The Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and Wetlands International have provided a preview of their upcoming report on the role of peatlands and wetlands in limiting the impacts of climate change and promoting the well-being of people and nature. The agencies call for investing in wetlands to maintain or restore ecosystem resilience, and for introducing relevant wetland indicators into monitoring systems associated with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, SDGs and Paris Agreement.

In their policy brief titled, ‘Valuing Wetlands: An Untapped Resource for Achieving a 1.5 Degree Future’, the agencies note that degradation and loss of natural wetlands is “accelerating at an alarming pace.” They present seven recommendations for improving the management of wetlands around the world. They include assessing the mitigation potential of specific wetlands using the national greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), prioritizing biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use, and directing financial investments toward nature-based solutions.

“The degradation and loss of natural wetlands is accelerating at an alarming pace.”

The report is one of four AGWA policy reports released on the occasion of the UNFCCC conference in Madrid, Spain. AGWA is a multi-stakeholder network for promoting sustainable water management. The network includes development banks, government agencies, businesses, civil society and academia.