There is limited time to save the world’s wetlands and mitigate the impact of climate change, environmental leaders warned at the opening to a worldwide conference on wetlands.
Wetlands are being destroyed at three times the rate of forests, even though they can store twice as much carbon.
Wetland loss will have heavy economic, security and social consequences, cautioned Martha Urrego, the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
“If we lose wetlands we lose our possibility to achieve sustainable and equitable development,” said Ms Urrego. “We know that the demand for water is increasing, that we have a predicted gap in water supply and that if we don’t take care of wetlands we are going to endanger the possibility of achieving solutions that benefit all.”
Ms Urrego was speaking in Dubai before the opening of the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
The week-long event takes place every three years and will be attended by more than 1,000 scientists and policymakers.
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It was opened on Monday night by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi. This year’s theme is wetlands for a sustainable urban future.
“To achieve a seamless, sustainable transition to cities and to capitalise on the wealth of opportunities this transition brings, we need to move wetland conservation to the top of our priority list,” said the minister. “Wetlands help mitigate floods, pollution and climate change and replenish ground aquifers, and are an excellent source of food and raw materials, in addition to providing job opportunities for hundreds of millions of people around the world.”
The UAE is one of 170 signatories to the convention and has eight Ramsar sites recognised as wetlands of international importance.
Wetlands purify the air and water, regulate humidity levels and water flow, prevent flooding and drought, serve as nurseries and sanctuaries for wildlife and protect shorelines from erosion and natural disasters.
Yet their environmental superpowers are usually overlooked.
“Historically, wetlands had been associated with places that were unused or wastelands, or seen as places of illness or places that need to be put in order or civilised,” said Ms Urrego. “That led to the draining of so many wetlands and has cultivated the idea that wetlands are not important or that they can be used in a better way.”
“All the water we use comes directly or indirectly form wetlands,” she said. “That is to say that they purify water. Wetlands are the kidneys of the earth.”
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
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Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
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Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
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Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
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