Dubai: The UAE is vowing to preserve remaining critical wetlands in the country as it prepares to host more than a 1,000 delegates this month in Dubai to a hallmark global wetlands conference.

Set for October 21-29, the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) will continue discussions to preserve global wetlands, one third of which have disappeared around the planet since 1970.

The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is a global intergovernmental treaty signed by 90 per cent of UN member states that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, the organisation said.

According to Dr Thani Bin Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, “Wetlands are not just essential habitats for various species in the UAE that safeguard endangered species such as the Hawksbill turtles and White-collared Kingfisher, but also offer ecotourism opportunities and scope to expedite our journey to sustainable development. They can also be part of the solution for climate change mitigation, due to their carbon sequestration abilities. The UAE became a Ramsar member state in 2007, and we are honoured to host COP13 this year in Dubai, and to help drive discussions on wetland preservation and management.”

In a statement by conference host Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the ministry said the UAE has worked to protect seven of its critical national wetlands under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and is set to protect more sites.

Ahead of the conference, Ramsar has released the Global Wetlands Outlook (GWO) 2018 study which documents the rapid decline of wetlands which “have registered losses of 35 per cent since 1970, at a pace three times faster than the loss of forests. The report warns that unless immediate action is taken, there will be serious repercussions for the future. The GWO’s findings will inform discussions and decisions at COP13.”.

“Spanning a global area of 12.1 million square kilometres, an area nearly as large as Greenland, natural wetlands are disappearing at three times the rate of forests lost. Only 13-18 per cent of them are on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, also known as Ramsar sites. The UAE is home to seven Ramsar sites, with many more set to gain this status.”

“The Global Wetland Outlook is a wake-up call — not only on the steep rate of loss of the world’s wetlands but also on the critical services they provide. Without them, the global agenda on sustainable development will not be achieved,” said Martha Rojas Urrego, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. “We need urgent collective action to reverse trends on wetland loss and degradation, and secure both the future of wetlands and our own at the same time.”

The parties to the Ramsar Convention have committed to the conservation and wise use of all wetlands around the planet and have designated more than 2,300 sites of international importance to date.

For further information about the Global Wetlands Outlook 2018, visit www.global-wetland-outlook.ramsar.org