Climate change is one of the most pressing problems facing humanity and our planet. The 2019 theme for the World Wetlands Day in 2019: ‘Wetlands and Climate Change’ draws attention to the vital role of wetlands as a natural solution to cope with climate change.
In simple terms, this year’s theme reminds us that wetlands play a critical role in storing carbon and reducing the impact of extreme weather events associated with climate change. Among others, they store floodwater and can protect us from storm surges in this era of unpredictable sporadic rainstorms, while providing water during extended drought periods.
It is therefore important to reflect on the ‘natural solutions’ that wetlands provide in adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change. Unfortunately, use of East African freshwater wetlands for agriculture has increased in recent decades, raising concerns about potential impacts on wetlands and adjoining ecosystems as well as the long-term sustainability of such land use trends.
For example, the IUCN latest report: Freshwater biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin, which assesses the global extinction risk of 651 freshwater species, including fishes, molluscs, dragonflies, crabs, shrimps and aquatic plants native to East Africa’s Lake Victoria Basin found that 20% of these are threatened with extinction. Of the freshwater species assessed, 204 are endemic to the Lake Victoria Basin and three-quarters (76%) of these endemics are at risk of extinction.
Wetlands of Lake Victoria for example, form important habitat for many plant and animal species. However, according to IUCN, Lake Victoria region’s freshwater fishes are highly vulnerable to climate change, having high sensitivity, seemingly poor adaptive capacity (primarily relating to lack of dispersal options) and an expected high exposure to change. Therefore, given the great importance of this group in supporting human livelihoods in East Africa, freshwater fishes should be a priority for monitoring and, as appropriate, conservation action to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.
Of course all illegalities in the remaining wetlands need to be stopped as swiftly as possible, alongside efforts to restore these wetlands. But with the volatile effects of climate change setting in, there is an urgent need for strategic and practical options in support of resilience building of vulnerable communities and natural resources like wetlands in East Africa.
Fortunately, the firmness to roll out the globally applauded Paris Agreement is alive and kicking in East Africa. For example, the East African community has adopted a Roadmap on how to approach implementation of the Paris Agreement that includes concrete steps to be taken by the six Partner States. In addition, the East African Community (EAC) Climate Change Policy is under review, while a proposed EAC Climate Change law is in the offing.
But actions taken are more important than these intentions, given the urgency for East Africa to be part of the collective global fraternity to address the climate change challenge and to secure that livelihoods are not thrown in disarray due to climate change effects. In black and white, the IPCC Special report makes it amazingly clear that 2050 must be the global Co2 emissions phase out year (IPCC SR15 Summary for Policy Makers C.1). To do this, almost all areas of life have to be turned upside down in as far as we relate with wetlands and other natural resources: how we live, eat, move around, and what we consume!
It is in this regard that East African CSOs are raising six issues as part of rolling out the EAC Roadmap to implement the Paris Agreement; review of the EAC Climate Change Policy and in the proposed regional Climate Law.
One of these is an appeal to put in place mechanisms to integrate the climate change actions in all planned region-wide micro – to mega investments, projects and programmes, rather than the climate policy being implemented on its own. In other words, all interventions that might impact on wetlands and other natural resources must be assessed against a climate sensitivity criteria (for example adaptation, resilience building etc.) including regular monitoring of wetland ecosystems’ health. This could also be in the EAC Partner States’ updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Low Emission Development Strategies, as time goes.
In simple terms, this year’s theme reminds us that wetlands play a critical role in storing carbon and reducing the impact of extreme weather events associated with climate change. Among others, they store floodwater and can protect us from storm surges in this era of unpredictable sporadic rainstorms, while providing water during extended drought periods.
It is therefore important to reflect on the ‘natural solutions’ that wetlands provide in adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change. Unfortunately, use of East African freshwater wetlands for agriculture has increased in recent decades, raising concerns about potential impacts on wetlands and adjoining ecosystems as well as the long-term sustainability of such land use trends.
For example, the IUCN latest report: Freshwater biodiversity in the Lake Victoria Basin, which assesses the global extinction risk of 651 freshwater species, including fishes, molluscs, dragonflies, crabs, shrimps and aquatic plants native to East Africa’s Lake Victoria Basin found that 20% of these are threatened with extinction. Of the freshwater species assessed, 204 are endemic to the Lake Victoria Basin and three-quarters (76%) of these endemics are at risk of extinction.
Wetlands of Lake Victoria for example, form important habitat for many plant and animal species. However, according to IUCN, Lake Victoria region’s freshwater fishes are highly vulnerable to climate change, having high sensitivity, seemingly poor adaptive capacity (primarily relating to lack of dispersal options) and an expected high exposure to change. Therefore, given the great importance of this group in supporting human livelihoods in East Africa, freshwater fishes should be a priority for monitoring and, as appropriate, conservation action to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.
Of course all illegalities in the remaining wetlands need to be stopped as swiftly as possible, alongside efforts to restore these wetlands. But with the volatile effects of climate change setting in, there is an urgent need for strategic and practical options in support of resilience building of vulnerable communities and natural resources like wetlands in East Africa.
Fortunately, the firmness to roll out the globally applauded Paris Agreement is alive and kicking in East Africa. For example, the East African community has adopted a Roadmap on how to approach implementation of the Paris Agreement that includes concrete steps to be taken by the six Partner States. In addition, the East African Community (EAC) Climate Change Policy is under review, while a proposed EAC Climate Change law is in the offing.
But actions taken are more important than these intentions, given the urgency for East Africa to be part of the collective global fraternity to address the climate change challenge and to secure that livelihoods are not thrown in disarray due to climate change effects. In black and white, the IPCC Special report makes it amazingly clear that 2050 must be the global Co2 emissions phase out year (IPCC SR15 Summary for Policy Makers C.1). To do this, almost all areas of life have to be turned upside down in as far as we relate with wetlands and other natural resources: how we live, eat, move around, and what we consume!
It is in this regard that East African CSOs are raising six issues as part of rolling out the EAC Roadmap to implement the Paris Agreement; review of the EAC Climate Change Policy and in the proposed regional Climate Law.
One of these is an appeal to put in place mechanisms to integrate the climate change actions in all planned region-wide micro – to mega investments, projects and programmes, rather than the climate policy being implemented on its own. In other words, all interventions that might impact on wetlands and other natural resources must be assessed against a climate sensitivity criteria (for example adaptation, resilience building etc.) including regular monitoring of wetland ecosystems’ health. This could also be in the EAC Partner States’ updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Low Emission Development Strategies, as time goes.
