Wetlands International Counting Coral Road Map for Natural Climate Solutions

WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL

Wetlands International is a science-based partner working with civil society, government and the private sector to enable wetland conservation and restoration. A global not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands, its vision is a world where wetlands are treasured and nurtured for their beauty, the life they support and the resources they provide. 

According to its website, the Netherlands-based Wetlands International is the only global not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands. Adding, we are deeply concerned about the loss and deterioration of wetlands such as lakes, marshes and rivers. Why does Wetlands International matter to us? The projects it works on. They include Peatlands, Rivers and Lakes, as well as Coasts and Deltas. Did you know 50% of all the world’s wetlands are made of peat—dead, fallen vegetation?

Wetlands International is dedicated to maintaining and restoring wetlands— for their environmental values as well as for the services they provide to people. Its website goes on to say, “We work through our network of offices, our partners and experts to achieve our goals. Most of our work is financed on a project basis by governments and private donors. We are also supported by government and NGO membership.”

DEEPER DIVE: Wetlands International, Youtube, Blue Carbon

COUNTING CORAL

According to the organization, Counting Coral, 50% of the world’s coral is dead. Our world needs coral reefs. They are vital to the health of our oceans and the survival of our planet. Discover what we are doing to be a part of the change here. Counting Coral is working towards diminishing the massive and devastating effects of coral loss by changing the way coral gardener’s garden coral. However, Coral gardening and restoration practices are typically uninspiring to tourists and the general public. By connecting art and conservation, artist and founder Jolyon Collier has created a way to communicate and address the human impact on our oceans and coral reef ecosystems. That way is through Sculptural coral banks.

CC’s new approach to reef restoration is to harvest climate resilient coral and place them on our sculptures that are specifically designed to protect coral from predators. Really cool sculptures. They’re multi-functional. They’re planted out with climate-resilient coral, rare coral and coral’s of opportunity developing into a coral bank over time. This process starts with first identifying and harvesting climate resilient coral, then placing these CRC’s on our sculptures and allowing them to grow to spawning maturity.

Why does Counting Coral matter to us? Their new technique of coral propagation allows CRC’s to grow and spawn in a safe environment will greatly increase the chances of natural propagation. After all, coral reefs protect coastal communities from storms, prevent coastal erosion, support economies (from fishing to tourism), and more than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs.

DEEPER DIVE: Counting Coral, Coral, Threats to Coral

CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL ROAD MAP FOR NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

According to experts, currently, the way we use land adds some 12.5 gigatons (Gt) of greenhouse gases to Earth’s atmosphere every year, one-quarter of humanity’s total contribution. The biggest opportunities to reduce this come from improved farming and grazing, eating more plant-based diets, reducing food waste, and improving forest management.

Recently, a report released by Conservation International in partnership with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, World Wildlife Fund and Exponential Roadmap Initiative describes how altering agricultural and other land use practices could make a substantial contribution to stabilizing climate for future generations.

Potsdaam Institute for Climate Impact Research director Johan Rockström writes in a foreword to the report, “In the next decade we need to turn working lands — from agriculture and grazing lands to forestry — from vast emitters of greenhouse gases to enormous stores of carbon. At the same time we must scale up carbon storage in existing ecosystems: forests, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands.” Why does this Road Map for Natural Climate Solutions matter to us? The plan focuses on three broad categories: protect “natural lands,” better manage land we use for our own needs and restore damaged land to a healthier condition. Specifically, it describes a need for four key categories of action:

•     Boost carbon storage in soil, plants and other natural systems
• Improve food production and consumption
• Tap into traditional practices to improve how we use land
• Stop destroying and start restoring forests

If followed, the researchers say, the roadmap could make a substantial contribution to putting the planet on the path to a more stable climate.

DEEPER DIVE: USCON Road Map, Road Map on YouTube