Side event details

Wetland Restoration for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and Co-Benefits: Best Practices, Valuation, and Financing
Room
Day and time
12.11.2022 13:15
Lead organization
UNEP Freshwater
Partner organization(s)
UNEP Law Division UNEP Global Adaptation Network
Details

This event will highlight the diverse values stemming from wetland restoration for adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem services and economic and social co-benefits. Wetland restoration consists of removing invasive species, reducing pollutants, regenerating water bodies, improving soil health, reintroducing native species, and restoring ecological connectivity with surrounding ecosystems. These restoration efforts (1) build climate resilience in the form of less wetland vulnerability to climate impacts, consistent water supplies, and protection against flooding and other types of disasters, (2) improve local, wetland-dependent livelihoods (fishing, shellfish gleaning, tourism, etc.), and (3) produce savings in terms of water treatment needs, decreased damages from storms and flooding, and better health outcomes from safer drinking water. Additionally, wetlands are excellent carbon sinks. Despite all of these ecosystem services and co-benefits having been valued at over US$47 trillion a year, many policy makers and the public lack knowledge of wetlands’ values and benefits, which is a major obstacle to galvanizing support for scaling up restoration and management.

This event will therefore explore three related areas to raise awareness of the importance of and catalyse efforts for wetland restoration and sustainable management:

  1. Country case studies with lessons learnt and best practices on the range of climate adaptation, mitigation, and co-benefits stemming from wetland restoration in Lao PDR,
  2. Wetland valuation experiences from Nepal, and
  3. Related innovative finance mechanisms and impact investments for wetland restoration and protection.
Program

Structure:

  • Brief opening statements
  • Panel discussion with structured Q&A
  • Session wrap-up and closing remarks


Moderators: Marisol Soledad de Estrella (DRR Programme Manager - UNEP), Stuart Crane (Coordinator for SDG 6 Monitoring - Freshwater Unit - UNEP)

Speakers:

1. Opening: Mrs. Ammy Nurwati - Director for Ecosystem Recovery and Management - Ministry of Environment of Forestry, Indonesia

2. Adaptation: Dr. Shyam K. Paudel - Chief Technical Advisor - Lao PDR Urban EBA Project (GCF)

3. Valuation: Dr. Sony Baral - Associate Professor cum Assistant Dean of Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University-Nepal

4. Finance and Impact Investing: George Kelly - CEO of Earth Recovery Partners