Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands

Summary

Through the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) and the SWS Climate Change and Wetlands Initiative, a group of wetland scientists, a climate scientist, and attorneys came together to develop the proposed Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands and form the Rights of Wetlands Initiative. The Declaration “recognizes the rights and legal and living personhood of all wetlands” and “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 inherent rights include: the right to exist; the right to their ecologically determined location in the landscape; the right to natural, connected and sustainable hydrological regimes; the right to ecologically sustainable climatic conditions; the right to have naturally occurring biodiversity, free of introduced or invasive species that disrupt their ecological integrity; the right to integrity of structure, function, evolutionary processes and the ability to fulfill natural ecological roles in the Earth’s processes; the right to regeneration and restoration; the right to be free from pollution and degradation.

The Declaration also acknowledges that “wetlands have significance for the spiritual or sacred inspirations and belief systems of many people worldwide, but particularly for Indigenous peoples and local communities living in close relationship to wetlands, and that wetlands provide opportunities to learn from and about Nature, which supports scientific understanding and innovation, cultural expression and artistic creativity.”

Wetlands are a key component to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations notes that embedding the Rights of Wetlands through legal instruments, governance frameworks, and community management is one route to protecting, restoring, and sustainability of wetland ecosystems that are vital to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, food security, freshwater resources, poverty alleviation, human wellbeing and economic resilience.” Achieving these targets will require conservation, restoration, and sustainable development approaches that shift away from consumption-oriented economic frameworks.
SDG 6: clean water and sanitation. Almost all of the world’s consumption of freshwater is drawn either directly or indirectly from wetlands.
SDG 13: climate. Wetlands play a crucial role in climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience by locking up carbon, storm protection, drought reduction, and flood protection.
SDG 15: life on land. Wetlands support 40% of the world’s biodiversity. Rights of wetlands is one approach to address what IPBES categorizes as indirect drivers of ecosystem loss and degradation, and achieve the goals and targets (specifically those referencing inland waters) of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
SDG 12: sustainable production and consumption. Integrating rights of wetlands in consumption and production planning can lead to behavioral and systems change that help achieve sustainable water resource use and protection.

In the last 50 years, 35% of the world’s wetlands have been lost, and they continue to be lost at a rate faster than forests. The loss and degradation of wetlands has a chain reaction, driving biodiversity loss, stressing food and water supplies, and exacerbating the impacts of floods, droughts and wildfires.

The following individuals from around the world came together to develop the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands and form the SWS Rights of Wetlands Initiative: G. T. Davies; C. M. Finlayson; D. E. Pritchard; N. C. Davidson; R. C. Gardner; W. R. Moomaw; E. Okuno; S. Fennessy; M. Simpson; J. C. Whitacre. SWS is reaching out to the public, NGO’s and government organizations to endorse this approach, and welcomes views and comments. You can sign the Declaration or endorse it as an organization via their website.

Involved Organizations