Wetlands are essential to human wellbeing, inclusive economic growth and climate mitigation and adaptation.

They provide water for human consumption and agriculture. They protect our shores and help make cities and settlements safe and resilient.

They are the Earth’s greatest natural carbon stores.

They support biodiversity and abundant and unique nature.

They are vital to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

They provide sustainable livelihoods and are essential to human health and wellbeing.

Wetlands provide myriad benefits and services.

How Wetlands Achieve Select SDGs

In 2018, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the international organisation supporting wetland restoration announced this important report.

This document guides the Drummin Bog Project aims.

Conclusions

‘The 17 Sustainable Development Goals present an opportunity to re-position the importance of wetlands not only as a critical natural resource but also as an essential component of human wellbeing, inclusive economic growth and climate mitigation and adaptation.

Wetlands contribute to all of the 17 SDGs, either directly or indirectly and their conservation and wise use represent a cost-effective investment for governments.

Synergies can be achieved with many actions on wetlands clearly contributing to more than one SDG, and similarly, many actions related to Ramsar Sites supporting commitments under other conventions.

Thus, SDGs represent an opportunity for collaboration and synergies across conventions.

In turn, wetlands protection, wise use and restoration provide governments with a path to reconciling numerous commitments under the environmental agreements, such as Ramsar, but also the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United NationsConvention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)while contributing to the SDGs.’

Also remember some SDGs are more important – see below!

To explain this listen to Johann Rockstrom, an expert on planetary boundary science below: