Most wetlands do not look like they matter. Bog, drain, swamp, fen, moor, quagmire, marsh and mire variations dot our landscapes right around the world. Recognised as some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, they sustain lives and lifecycles we can only begin to understand.
In 1971, their critical importance was recognised as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Significance came into being. Today it is signed by the majority of nations and recognises nearly 2000 amazing examples of these environments. New Zealand itself boasts six such sites.
In 2011, this is the fortieth anniversary of this recognition and a crucial year in which to take stock of the plight of these environments. To what extent are we maintaining, enhancing and protecting them, to ensure their persistence which is inextricably linked to the persistence of so many species and processes? Anecdotally, it is probably fair to say that they remain unsung in their importance at smaller scales and their recognition remains a battle.
Why so?
First that they are not tall and beautiful like forests, nor stark white and ocean-side like beaches, or magestic like mountain ranges. Very often they simply sit on the fence between land and sea and slink through legislative and social awareness nets as the 'bits in between', sometimes not being seen as beautiful enough to save. They lack appeal to many.
Second that they are often highly fertile and are or border some of the most productive land in any area they are in. It is therefore inordinately tempting to drain them and put some cows on them...or a crop....or perhaps just bury the rubbish in them. They are just so wonderfully placed and useful.
Thirdly (and I am sure there's more)is that they appear simple. An area of saltmarsh for example, to the untrained eye, would appear similar in complexity to a swatch of kikuyu on a hillside. That is not true of course; the interaction of a plethora of biotic and abiotic conditions and processes have beautifully combined to create these unique and highly specialised habitats. And if something is seen as simple, it is automatically ascribed less value, on the false assumption that something so 'simple' can be recreated, or done without entirely.
So, 2011 is the year to embrace a challenge. Carry the purpose of Ramsar through into the smaller scales of conservation and environmental management in each jurisdiction around the globe. In accordance with a central pillar of Ramsar which is the 'wise use' principle, defined as:
"the maintenance of their ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development".
Let's see what we can do with that....
Thank you for highlighting these issues, I am a usability expert, and 'simple' is highly valued, or beginning to be. Perhaps, the complexity of 'simple' will start to get a better rap, and we can show the world before it's too late, that simple is often much harder to recreate or get back, than you think, and not to destroy something until you truly understand if it will be future use.
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