Operationalization of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands
Rights of Wetlands partnership
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Partnership
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#SDGAction52089
Description
Wetlands are a key ecosystem for our survival, of unparalleled importance for biodiversity, climate, and ecosystem services - particularly water quantity and quality. Yet wetlands continue to be lost through infilling and drainage for agriculture and urban settlements, and degraded by pollution, alterations to water regimes, fragmentation, climate change, and over-extraction of natural resources.
Rights of Wetlands recognises that new approaches to how we view and interact with nature are required to address climate destabilisation and biodiversity loss, which pose an existential threat to wildlife, people and planet. Efforts to protect nature through conservation actions and environmental protection are proving insufficient, including for water-related ecosystems that provide freshwater.
Rights of Wetlands is part of a global Rights of Nature movement, which is transformative and shifts the globally-predominant paradigm that is responsible for endangering the wellbeing and existence of Nature. The Rights of Nature paradigm reconfigures the human-wetlands relationship from one of exploitation, extraction, and depletion to one that recognizes the Rights and living beingness of wetlands, and is based on reciprocity, kinship, and gratitude.
Rights of Wetlands is about behavioural and systems change through legal frameworks and through how communities and individuals interact with the wetlands they live next to or within.
Rights of Wetlands declares that all wetlands are entities entitled to inherent and enduring rights, which derive from their existence as members of the Earth community and should possess legal standing in courts of law. These rights include:
1) The right to exist
2) The right to their ecologically determined location in the landscape
3) The right to natural, connected and sustainable hydrological regimes
4) The right to ecologically sustainable climatic conditions
5) The right to have naturally occurring biodiversity, free of introduced or invasive species that disrupt their ecological integrity
6) The right to integrity of structure, function, evolutionary processes and the ability to fulfil natural ecological roles in the Earth’s processes
7) The right to be free from pollution and degradation
8) The right to regeneration and restoration.
RIGHTS OF WETLANDS KEY MESSAGES AND ACTIONS
Achieving the future wellbeing and sustainability of life on Earth requires rapid and transformative change.
Recognizing, implementing and ensuring Rights of Wetlands is a critically important transformative change towards aligning human activities with ecological reality.
Humans have an ethical duty to recognise the Rights of Wetlands and other elements of Nature to exist, to have a place to exist, and to fully participate in the Web of Life.
The 8 Rights of Wetlands are interconnected. Wetlands can’t exist without all 8 Rights.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are leaders in recognizing the Rights and living beingness of Nature and the role and responsibilities of humans as members of the Web of Life.
Legal structures for applying Rights of Nature exist, and they apply to Rights of Wetlands.
Local communities can take, and are taking, actions to change their relationship with wetlands.
Rights of Wetlands can be promoted and supported through cultural, educational, legal, and wetland management strategies.
Embedding the Rights of Wetlands to function and exist through community management, legal instruments and governance frameworks is one route to protecting, restoring and sustainably using water resources and wetland ecosystems vital for the provision of freshwater, biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, food security, poverty alleviation, human wellbeing and economic resilience.
Wetlands make a significant contribute to all of the Sustainable Development Goals (see: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, ‘Scaling up wetland conservation, wise use and restoration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals’, 2018) including the following.
SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation: Almost all of the world’s consumption of freshwater is drawn either directly or indirectly from wetlands.
SDG 13 on climate: Wetlands play a crucial role in climate mitigation by locking up carbon and in adaptation and resilience through climate regulation, storm protection, drought reduction and flood protection. Ensuring that wetlands have the right to exist, the right to natural, connected and sustainable hydrological regimes, the right to be free from pollution and degradation and the right to regeneration and restoration, can form part of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
SDG 15 life on land: halting and reversing biodiversity loss requires new approaches to conservation, restoration, and sustainable development which reshape the human-nature relationship and shift away from consumption-oriented economic approaches that have led us to the brink of catastrophic climate destabilisation and brought on the 6th mass extinction. The Rights of Wetlands is one example of such an approach, addressing what IPBES categorises as indirect drivers of ecosystem loss and degradation, without action on which the Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets (including those specifically referencing inland waters) will not be achieved.
SDG 12 on sustainable production and consumption: Placing the Rights of Wetlands at the centre of consumption and production planning will lead to behavioural and systems change that ensures sustainability is achieved particularly in relation to water resource use and protection. As individuals, communities, corporate entities and governments seek to avoid negative impacts on the eight Rights of Wetlands, shifts in consumption and production will play a major part.
Operationalizing the Rights of Wetlands also contributes to SDG17 due to the partners involved and because of the strong link to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which is signed by 172 countries and concerned with the protection, restoration and wise use of all wetlands, including Wetlands of International Importance. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is also the focus for long-term collaboration with diverse civil society organisations, local communities, scientists and others with experience and expertise from local to global level, from small scale urban wetlands (linked to SDG 11) to large landscape-scale wetland restoration projects to secure resilient water systems for people and nature.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Wetlands International
Society of Wetland Scientists
Cobra Collective
North Rupununi District Development Board, Guyana
International Water Management Institute
Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Ministry of Environment Sri Lanka
ATAYAK - Asociación de Yachak del Pueblo de Sarayaku, Ecuador
Worcester State University, USA
Universidad Católica de Bolivia "San Pablo", Bolivia
Practical Action in Bolivia
ORGANISATIONS THAT HAVE ENDORSED THE DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WETLANDS TO DATE:
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Rights of Mother:Earth
Rights of Nature Sweden
Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature – GARN Europe
Earth Thrive
The Gaia Foundation
Fundación Lagunas Costeras
Fundación Montecito
Stichting Mission Lanka
Virginia Community Rights Network
National Community Rights Network
African Institute of Culture and Ecology (AFRICE)
EarthLore Foundation
African Biodiversity Network
Grabe-Benin
Society for Alternative Learning & Transformation
Ohio Community Rights Network
Society for Ecological Restoration
Curating Tomorrow
Snowchange Cooperative
Círculo Argentino de Profesionales en Comercio Exterior
Water-Culture Institute
Coalition For Wetlands & Forests
Climate Catalyst
"Rights of Wetlands: Transforming Our Relationship with Wetlands" Guidance document on how to operationalize Rights of Wetlands - https://www.rightsofwetlands.org/_files/ugd/845acc_8164763fdf7b427486fa…
Society of Wetland Scientists - www.sws.org
Wetlands International - www.wetlands.org
SDGS & Targets
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Goal 15
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
15.1
By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.1.1
15.1.2
15.2
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
15.2.1
15.3
By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
15.3.1
15.4
By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
15.4.1
15.4.2
15.5
Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
15.5.1
15.6
Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
15.6.1
15.7
Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
15.7.1
15.8
By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
15.8.1
15.9
By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
15.9.1
(a) Number of countries that have established national targets in accordance with or similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in their national biodiversity strategy and action plans and the progress reported towards these targets; and (b) integration of biodiversity into national accounting and reporting systems, defined as implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
15.a
Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
15.a.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.b
Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation
15.b.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.c
Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities
15.c.1
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
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All Nature including people
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Laura , Ms