29 October 2008: On the sidelines of the 10th Conference of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, taking place in Changwon, Republic of Korea, from 28 October-4 November 2008, the Ramsar Secretariat, the Danone Group and IUCN have entered into a partnership targeting climate change.

The partners plan to highlight the importance of carbon capture in wetlands, particularly mangrove swamps. Danone has committed to minimize its emissions, and, in partnership with Ramsar and IUCN, to offset its remaining emissions through wetlands restoration. The Danone Fund for Nature, administered by all three partners, will accomplish the latter goal by supporting projects combining water resources management, biodiversity conservation, improving wetland food quality, and strengthening the capacity for carbon capture. Speaking about the new partnership, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General, noted that the project was in line with the organization’s mission of “promoting biodiversity as a fundamental pre-requisite for ecosystems to be able to support the fight against climate change and poverty.” [UNEP Press Release]