Resolution X.24. Climate change and wetlands

Transcription

1 10 th Meeting f the Cnference f the Parties t the Cnventin n Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) Healthy wetlands, healthy peple Changwn, Republic f Krea, 28 Octber-4 Nvember 2008 Reslutin X.24 Climate change and wetlands 1. RECOGNIZING that wetlands deliver a wide range f ecsystem services that cntribute t human well-being, and that in sme wetland types this may include services relating t climate change mitigatin and/r adaptatin; 2. RECALLING that the text f the Cnventin acknwledges that the glbal hydrlgical cycle is fundamental t the maintenance f the eclgical character f wetlands and stresses the fundamental eclgical functins f wetlands as regulatrs f water regimes, and ALSO RECALLING that Reslutin VI.23 emphasizes the inextricable link between water resurces and wetlands and Reslutin VIII.1 highlights the imprtance f water allcatins fr wetlands in maintaining wetland eclgical character; 3. RECOGNIZING that almst all f the wrld s cnsumptin f freshwater is drawn either directly r indirectly frm wetlands, and ALSO RECOGNIZING the imprtance f wetland ecsystems in prtecting freshwater supplies, as expressed in Reslutin IX.1 Annex C, An Integrated Framewrk fr Ramsar s water-related guidance (2005); 4. RECALLING Reslutin VIII.3 n Climate change and wetlands: impacts, adaptatin and mitigatin (2002), which inter alia recgnized the ptentially serius implicatins f climate change fr ensuring the cntinued cnservatin and wise use f wetlands and called upn Cntracting Parties t manage their wetlands in such a way as t increase their resilience t climate change and extreme climatic events and t ensure that in their climate change respnses such as revegetatin, frest management, affrestatin and refrestatin, such implementatin des nt lead t serius damage t the eclgical character f wetlands; 5. ALSO RECALLING that in its Third Assessment Reprt (TAR), the IPCC cncluded that sme wetlands, including reefs, atlls, mangrves, and thse in prairies, trpical and breal frests, and arctic (including permafrst) and alpine ecsystems, are cnsidered t be amngst thse natural systems especially vulnerable t climate change because f their limited adaptive capacity and that they may therefre underg significant and irreversible damage; 6. NOTING WITH CONCERN that the Intergvernmental Panel n Climate Change (IPCC) in its Furth Assessment Reprt indicates that warming f the earth s climate system is unequivcal, that mst f the bserved increase in glbal average temperatures since the mid-20 th century is very likely due t the bserved increase in anthrpgenic greenhuse gas (GHG) cncentratins, and that bservatinal evidence frm all

2 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 2 cntinents shws that many natural systems, including wetlands, are being affected by reginal climate changes; 7. AWARE frm the findings f the IPCC Furth Assessment Reprt that: With regard t changes in snw, ice and frzen grund (including permafrst), there is high cnfidence that natural systems are affected. Examples are: enlargement and increased numbers f glacial lakes; increasing grund instability in permafrst regins, and rck avalanches in muntain regins; changes in sme Arctic and Antarctic ecsystems, including thse in sea-ice bimes, and als predatrs high in the fd chain. Based n grwing evidence, there is high cnfidence that the fllwing effects n hydrlgical systems are ccurring: increased runff and earlier spring peak discharge in many glacier- and snwfed rivers; warming f lakes and rivers in many regins, with effects n thermal structure and water quality. There is very high cnfidence, based n mre evidence frm a wider range f species, that recent warming is strngly affecting terrestrial bilgical systems, including such changes as: earlier timing f spring events, such as leaf-unflding, bird migratin and egglaying; pleward and upward shifts in ranges in plant and animal species. Based n satellite bservatins since the early 1980s, there is high cnfidence that there has been a trend in many regins twards earlier greening f vegetatin in the spring linked t lnger thermal grwing seasns due t recent warming. There is high cnfidence, based n substantial new evidence, that bserved changes in marine and freshwater bilgical systems are assciated with rising water temperatures, as well as related changes in ice cver, salinity, xygen levels and circulatin. These include: shifts in ranges and changes in algal, planktn and fish abundance in highlatitude ceans; increases in algal and zplanktn abundance in high-latitude and highaltitude lakes; range changes and earlier migratins f fish in rivers. Sea-level rise and human develpment are tgether cntributing t lsses f castal wetlands and mangrves and increasing damage frm castal flding in many areas.

3 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 3 Increases in sea surface temperature f abut 1-3 C are prjected t result in mre frequent cral bleaching events and widespread mrtality, unless there is thermal adaptatin r acclimatisatin by crals. Castal wetlands including salt marshes and mangrves are prjected t be negatively affected by sea-level rise especially where they are cnstrained n their landward side, r starved f sediment. By mid-century, annual average river runff and water availability are prjected t increase by 10-40% at high latitudes and in sme wet trpical areas, and decrease by 10-30% ver sme dry regins at mid-latitudes and in the dry trpics, sme f which are presently water-stressed areas. In sme places and in particular seasns, changes differ frm these annual figures. Drught-affected areas will likely increase in extent. Heavy precipitatin events,which are very likely t increase in frequency, will augment fld risk. In the curse f the century, water supplies stred in glaciers and snw cver are prjected t decline, reducing water availability in regins supplied by meltwater frm majr muntain ranges, where mre than ne-sixth f the wrld ppulatin currently lives. 8. ALSO AWARE f the increasing evidence that sme types f wetlands play imprtant rles as carbn stres, but CONCERNED that this is nt yet fully recgnized by internatinal and natinal climate change respnse strategies, prcesses, and mechanisms; 9. RECOGNIZING the significant prgress made since Ramsar COP8 (2002) with respect t peatland inventry and awareness f the carbn strage functin f wetlands such as peatlands; 10. NOTING that the glbal Assessment n Peatlands, Bidiversity and Climate Change (prepared under the crdinatin f Wetlands Internatinal and the Glbal Envirnment Centre with supprt frm UNEP-GEF, Canada, Netherlands and thers) analysed much infrmatin n the imprtance f peatlands fr bidiversity and mitigatin f, and adaptatin t, climate change and cnfirmed that peatlands are the mst imprtant carbn stre in the terrestrial bisphere, string twice as much carbn as the frest bimass f the wrld, and that degradatin f peatlands has been cntributing annual emissins equivalent t 10% f glbal fssil fuel emissins; and that CBD COP 9 encuraged Parties and ther gvernments t strengthen cllabratin with the Ramsar Cnventin n Wetlands and prmte the participatin f interested rganizatins in the implementatin f the Guidelines fr Glbal Actin n Peatlands and ther actins, such as the nes listed in the glbal Assessment f Peatlands, Bidiversity and Climate Change, that culd cntribute t the cnservatin and sustainable use f peatlands and encuraged the implementatin f the actins included in the Assessment; 11. NOTING WITH CONCERN the Key Messages f the Millennium Ecsystem Assessment (MA) Wetlands and Water Synthesis Reprt that the degradatin and lss f wetlands is mre rapid than that f ther ecsystems, that glbal climate change is likely t exacerbate the lss and degradatin f many wetlands, that the adverse effects f glbal

4 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 4 climate change will lead t a reductin in the services prvided by wetlands, and that the prjected cntinued lss and degradatin f wetlands will reduce the capacity f wetlands t mitigate impacts; 12. RECOGNIZING that the cnservatin and wise use f wetlands enable rganizms t adapt t climate change by prviding cnnectivity, crridrs and flyways alng which they can mve; 13. AWARE frm the findings f the Millennium Ecsystem Assessment (MA), the 4 th Glbal Envirnment Outlk (GEO-4), the Wrld Water Develpment Reprt (WWDR 2006), and A Cmprehensive Assessment f Water Management in Agriculture (CA) that a majr driver f the cntinuing degradatin and lss f wetland ecsystems and their services is the increasing abstractin f water especially fr agriculture, that many surface and grundwater-dependent wetland systems and their catchments are already water-stressed, and that demand fr water, particularly fr irrigated agriculture as well as ther uses, is prjected t cntinue t increase; 14. NOTING that many climate change mitigatin and adaptatin plicies include measures such as increasing energy supplies frm hydrpwer and bifuels and mre water strages and inter-basin water transfers, and STRESSING the benefits f implementing Ramsar s water-related guidance (Reslutin IX.1 Annex C and Reslutin X.19) s as t ensure where pssible that such climate plicies prmte psitive and minimise negative impacts n the eclgical character f wetlands; 15. AWARE that the United Natins Fd and Agriculture Organizatin (FAO): i) has established climate change as a Pririty Area fr Interdisciplinary Actin, in rder t assist cuntries in develping crss-sectral plicies t address the negative impacts f climate variability and change n agriculture; ii) has rganized the High-Level Cnference n Wrld Fd Security: The Challenges f Climate Change and Bienergy at FAO Headquarters in June 2008; iii) as Chair f UN-Water and in clse cllabratin with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the African Unin, the African Ministers Cuncil n Water (AMCOW), the African Develpment Bank, and the Ecnmic Cmmissin fr Africa, is rganizing a High-level Cnference n Water fr Agriculture and Energy in Africa: The Challenges f Climate Change t be held in Sirte, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, frm the 15 th t 17 th December 2008; and iv) within the framewrk f these and ther nging initiatives f the FAO, including thse with the United Natins Develpment Prgramme and the United Natins Envirnment Prgramme, reiterates the imprtance f addressing the tpic climate change and wetlands and its willingness t strengthen cperatin with the Ramsar Cnventin n this matter; 16. NOTING that wetlands can als reduce adverse effects f climate change, such as fd shrtages, by prviding vital bidiversity resurces, but CONCERNED that the cntinued degradatin and lss f bth castal and inland wetlands is reducing the capacity f wetlands t deliver such resurces; 17. THANKING the gvernment f Canada fr supprting the CBD / Ramsar STRP wrkshp n Wetlands, Water, Bidiversity and Climate Change (Gland, March 2007),

5 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 5 and NOTING the preliminary findings and recmmendatins in the Executive Summary f the reprt f that wrkshp. 18. RECOGNIZING that the wise use and restratin f wetlands cntributes t building the resilience f human ppulatins t climate change impacts and can attenuate natural disasters expected with climate change, such as the use f restred fldplain wetlands t reduce risks frm flding; 19. REAFFIRMING that integrative plicies and planning measures need t be encuraged in rder t address the influence f glbal climate change n the interdependencies between wetlands, water management, agriculture, energy prductin, pverty reductin and human health; 20. RECOGNIZING that the use f renewable energies is essential t face the challenges psed by climate change, and ACKNOWLEDGING the need t develp these energies in a way that prmtes psitive and minimises negative impacts n wetlands and their capacity t stre carbn; 21. RECALLING the invitatin f the Jint Liaisn Grup (JLG) between the United Natins Framewrk Cnventin n Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Cnventin t Cmbat Desertificatin (UNCCD), and the Cnventin n Bilgical Diversity (CBD), t the Secretariat f the Ramsar Cnventin t share infrmatin and t participate in the meetings f the JLG as apprpriate; and RECOGNIZING that this frum, tgether with the Bidiversity Liaisn Grup (BLG) f the secretariats f the bidiversity-related Cnventins and the Treaty n Plant Genetic Resurces fr Fd and Agriculture and ther fra, prvides imprtant pprtunities t prgress matters f cmmn interest, including thse cncerning climate change; 22. WELCOMING the fact that the 9 th Cnference f the Cntracting Parties t the Cnventin n Bilgical Diversity (CBD) in Decisin IX/16 invited the Cnference f the Parties t the Ramsar Cnventin, at its 10th meeting, t cnsider apprpriate actin in relatin t wetlands, water, bidiversity and climate change in view f the imprtance f this subject fr the cnservatin and sustainable use f bidiversity and human welfare, in line with the lead implementatin rle f the Ramsar Cnventin fr CBD fr wetlands and the terms f the furth CBD/Ramsar Jint Wrk Plan; invited the Ramsar STRP t further assess the cntributin f bidiversity t climate change mitigatin and adaptatin in peatlands and ther wetlands; recgnized the imprtance f the cnservatin and sustainable use f the bidiversity f wetlands and in particular peatlands in addressing climate change; and invited the Intergvernmental Panel n Climate Change t participate in the Cnventin n Bilgical Diversity and Ramsar prcesses f preparing future technical studies n climate change and bidiversity, particularly n wetlands; 23. NOTING that the Cnventin n Bilgical Diversity (CBD) at its 9th meeting established an Ad-Hc Technical Expert Grup n Climate Change and Bidiversity t prvide scientific and technical advice and assessment n the integratin f the cnservatin and sustainable use f bidiversity int climate change mitigatin and adaptatin activities; 24. RECALLING that Objective 4.1 f the Strategic Framewrk and guidelines fr the future develpment f the List f Wetlands f Internatinal Imprtance is t use Ramsar sites as baseline

6 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 6 and reference areas fr natinal, supranatinal/reginal, and internatinal envirnmental mnitring t detect trends in the lss f bilgical diversity, climate change, and the prcesses f desertificatin, but CONCERNED that mechanisms may nt be in place fr reprting such trend assessments, and ALSO CONCERNED that adequate natinal wetland inventry and assessment infrmatin at reginal and glbal scales is nt available t supprt and interpret such trend assessments; 25. NOTING the Scientific and Technical Review Panel s (STRP) renewed attentin t wetlands and climate change issues during the triennium, including: n develping simple methds fr assessing the vulnerability f different wetland types t climate-driven changes in water regimes; n the rle f and pprtunities fr wetland restratin as a tl fr climate respnses; n the rle and imprtance f different wetland types in the glbal carbn cycle; n assessing vulnerability f wetlands t hydr-eclgical impacts, wetland restratin and climate change; and n recent key messages and recmmendatins cncerning wetlands, water and climate change frm relevant intergvernmental and internatinal prcesses and initiatives, and THANKING the STRP fr making this wrk available t Cntracting Parties and thers thrugh Ramsar Technical Reprts and ther dcuments; and 26. RECOGNIZING that the lw levels f understanding and appreciatin f wetlands in climate change discussins represent a serius and real threat t wetland ecsystems and a missed pprtunity fr wetlands t cntribute t addressing the impacts f climate change; THE CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES 27. AFFIRMS that this Reslutin whlly updates and supersedes Reslutin VIII.3 n Climate change and wetlands: impacts, adaptatin and mitigatin; 28. URGES Cntracting Parties t manage wetlands wisely t reduce the multiple pressures they face and thereby increase their resilience t climate change and t take advantage f the significant pprtunities t use wetlands wisely as a respnse ptin t reduce the impacts f climate change; 29. ALSO URGES Cntracting Parties t ensure that the necessary safeguards and mechanisms are in place t maintain the eclgical character f wetlands, particularly with respect t water allcatins fr wetland ecsystems, in the face f climate driven changes and predicted changes in water distributin and availability due t the direct impacts f, and scietal respnses t, climate change; 30. ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties t prmte the restratin f river, lake and aquifer basins and their wetlands as an imprtant aspect f plicy related t climate change; 31. URGES Cntracting Parties and ther gvernments, where apprpriate, t include in natinal climate change strategies the prtectin f muntain wetlands, t reduce the impacts f extremes in precipitatin, attenuate the impacts f melting and disappearing glaciers and the reductin f water strage in muntain areas, and the restratin and management f degraded lwland and castal wetlands, resulting in the attenuatin f large strms and sea-level rise;

7 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page ALSO URGES relevant Cntracting Parties t take urgent actin, as far as pssible and within natinal capacity, t reduce the degradatin, prmte restratin, imprve management practices f peatlands and ther wetland types that are significant GHG sinks, and t encurage expansin f demnstratin sites n peatland restratin and wise use management in relatin t climate change mitigatin and adaptatin activities; 33. INSTRUCTS the Ramsar Secretariat, the STRP, and the Crdinating Cmmittee fr Glbal Actin n Peatlands (CCGAP) t strengthen synergies between the Ramsar Cnventin, CBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD with respect t peatland and ther wetland cnservatin and wise use, including fr reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience t climate change, whilst recgnizing the distinct mandates and independent legal status f each cnventin and the need t avid duplicatin and prmte cst savings; 34. INVITES the Glbal Envirnment Centre, Wetlands Internatinal, and ther interested partners t translate int ther languages, further disseminate, and undertake fllw-up activities t the glbal Assessment n Peatlands, Bidiversity and Climate Change; 35. CALLS ON Ramsar Administrative Authrities t prvide expert guidance and supprt where apprpriate t their respective UNFCCC fcal pint, within the cntext f UNFCC Decisin 1/CP.13, n the jint plicies and measures that are aimed t reduce anthrpgenic greenhuse gas emissins frm wetlands such as peatlands, where practical; 36. ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties t prmte integrated crdinatin in develping and implementing natinal plicies related t water management, agriculture, energy prductin, pverty reductin, and human health, in rder t ensure that sectral bjectives are mutually supprtive in addressing the likely negative impacts f climate change and that such bjectives are cnsistent with the need t prtect the eclgical character f wetlands and maintain wetland services, as is described in the reprts f the IPCC and the MA; 37. REAFFIRMS the need fr Cntracting Parties t make every effrt, when implementing the UNFCCC and, as apprpriate, its Kyt Prtcl, t cnsider the maintenance f the eclgical character f wetlands in natinal climate change mitigatin and adaptatin plicies; 38. ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties t utilize peatlands t shwcase the Cmmunicatin, Educatin, Participatin and Awareness activities fr implementatin f the Cnventin in the cntext f effrts t reduce greenhuse gas emissins and mitigate and adapt t the impacts f climate change; 39. ALSO ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties, the private sectr and ther stakehlders, respecting natinal legislatin, t pay attentin t the ptential f incentive measures and funding mechanisms under climate change adaptatin and mitigatin activities t supprt the sustainable use and restratin f wetlands as well as t supprt lcal livelihds and cntribute t pverty eradicatin, including explratin f the cncept f payments fr ecsystem services (PES), cnsistent and in harmny with the Cnventin, the internatinally agreed develpment gals and ther relevant bligatins, in the cntext f the services prvided by wetlands;

8 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page INVITES the Executive Secretary f the CBD t include relevant cnsideratins and activities in relatin t wetlands, water, bidiversity and climate change as a high pririty in the Jint Wrk Plan ( ) between the CBD and the Ramsar Cnventin, including drawing upn the expertise available thrugh the STRP in the Ad Hc Technical Expert Grup n Bidiversity and Climate Change established in CBD Decisin IX/16, para. 12 (b), and INSTRUCTS the STRP t cntribute t these prcesses subject t available resurces; 41. URGES Cntracting Parties t develp and implement plicies that prmte pprtunities t take advantage f the regulatry services already prvided by wetlands t the glbal climate system, while at the same time cntributing t imprving human livelihds and meeting bidiversity gals, and t cmmunicate prgress, successes and best practices t the Cnventin; 42. ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties and ther rganizatins t undertake, where pssible, studies f the rle f wetlands in carbn strage and sequestratin, in adaptatin t climate change, including fr fld mitigatin and water supply, and in mitigating the impacts f sea level rise, and t make their findings available t the Cnventin, the UNFCCC and ther relevant prcesses; 43. INSTRUCTS the STRP, in its mre cmprehensive examinatin f climate change and wetland issues, t review emerging infrmatin n the ways in which, inter alia, changes in wetland thermal and chemical regimes, hydr-patterns, and increases in water strage and cnveyance infrastructure, including impundments, ptentially alter the pathways by which nn-native species invade wetlands, and influence their spread, persistence and eclgical impacts n native species, and t liaise with the Arctic Cuncil n an assessment f the vulnerability f Arctic wetlands t climate change and the develpment f guidelines fr wise use while taking accunt f the nging Arctic Bidiversity Assessment; and ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties, ther gvernments, and relevant rganizatins t undertake, where pssible, studies f the cmplex and interactive effects f climate change and invasive species in wetlands, and t undertake an investigatin f ptential adaptive strategies fr Arctic wetlands, seeking cperatin with the Arctic Cuncil; 44. URGES Cntracting Parties and thers t make full use f the existing Ramsar guidance n the wise use f wetlands (the Wise Use Handbks), much f which is applicable t many f the threats and impacts n wetlands arising frm climate change, in develping their plicy and management respnses relating t climate change; 45. REQUESTS the Ramsar Secretariat, the STRP, and CCGAP t wrk tgether with relevant internatinal cnventins and agencies, including the CBD, UNCCD, UNEP, UNDP, FAO and the Wrld Bank, and especially UNFCCC and IPCC, while RECOGNIZING the distinct mandates and independent legal status f each cnventin and the need t avid duplicatin and prmte cst savings, t investigate the ptential cntributin f wetland ecsystems t climate change mitigatin and adaptatin, in particular fr reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience t climate change; 46. ALSO REQUESTS the Ramsar Secretariat and the STRP t use apprpriate mechanisms t wrk with the UNFCCC and ther relevant bdies, recgnizing the distinct mandates and independent legal status f each cnventin and the need t avid duplicatin and

9 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 9 prmte cst savings, t develp guidance fr the develpment f climate change mitigatin and adaptatin prgrammes that recgnize the critical rle f wetlands in relatin t water and fd security as well as human health; and URGES Cntracting Parties and ther gvernments, and INVITES the secretariats and scientific and technical subsidiary bdies f envirnment cnventins, t imprve integratin n bidiversity and climate change at the internatinal level thrugh capacity building, resurce mbilisatin and implementatin f cllabrative wrk prgrammes, including under the aegis f established mechanisms including the Jint Liaisn Grup f the Ri cnventins and the Bidiversity Liaisn Grup; 47. INSTRUCTS the STRP t bring climate change issues with relevance t wetlands t the attentin f the Chairs f the Scientific Advisry Bdies f the Bidiversity-related Cnventins (CSAB) at the next available pprtunity, and where apprpriate t utilize this frum t encurage enhanced scientific cllabratin n such issues; and, recgnizing the distinct mandates and independent legal status f each cnventin and the need t avid duplicatin and prmte cst savings, t review the rles f different wetland types in the carbn cycle; 48. INSTRUCTS the STRP t cntinue its wrk n climate change as a high pririty and, in cnjunctin with the Ramsar Secretariat, t cllabrate with relevant internatinal cnventins and agencies, including UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD, IPCC, UNEP, UNDP, FAO and Wrld Bank, in the develpment f a multi-institutinal crdinated prgramme f wrk t investigate the ptential cntributin f wetland ecsystems t climate change mitigatin and adaptatin, in particular fr reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience t climate change, and in additin t: i) establish ways and means f cllabrating with the UNFCCC and ther relevant bdies t develp guidance fr the develpment f mutually supprtive adaptatin and mitigatin prgrammes that recgnize the critical rle f wetlands in relatin t water and fd security as well as human health; ii) bring scientific issues and infrmatin n wetlands and climate change t the attentin f the Chairs f the Scientific Advisry Bdies f the Bidiversity-related Cnventins (CSAB) at the next available pprtunity, and use this frum t encurage enhanced scientific cllabratin n issues related t wetlands and climate change; iii) establish ways f cllabrating with the IPCC n scientific issues specifically related t wetlands and climate change, and cntribute t its future wrk in rder t raise the awareness f the climate change cmmunity f the imprtance f wetlands, including thrugh the preparatin and publicatin f relevant scientific reprts n wetlands and climate change; 49. URGES STRP Natinal Fcal Pints t engage in and cntribute t this wrk in rder t bring in natinal and reginal issues and expertise frm their in-cuntry netwrks f wetland scientists and ther experts; and 50. INVITES the Ramsar Administrative Authrities t bring this Reslutin t the attentin f natinal fcal pints f ther multilateral envirnment agreements (MEAs), and

10 Ramsar COP10 Reslutin X.24, page 10 ENCOURAGES Cntracting Parties t prmte cllabrative wrk between the natinal fcal pints f MEAs in supprt f its implementatin.