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factsheet7_livelihoods
factsheet7_livelihoods
7
Convention
on Wetlands
Wetlands: Source of
sustainable livelihoods
Wetlands are essential for human health and prosperity.
They provide us with fresh water, ensure our food
supply, sustain biodiversity, protect against flooding,
and store carbon dioxide. As a major source of
employment globally, they are also ideally placed
to showcase truly sustainable livelihoods.
–
Wetlands already sustain a vast range fruits, reeds and grasses also provide
of jobs globally : significant employment directly
in or near wetlands, especially in
Almost a billion households in Asia,
developing countries.
Africa and the Americas depend
–
on rice growing and processing for
their main livelihoods. Situation : a vicious circle
More than 660 million people rely on Despite all the jobs and other vital
fishing and aquaculture for a living; benefits that wetlands provide, 64 % of
most commercial fish breed or spawn the world’s wetlands have disappeared
since 1900. The wetlands that still
–
in coastal wetlands, and 40 % of all fish
consumed are raised in aquaculture. remain are often so degraded that the
people who directly rely on wetlands
An estimated half of international for their living – often the very poor –
tourists seek relaxation in wetland are driven into even deeper poverty.
areas, especially coastal zones. In addition, by 2025, it is estimated
The travel and tourism sectors support that 35 % of people will directly face
–
266 million jobs, and account for 8.9 % declining water supplies. This is the
of the world’s employment. result of a point of view that mistakenly
Rivers and inland waterways play sees wetlands as wasteland.
a vital role in transporting goods and
people in many parts of the world. Solution : a virtuous cycle
In the Amazon basin, 12 million
Enabling people to make a decent
passengers and 50 million tons of
living while ensuring that wetlands
–
freight are moved each year by
will always provide drinkable water,
41 different shipping companies.
biodiversity, food and their many other
Vast networks deliver fresh water benefits, do not have to be conflicting
and treat wastewater around the goals. In fact, the new UN Sustainable
world, while employing significant Development Goals underline that
workforces. For example, Bangkok’s reducing poverty requires us to
–
Metropolitan Waterworks Authority protect and restore ecosystems such
employs over 5,300 staff. as wetlands.
The bottled water industry delivered
over 70 billion gallons of water
worldwide in 2013. Danone sells
major brands such as Evian and Volvic,
Bonafont and Mizone, and employs
more than 37,000 people in its water
www.ramsar.org businesses worldwide.
– –
of development to achieve that goal
economic development: ensuring environmental protection:
–
that people have the ways and means conserving and restoring the earth’s
to build their own income and wealth ecosystems to benefit both human
social development: improving life and the natural environment
cooperation, respect and trust between
social groups, and promoting
gender equality
1 Use ––
–
How to create sustainable a people-centred approach good health to be able to earn a living
livelihoods: What are the key to understand needs
–
a voice in planning how local wetlands
ingredients? assess how vulnerable people should be used
are to shocks, natural disasters and
–
basic infrastructure, equipment
–
civil strife, and how to reduce and tools
that vulnerability
credit, cash or micro-loans
understand how important seasonal
–
prices and employment opportunities
are, and explore other options 3 Identify who can provide the
–
different kinds of ‘capital’ and make
take an inventory of the potential the changes happen
resources available
integrate key actors such as
–
governments, institutions, NGOs and
–
2 Make multiple kinds of ‘capital’
available
local communities
determine who will take what role
–
actual products harvested from in making the changes
wetlands such as reeds, fish, rice etc.
skills and knowledge to understand
trade-offs and prioritizing
The views and designations expressed in this publication are Ramsar Fact Sheets are published by the Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention
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global treaty to focus on one single ecosystem.