Motion promoted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress
Bogotá.- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, and Spain are promoting Motion 024, “Declaration on the urgent preservation of high mountain wetlands in Latin America,” which will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, an event to be held from October 9 to 15, 2025, in the United Arab Emirates, the Wetlands Foundation reported.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is one of the world’s most influential organizations on biodiversity and sustainability issues, bringing together more than 1,400 members, including governments, environmental organizations, indigenous peoples, and experts from more than 160 countries.
The declaration is sponsored by the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law (SPDA), the Wetlands Foundation (Colombia), the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (Argentina), the Board of Trustees of the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve (Peru), the Mexican Center for Environmental Law, the Green Fund (Peru), and the Global Nature Foundation (Spain).
This motion recognizes the strategic and ecological value of high-mountain wetlands and their ecosystem services, which are essential for, among other things, water and climate regulation, food security, and biodiversity preservation.
At the same time, it warns of the threats facing wetlands due to the expansion of activities associated with the energy transition and the abandonment of cultural practices for their management, exacerbated by the lack of regulatory, institutional, and financial frameworks to guarantee their conservation.
“High mountain wetlands are strategic ecosystems. In some cases, they are already in critical condition, so implementing, coordinating, and implementing national and international efforts for their protection are urgent tasks that require immediate action in the region,” says Mauricio Valderrama, director of the Wetlands Foundation.
Motion 024 “urges governments, the private sector, and international organizations to recognize the value of these ecosystems and adopt concrete actions for their conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, with the full and effective participation of local and indigenous communities and, in compliance with their rights, promote nature-based solutions and adequate financing mechanisms with full respect for human rights.”
According to the Ramsar Convention and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in the last 50 years, Latin America and the Caribbean have lost 59% of their wetlands. This figure makes the region one of the most affected in the world, exceeding the global average loss of 35%.
“The support of the various IUCN organizations and the media will be key to promoting a robust regional agenda that values these fragile and essential ecosystems,” the Wetlands Foundation emphasized.
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Notistarz/CBP
Credits/ Laguna de Fúquene (Colombia) Santiago Valderrama
Lago-de-Tota-Colombia-Eugenio-Valderrama
