbs more than 13.5 million litres of floodwater.

In addition, they act against climate change: mangroves, peatlands, salt marshes and seagrass meadows are some of the most effective ecosystems for absorbing and storing carbon.

Currently, on the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Ramsar Convention, 75 Spanish wetlands have been included in this List and declared, therefore, of International Importance, with Spain being the third country in the world in number included in the Ramsar List, only behind the United Kingdom and Mexico, which demonstrates our country’s strong commitment to the conservation of these ecosystems.

At the Biodiversity Foundation we have been supporting initiatives for the conservation of wetlands and the species that inhabit them since our inception, for which we have allocated more than 2.5 million euros to more than 50 projects, of which 7 are currently being executed.

“Management and restoration of Mediterranean wetlands as carbon sinks” is a project being developed by the Global Nature Foundation and which aims to establish guidelines for these spaces to function as carbon sinks, maintaining their ecological integrity, functionality and providing the services of a healthy ecosystem. In addition, it aims to maximize sink capacity through practical management actions, demonstrating that such management is aligned with biodiversity conservation.

On the other hand, the Institute for Research and Agri-Food Technology (IRTA) studies microplastic pollution in the Ebro Delta Natural Park, where there are no studies on its availability for organisms and awareness campaigns are focused on macroplastics. Then, studying the typology of microparticles is essential to assess their impact on biodiversity.

The Spanish Ornithological Society, on the other hand, is developing the Strategy for the Conservation of the marsh bunting in Spain, given that the two nesting subspecies in Spain are listed as Endangered in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species, so it is urgent to diagnose their population and know their viability and connectivity between populations. In addition, since all the wetlands in which it is reproduced are currently included in the Natura 2000 Network, it is necessary to draw up management guidelines to work at the local level and include them in the drafting of the Management Plans of these areas and those in which it has recently become extinct, as well as in the Basin Plans that cover them.