IWMI : Wetlands

Wetlands tourism: balancing livelihoods and ecosystems

Overview

More than 3 billion people (around half the world’s population) obtain their basic water needs from inland freshwater wetlands.¹
Rice, the staple food for approximately half the world’s population, is largely grown in natural and artificial wetlands.²
In the Kilombero Wetland in Tanzania, 98% of households obtain food from wetland cultivation and approximately 80% of the income of poor households is generated by wetland cultivation.³
Cultivation in the 1 square kilometer (1 km²) GaMampa Wetland in South Africa yields an estimated annual gross value of US$36,788 to the surrounding communities.⁴
Fisheries are also an extremely important source of protein and income in many wetlands.⁵
Wetlands also supply fiber, fuel and medicinal plants. In Matang Forest Reserve, Malaysia, 40,000 ha of mangroves yield timber worth US$9 million annually.⁶
Wetlands also help reduce the damaging impact of floods, control pollution and regulate the climate.⁷

HOWEVER, many wetlands are being lost due to overexploitation. Wetlands that are protected tend to be designated as ‘nature sanctuaries,’ rather than valuable ecosystems that can also be used sustainably by communities.

Scientists refer to wetlands as ‘the world’s kidneys’ because they purify and slow the flow of water to the sea, helping to control floods and water pollution. But our world is experiencing kidney failure - according to UN Water, half of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1900. When forests around lakes and streams are intact, they act as a filtering system, reducing the amount of sediment, agricultural chemicals and pesticides in the water table.
http://blog.cifor.org/8079/the-worlds-kidneys-why-forests-matter-for-world-water-day-and-rio20/#.T218z9mB9BJ

Contacts
For more information on wetlands and agriculture, journalists and broadcasters are invited to contact our scientists:-

Matthew McCartney
m.mccartney@cgiar.org
Office: +251 116172000
Fax: +251 116172001

Lisa-Maria Rebelo
l.rebelo@cgiar.org
Office: +251 116172000
Fax: +251 116172001

Sonali Senaratna Sellamuttu
s.senaratnasellamuttu@cgiar.org
Office: +85 62 177 1438/77 0076
Fax: +85 62 177 0076

^{1, 4, 5, 7} International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2010. Using wetlands sustainably. IWMI Water Issue Brief 1 Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI), 4p.

^{2, 3, 6} McCartney, M.; Rebelo, L-M.; Senaratna Sellamuttu, S.; de Silva, S. 2010. Wetlands, agriculture and poverty reduction. IWMI Research Report 137. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute. 39p.

Photo Credit: IWMI