Side Event - ‘Capturing Climate Co-benefits of Wetlands’ at CoP14 to the Ramsar Convention held at Geneva, Switzerland

11 Nov, 2022

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) - BMUV project, ‘Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection’, organised a side event titled ‘Capturing Climate Co-benefits of Wetlands’, at Ramsar COP14 on 9th November 2022 in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate, and Wetlands International South Asia. The project developed a methodology to assess and manage site-level climate risks in wetlands. This methodology provides step-wise guidance to the site managers, considering the limited resources and available data. The side event also brought together international and national experts, site managers and government officials involved in wetland management to share their experiences and lessons learnt. The panel included Dr. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Alban Kisife, Deputy Head of Division International Cooperation on Biodiversity, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), Germany, Dr. Max Finlayson, Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Mr. Sat Pal Dhiman, Joint Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Wetland Authority, and Mr. Suneel Pamidi, Member Secretary, State Wetland Authority Kerala. Mr. Ravindra Singh, Director, Indo-German Biodiversity Programme, GIZ emphasised the need for bridging the science-policy-practice for wetlands as a climate solution and capturing climate co-benefits of wise use and sustainable management of wetlands.

The Wetlands project was also part of two other side events, namely, ‘Regional Collaboration for Wetlands Wise Use in South Asia’ organised by Wetlands International South Asia – a panel discussion aimed at enhancing regional collaboration to meet wetlands wise-use commitments; and ‘75 at 75’ organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) – an interactive discussion about India’s journey in wetlands conservation, lessons learnt and best practices given the milestone achievement of designating 75 wetlands as Ramsar Sites on eve of India’s 75th year of independence. A short movie produced under the Wetlands Project on ‘Cultural Significance of Wetlands’ was shown at the ‘75 at 75’ event which was well-received.

Ms. Priyanka Chauhan, Ambassador & Deputy Permanent Mission of India, MoEFCC, GIZ and WISA at ‘75 @ 75’ side event, ©Avantika Bhaskar/GIZ

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About the project

The Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project aims to strengthen the institutional framework and capacities for an ecosystem-based integrated management of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) in India. Four Ramsar sites have been selected as pilot sites under the project: Pong Dam and Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh, Bhitarkanika Mangroves in Odisha, and the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in close cooperation with the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA). This project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. Read More

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de