The writing is on the wall: Protect wetlands or we all perish
What you need to know:
The importance of protecting our wetlands and rehabilitating those that have been lost cannot be gainsaid.
Wetlands are critical to the regulation of climate by storing carbon, preventing its release into the atmosphere, reducing flooding and erosion by intercepting surface runoff, and maintaining aquifers.
Each year we commemorate World Wetlands Day on February 2, to mark the 1971 adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian City of Ramsar. The convention, which came into force in Kenya in 1990, promotes the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands. This year, the Ramsar Convention has chosen the theme of “Wetlands and Climate Change” to highlight the critical role of wetlands in mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE
The importance of protecting our wetlands and rehabilitating those that have been lost cannot be gainsaid. Although they only occupy three to four per cent of Kenya’s land mass, wetlands are essential to our survival and welfare. These rivers, lakes, swamps and mangrove forests provide almost all of the world’s fresh water, and are critical to agricultural production and other economic activities such as fishing and tourism.
Unfortunately, wetlands are under significant threat, mainly due to human activities. The Global Wetlands Outlook published by the Ramsar Convention in 2018 found that 35 per cent of wetlands were lost between 1970 and 2015 — a degradation rate three times higher than that of forests.
Kenya is no exception. In recent years, we have seen numerous reports of lakes and rivers contracting in size or drying up. Wetlands are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as reduced rainfall and extreme weather patterns.
Research has shown that wetlands are critical to the regulation of climate by storing carbon, preventing its release into the atmosphere, reducing flooding and erosion by intercepting surface runoff, and maintaining aquifers. So we need to place them at the centre of our efforts to build ecological resilience.
RIPARIAN LAND
To its credit, the government has made efforts to protect our wetlands since the adoption of the Ramsar Convention in 1990. Notably, Kenya currently has six sites that have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 265,449 hectares. These include the Tana River Delta, and Lakes Nakuru, Baringo, Bogoria, Elementaita and Naivasha. Recently, we have seen re-energised efforts to reclaim riparian land in urban areas.
On their own, however, the efforts of the government are far from adequate in addressing the threat to our wetlands: they must be supported by the private sector, non-profit and civil society groups, and the public.
While the Ramsar Secretariat has recognised the critical role of business in advancing the agenda of the protection of wetlands around the world, private sector interest in environment conservation has remained low in Kenya.
This is why Safaricom is lending its voice to wetlands conservation efforts. In line with our commitment to supporting the country’s sustainability agenda, we are working with the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and partners such as Wetlands International and UN Environment to do more to protect our wetlands, and the environment in general.
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION
Contributing to this cause is a critical step towards achieving our goal of becoming a Net Zero carbon emitter by 2050. Already, such partnerships have enabled us to promote better environment management in Kenya as we seek to give impetus to the country’s sustainability and the climate change agenda.
For example, last year we replaced more than seven million plastic bags in our retail and distribution channels with reusable carrier bags, therefore contributing towards reducing the amount of non-biodegradable plastics that are choking our waterways. Additionally, through the Safaricom Foundation, we have been working with the Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service to rehabilitate forests and wetlands in the Aberdares over the years.
We are making progress, but we have a long way to go. It is time for all of us to take action. This World Wetlands Day, we are saying that far from the perception that wetlands are unproductive and valueless, these ecosystems provide food, water and livelihoods to millions of people around the world, and their conservation is a sustainable solution to climate change.
This is a global cause we should all stand behind. We cannot leave this to international treaties or government. Each one of us, individuals and corporations alike, have to take up the challenge.
The writer is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer — Safaricom PLC
