Today is World Wetlands Day and it is celebrated with drought

Spanish wetlands

Today is World Wetlands Day. However, wetlands around the world today celebrate their day affected by the serious drought that endangers more than half of them, not only because of the lack of water, but because of its multiple threats.

Do you want to know the current situation of the wetlands on a day like today?

Drought in wetlands

drought in wetlands

The hydric variability of the wetlands is a main characteristic of the same in Spain, since the precipitations are not very stable. We can find drier months and others more rainy. Wetlands They adapt to the conditions of temperature and rainfall that the climate gives them.

This occurs under normal conditions, but after the last months of extreme drought in the country, the state of many Spanish wetlands has contributed to worsening and their unique characteristics are affected and endangered.

Wetlands that are inland and endorheic like the lagoon of Fuente de Piedra (Malaga), the Albufera of Valencia or the El Hondo reservoir (Alicante), or in large lake systems, such as the Tablas de Daimiel (Ciudad Real) are more vulnerable to situations in which rainfall is scarcer.

As extreme drought progresses and temperatures rise, there are fears that the wetlands will dry up and Spain will begin to turn into a desert. To avoid this, the Government must comply with the requirements established in the Water Framework Directive, which clearly and concisely sets out how the waters of this important resource should be treated.

Roberto González, head of the organization's Water program, explained that the planning done in Spain for the use of water does not consider drought as structuralInstead, when there is a dry period, “exceptional measures” are activated.

Therefore, the current droughts are affecting these ecosystems with more stress, previously affected by the overexploitation of aquifers, the contamination of surface and groundwater or the low regime of ecological flows.

Gloomy day to celebrate

world wetlands day

Since 1977, all on February 2, World Wetlands Day is celebrated To commemorate the signing in Ramsar (Iran) of the Convention on Wetlands, it focuses this year on urban wet ecosystems.

For many wetlands to function in a normal and natural way, it is enough to let the water flow and return to its natural channel. Surface resources must stop being exploited so that the wetlands can regain the functionality of the ecological flow and regain their good condition.

Impact on wetlands

best wetlands

Ecosystems such as peatlands, swamps, marshes, lakes, deltas, low tides, coastal marine areas, mangroves, coral reefs, springs, rice paddies, reservoirs or salt flats are also wetlands, rich in biodiversity, essential as regulators of climate and for the supply of fresh water, essential for human survival.

However, it is continually being polluted, overexploited, and affected by human actions. 60% of the wetlands in Spain have disappeared and those that remain are in serious condition. For this reason, it is feared that Spain could turn into a desert with the passage of time, if the situation continues like this.

For all these reasons, it is important that the governments include measures to protect ecological flows and greater control of water withdrawals in drought plans to reduce their effects and avoid overexploitation.

For a greater dissemination of knowledge about the importance of wetlands, throughout this weekend, many of the wetlands will be carrying out activities for all audiences to educate the population about the need to preserve them. The wetlands that will have activities for World Wetlands Day are Doñana, the Tablas de Daimiel, the Ebro Delta, the Villafáfila lagoons or the Albufera of Valencia


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.