Wetlands

ISSUES

Wetlands

The tropical regions of South America comprise 415 million hectares of wetland, followed by Europe (258 million), North America (242 million), Asia (204 million), Africa (121 to 125 million) and Oceania (36 million). One of the best known examples of wetland destruction is that of the Aral Sea (Kazakhstan, Ouzbekistan) which has lost 75% of its surface area since the 1960s, as the water supply was redirected for irrigation. The Mesopotamia marshland, between the Tigris and Euphrates, in southern Iraq, met the same fate, notably for political reasons, going from around 20,000 km2 in the 1950s to 400 km2 today. In Africa, climate change, the demand for water for irrigation and poor management decisions in the basin reduced the size of Lake Chad, which is shared by Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad, by 90% in 40 years. For 20 million people, essentially the fishermen and farmers and their families who depend directly on the lake, malnut...

NEWS

Salt-tolerant rice bred at Philippines institute

Bulgaria, Romania create protected wetlands for birds

Everyday heroes: 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize winners

Univers GoodPlanet par Netvibes

DEBATES

Loss and Degradation of Natural Habitats Threaten Migratory Bird

UNEP

World Migratory Bird Day 2013 Highlights Importance of Ecological Networks for Migratory Birds, Need for a Greater International...

Natural Protected Areas in France, An Effective Approach to Slow the Impact of Human Development on the Land

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Restoration of Wetlands Key to Reducing Future Threats of Avian Flu

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FOCUS

Nobel Price of ecology

Designed to recognize grassroots environmental heroes, the Goldman Environmental Prize, founded by Richard and Rhoda Goldman in 1989 In San Francisco, is awarded annually to individuals from the six inhabited continental regions for sustained and significant efforts to...

VIDEOS

30/05/2012	Lisel Alamilla, Belize's newly appointed Minister of Forestry, Fisheries...	13/10/2010	The traditional forest communities of Bangladesh face an uncertain future...
22/09/2010	IUCN video about the crisis of biodiversity and species extinction, and...	15/06/2010	Oil spill specialist Rick Steiner accompanies a media team to Cat and Bird...

GREEN TIPS

Multifunction nature park

The "Parc du Chemin de l'île", a park created by the city of Nanterre is not just used as a place to relax....

INDICATORS

Biocapacity
National biodiversity index
Threatened ecosystems
Protected areas

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