STATUS, CHALLENGES AND ASPIRATIONS OF WETLAND ...

STATUS, CHALLENGESAND ASPIRATIONS OFWETLAND YOUTH

Y O U T H E N G A G E D I N W E T L A N D S | S U R V E Y R E P O R T 2 0 2 1

R E S E A R C H E D & W R I T T E N B Y :

Bidhya SharmaElise Allély-FerméMaría Elisa Sánchez

D E S I G N E D B Y :

Nicole FabianGab Mejia

DEDICATIONThis report is dedicated to all the young people who are

devoting their time, energy, spirit, and knowledge to protectingamazing wetland ecosystems. Through this report, we wish to

recognize and shine the light on your efforts and yourstruggles, to build a strong community of young people that

can support each other, to let you know that you are not alonein these efforts. Thank you for taking the time to share your

story with us.

For us at YEW, reading the survey responses and developingthe case studies has been an exhilarating experience. In all we

sensed determination and relentless efforts in conservingwetlands around us. While we are marked by numerous

differences in region and geography, we are bound togetherwith untenable love for wetlands and a strong commitment to

wetland conservation.

Y O U T H E N G A G E D I N W E T L A N D S S U R V E Y R E P O R T P A G E 0 2

RECOMMENDED CITATIONSharma, B., Allély-Fermé, E. E. G., Sánchez M.E. 2021. Status, Challenges, and Aspirations

of Wetland Youth: Survey Report. Youth Engaged in Wetlands


COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Copyright © 2021 Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW)Cover photo and background photos by Gab Mejia

TABLE OF CONTENTSDEDICATION

Recommended Citation Copyright Information

ABOUT YOUTH ENGAGED IN WETLANDS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

RECOMMENDATIONS

BACKGROUND

ABOUT THIS REPORT

KEY FINDINGSA. Overview of Respondents

Age RangeRegionsSex Distribution

B. Nature of WorkWetland TypeType of Activity

C. Context to Youth EngagementPerception of Youth EngagementBarriers to Youth EngagementRelevance of the Ramsar ConventionYouth and their Contribution to the Sustainable Development GoalsAspirations of YouthRelevance of a Youth Network

REFLECTIONSOverview of Respondents (Region, Age, and Sex)Nature of Work (Wetland Type and Type of Activities)Perception to Youth EngagementBarriers to Youth EngagementRelevance of the Ramsar ConventionYouth and their Contributions to the SDGsAspirations of YouthRelevance of Youth Network

CASE STUDIESAfrica HighlightsAsia HighlightsEurope HighlightsLatin America and the Caribbean HighlightsNorth America HighlightsOceania Highlights

CONCLUSION

NEXT STEPS FOR YEW

REFERENCES


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Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW) is a youth-led volunteer networkdedicated to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Created in 2018,YEW’s mission is to provide a platform for young people to enable andempower them to help protect and promote wetlands around the world.YEW’s Mission and Strategy is aligned with the mission of the RamsarConvention on Wetlands and our vision is to be able to support thedevelopment of a formal mechanism within the Ramsar Convention for theparticipation of youth and to be identified as the leading group in thatcontext. The YEW core team is composed of 12 young professionals(volunteers) located around the world, working to reach the YEW objectives.


ABOUT YOUTH ENGAGEDIN WETLANDS

A special thank you to the YEW team members that helped prepare,

translate , and send out the survey, Awawou Manouore Njoya, Pr iyankaSarkar , Roger Delamou. Thank you to al l the individuals that took the

t ime to respond to the f i rst -ever YEW survey, contr ibut ing to bui lding abetter understanding of the current and potent ial involvement of young

people in wetland conservat ion.

We would also l ike to thank the Ramsar CEPA Government and NGOfocal points and partners of different countr ies who took the t ime to

forward the survey to different individuals. We are very appreciat ive ofamazing ideas and tremendous work from Gab Mej ia and Nic Fabian in

designing and formatt ing the report .

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


In 2020, Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW) conducted an online survey to assessthe status of youth engagement across wetland conservation and wise use aroundthe globe. The purpose of the survey was to establish a baseline on the role ofyouth, the opportunities, and the constraints for them to work on wetland issues atlocal, national or international level.

The survey was published in English, Spanish and French and was available on theYEW website for 9 months. We received a total of 88 responses from young peopleworking in 31 different countries. Following the results of the survey presented inthis report, a selection of case studies highlights the stories of youth respondentsfrom different geographical regions. The collected data and this report are atestimony to the interest and aspirations of youth working on wetlands.

The results highlight the diversity of youth engagement in wetlands. Young peoplerepresented by the respondents of this survey are involved in a range of wetlandactivities and aspects of wetland conservation and wise use. Together, their workalso covers a great diversity of wetland types. Nevertheless, the sex distribution ofparticipants shows a significant imbalance in the number of female participants,with nearly 70% of respondents being male. While we received responses from eachregion, response rates from Oceania, Europe, and North America were significantlylower than from Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Almost half ofthe survey respondents represent NGOs, highlighting the importance of civil societyefforts.

Nearly 50% of the youth respondents stated working on Ramsar Sites, emphasizingthe importance of Ramsar Site designations and the Ramsar Convention in youthwork and vice versa. The respondents also reported a direct contribution inachieving a number of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Theoverwhelming commitment of young people to work on wetlands and their desire todevelop their capacity in different areas of wetland conservation shows that youngpeople are committed and aspire to lead even greater efforts. The results indicatea strong desire to be part of a global network together with other wetland youth.

Together with youth achievements and aspirations, we also identify commonchallenges that youth face while working on wetland issues. In most cases, lack ofsustained funding, lack of awareness of the importance of wetlands amongdifferent stakeholders as well as generally unfavourable socio-political climate arethe common roadblocks that youth from different regions must face. At other times,young people face life-threatening or dangerous situations in their wetland work.

Together, the survey results and case studies confirm that young people are "takingaction for the wise use of wetlands", responding to the mission of the RamsarCEPA Program. This report provides a strong basis for the need to 1) Address youthin wetland agendas, 2) Foster their capacities, and 3) Involve youth in national andinternational decision-making around wetlands. Equally important is the need todevelop a network of youth at local, regional, and international levels so thatgreater collaboration and learning-sharing among youth as well as with oldergenerations is possible.


EXECUTIVESUMMARY

"YOUNGPEOPLE ARE

TAKING ACTIONFOR THE WISE

USE OFWETLANDS"

SUCCESSFUL GLOBAL STRATEGIESFOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATIONREQUIRE INCREASING RELIANCE ONLOCAL LEADERSHIP AND MAJORINVESTMENT IN LOCAL CAPACITY.

Rodríguez et al. (2015): Globalization of Conservation: A View from the South


"

RECOMMENDATIONSThe following recommendations emerge from our analysis of thesurvey responses and case study interviews and are particularly

directed towards wetland practitioners from policy makers at thelevel of the Ramsar Convention both internationally and nationally,

research institutes, NGOs, wetland site managers and fundingagencies working on wetlands. We urge that each of these

recommendations are implemented in collaboration with youngpeople through meaningful dialogues and partnerships, rather than

young people being solely the recipients of engagement efforts.



Supporting youth and youth-led initiativesfor wetland conservation and wise use

Increase efforts towards empowering women and non-gender binarypeople and provide more examples and role models of wetlandconservation work led by females and non-gender conforming people toincrease gender diversity in wetland conservation.

Support youth through tailored and meaningful capacity building,mentoring and practical or hands-on opportunities to ensure thesustainability of their projects.

Provide tools to youth-led initiatives for effective and sustainablefundraising and while partnering with youth, explore with them directmonetary compensation or other appropriate forms of recognition fortheir work.

Ensure the safety and wellbeing of youth working in wetlandconservation, recognizing that in some places, wetland conservationwork is dangerous and sometimes even life-threatening.

Youth as a key stakeholder of the RamsarConvention

Recognize that community-based projects led by youth are key inensuring the health and protection of wetlands and that young people arekey stakeholders for the Ramsar Convention “taking action for theconservation and wise-use of wetlands”.

Increase awareness among young people of the Ramsar Convention onWetlands, its processes as well as its application and relevance to allwetlands, not only Ramsar Sites.

Meaningfully include young people in Communication, Education,Participation and Awareness raising efforts, acknowledging thestrengths, knowledge and networks they provide to support theeducation of the wider population around wetland ecosystems, theirconservation and wise use.

Intergenerational cooperation and decision-making

Recognise that young people can create change at the international,national and local level given the appropriate conditions and that theymust be involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

Provide youth-friendly spaces for meaningful participation andintergenerational cooperation in national and international institutionsand decision-making processes around wetlands so that together youthand non-youth can respond to the complex and evolving challenges ofthe wetland world.

Swamps, marshes, bogs, lakes, rivers, peatlands, salt marshes, salt ponds, karstsystems, mangrove swamps, lagoons and estuaries, rice paddies, coral reefs - whatdo these ecosystems have in common? All these places are called wetlands - thiscritical transition between ‘wet’ areas and the ‘land’. According to the RamsarConvention, any land area saturated or flooded with water, whether permanent ortemporary, natural, or man-made, is a wetland (Ramsar Convention Secretariat,2016).

Wetlands are one of the most important ecosystems of the world as they play a keyrole in climate change, hydrology, biodiversity, and human health and well-being.Wetlands are known to serve a multitude of overlapping benefits. Ranging frombasic needs of food supply and drinking water, healthy wetlands prevent floods andcan help protect coastal communities from severe weather events. As hotspots forbiodiversity, wetlands are imperative to the survival of a number of species. Theyare global carbon storehouses, critical nature-based solutions in our fight againstclimate change. These overarching benefits can be visualized through the fact thatwetlands contribute to each one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and helpinform 75 of 96 different indicators (Ramsar Convention, 2018). In monetary terms,ecosystem services provided by natural wetlands globally are estimated to bearound 47 trillion (US Dollars) per year (Davidson et al., 2018).

Yet, at present, wetlands are also one of the most threatened ecosystems as wehave lost 64-71% of wetlands since 1900 AD (Davidson, 2014). We are losingwetlands at a rate three times faster than forests (Ramsar Convention, 2018). Inmany places, wetlands are still considered as wastelands. Too often, a narrowrange of economic benefits are prioritized at the expense of freshwaterecosystems, the habitats they provide, the flora, fauna and services they support(Tickner et al., 2020). Globally, the drivers of wetland loss and degradation includedrainage and conversion of wetlands for agriculture, aquaculture or infrastructuredevelopment, pollution, invasive species, unsustainable extraction activities,inadequate water management and climate change (Ramsar Convention, 2018).Populations of freshwater vertebrate species reflect this habitat degradationdecreasing two times faster than the rate of land and ocean vertebrates (Grootenand Almond 2018). The implications of wetland loss are felt across multiplebiophysical and social dimensions and have severe consequences with regards tosustainable development and human wellbeing.

Globally, wetland conservation efforts require a combination of strategies fromrestoring and rehabilitating the wetlands that we have lost combined withprotection of the critical habitats remaining and “wise-use” of all wetlands. Theconcept of “wise-use” of wetlands, is a termed coined by the Ramsar Conventionon Wetlands and acknowledges the number of services that healthy wetlandsprovide to people and the environment and equates to the sustainable use ofwetland resources as a contribution to sustainable development (RamsarConvention Secretariat, 2010a). It is crucial to ensure that conservation efforts aregrounded in science and supported and/or initiated by local communities whoselivelihoods and wellbeing depend on these ecosystems (Valuing Wetlands, 2021).


BACKGROUND

In these efforts, public participation at different levels of wetland management and decision-makingis necessary to reverse this trend of wetland loss and degradation and to achieve the global prioritiesset by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the ParisAgreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, to name a few. Over the last 30 years, therecognition and participation of non-state actors within wetland management and decision-makinghas grown significantly, including within the Ramsar Convention (Hamman, 2018). Several guidancedocuments produced by the Ramsar Convention encourage increased community participation inwetland conservation such as the 1999 Resolution VII.8 “Guidelines for establishing andstrengthening local communities’ and indigenous people’s participation in the management ofwetlands”, the 2008 Changwon Declaration and the 2015 Resolution XII.9 “The Ramsar Convention’sProgramme on communication, capacity building, education, participant and awareness (CEPA) 2016-2024”. The CEPA Program defined by Resolution XII.9 is regarded as a tool to help deliver theStrategic Plan of the Ramsar Convention. The mission of the CEPA Program is “People taking actionfor the wise use of wetlands” (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2010b).

The scope of the current CEPA program and the various guidance documents provided by theConvention however do not fully explore the dimensions of youth engagement. This report hopes toshed some light on the plurality of this form of public participation and the opportunities that itprovides to contribute in particular to the overall mission of the Ramsar Convention - in other words“young people taking action for the wise use of wetlands”. For the purpose of this report, we borrowfrom the propositions set by Checkoway (2011) to define youth participation as “a process of involvingyoung people in the institutions and decisions that affect their lives [and] the active engagement andreal influence of young people” (Checkoway, 2011 p341).

It is well recognized that efforts initiated by young people around the world are vital to achieve thesegoals and to promote societal improvements (Earl, Maher and Elliott, 2017). The importance of youthparticipation is increasingly being recognized by various institutions and at different levels (Corriero,2004). At YEW, we believe that the efforts for wetlands conservation that are led by youth are key inachieving conservation targets.

To meet the YEW mission of providing a 1) global platform for young people to empower them and 2)to protect wetlands and promote their conservation and wise-use around the world and 3) to providerecommendations for strengthening youth engagement especially in the context of the RamsarConvention of Wetlands, we first needed to build an understanding of the involvement of youngpeople (18-35 years old) in different aspects of wetland conservation globally. To that purpose, weat YEW prepared a survey to understand the commonalities, opportunities, and challenges that youthface while working on wetland issues. We wanted to learn about youth working in the frontlines ofconservation, education, research, restoration, and wise use: the challenges that they have faced andtheir success stories.


This report is the outcome of an online survey that was available on the YEW website for a 9-month period between January and September 2020. We targeted the survey to youth aged 18-35. We also shared the survey with Ramsar Communication, Capacity Building, Education,Participation and Awareness (CEPA) focal points (Governments and NGOs) and within ourwetland networks. The survey was available in English, French and Spanish. In total, we received88 individual responses from young people across 31 different countries.

To our knowledge, this survey is the first of its kind in terms of its focus on youth that areinvolved in wetland activities. We acknowledge that the survey is self-reported and does nothave a proportionate representation across the countries and the regions. We also acknowledgethat the answers to the survey are limited to youth with access to internet, social media, andemail and who have a certain degree of digital literacy, which is in itself exclusive. Nevertheless,the information that we have highlighted provides a baseline on youth engagement in wetlands,which we hope will aid in raising youth voices and fomenting youth advocacy in wetland issues.

This report is divided into three sections. The first section provides details on thecharacterization of respondents from different Ramsar regions on the basis of age, sex, and thenature of their work. The second section summarizes open-ended questions of challenges,motivation, the relevance of the Ramsar Convention to their work and respondents’ aspirations.The third section highlights two case studies from each Ramsar region, illustrating the diversityof youth engagement for wetland conservation around the globe.


ABOUT THIS REPORT

KEY FINDINGS



AGE RANGE

Even though the survey was targeted for 18-35 age groups, we received some responses fromoutside the target range. While we kept the outlier responses in age-distribution results, weremoved them in all other questions. Eighty eight percent of the responses (88 respondents) fallwithin the targeted age range (Figure 1). 44% of respondents are between the ages of 26 and 30years old.

A. OVERVIEW OF RESPONDENTS

Figure 1: Age distribution of respondents

REGIONS

As shown in Figure 2, we received responses from all the Ramsar regions - Africa, Asia, Europe,Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Oceania. Figure 2 shows the responsereceived from each country. Of the 88 responses, the Latin American and the Caribbean (30responses), Asia (27 responses) and Africa (16 responses) regions has the largest number ofresponses. Comparatively, we received fewer responses from North America (7 responses),Europe (5 responses) and Oceania (3 responses).

K E Y F I N D I N G S

SEX DISTRIBUTION

As shown in Figure 3, nearly seventy percent of the respondents are male showing a strikingimbalance in terms of representation based on sex in the survey responses. Except for Oceania,for all other regions, the number of male respondents is higher than female and only oneparticipant identifies as non-male and non-female. The proportion of male respondents isconsiderably higher than the average for the African region, with only two female respondentsout of 16. This question asked participants to respond about their sex, which did not includegender.


Figure 3: Number and sex distribution of respondents from different regions

Figure 2: Countries and regions represented in the survey


WETLAND TYPE

We were curious to learn more about what type of wetland young people currently focus theiractivities. Over 70% of respondents indicate working on more than one wetland type, as shown inFigure 4. The most common wetland types are “Freshwater marshes”, “Riverine wetlands” and“Mangroves”, each representing respectively 35%, 28%, and 27% of responses. Among the othertypes of wetlands mentioned are four artificial or "man-made" wetlands including rice fields,aquaculture ponds and a sewage treatment plant. Other types of wetlands mentioned includethree estuary systems, four lakes, two lagoons, one intertidal mudflat, urban wetlands, an inlandsaline wetland, and an arid wetland.


B. NATURE OF WORK

Figure 4: Different types of wetlands on which youth participants are working per region. We allowed multiple answers.

80% of respondents indicate that they are working on wetlands with at least one international ornational designation (Figure 5). In most cases, these wetlands are covered by overlappingdesignations. Activities are most often focused on National Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites andImportant Bird Areas, with nearly half of survey respondents working on Ramsar Sites. Furtherquestions on the relevance of Ramsar Sites in individual projects are explored below.

Figure 5: Designation of the wetlands that youth are working on. We allowed multiple answers.


TYPE OF ACTIVITY

Figure 6 illustrates the affiliation of the respondents. Almost half of the participants (41%) areaffiliated with Non-Governmental Organizations. Similarly, research institutes, governmentalorganizations and international NGOs are also represented within our survey participants.Representation of government organizations comes from Asia and Latin America and theCaribbean regions.


Figure 6: Affiliation of the respondents

For half of the respondents, wetland-related activities represent 50% or more of their workloadas shown in Figure 7 (84 participants responded to this question).

Figure 7. Percentage of workload spent on wetland activities


Respondents were presented with a multiple-choice list of 10 wetland-related activities to selectfrom and one “other” where they could describe their activities. A large number of respondents(83%) lead more than one of these activities at a time.


Figure 8: Type of wetland activity led by youth respondents. We allowed multiple answers.

Youth respondents are focusing on a diversity of wetland conservation and wise use aspects(Figure 9). “Biodiversity conservation” and “Ecosystem services” are the two most commonareas of focus. Here again, respondents often focus on more than one of these aspects.

Figure 9: Aspect of wetland conservation and wise use on which the respondents are focusing. We allowed multiple answers.


All but 10 respondents report doing more than one of these activities (Figure 8). “Education andawareness”, “Research” and “Monitoring” are the activities that are most commonly encountered.Around 30% of the survey respondents are involved through “Volunteer” work.

PERCEPTION OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

We invited survey participants to share their perception of the level of youth engagement withintheir research and conservation activities in their region and/or country. The following Figure 10divides the response on the current status of youth engagement in wetlands at national level asreported by the respondents according to region. Lower value “1” corresponds to low levels ofengagement and in increasing order, value “5” corresponds to high levels of engagement ofyouth in wetland activities. The most common response among all respondents is 3, implyingthat the respondents are neutral about the level of youth engagement in their country.


C. CONTEXT TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

Figure 10. Rating of youth involvement across regions. 1- poor involvement, 5- Very good involvement

Figure 11: Source of funding for wetland activities. We allowed multiple answers.

BARRIERS TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

From our initial discussions, having a reliable and sustainable source of funding was oftenraised as a limitation to carry out certain projects of interest. Figure 11 shows the currentsources of funding received by the participants to carry out their work. In most cases, more thanone source of funding is reported. The most important funding sources reported are“International donor-based funds” and “In-kind and volunteer support”.


The following Word Cloud (Figure 12) highlights the most prominent words mentioned byrespondents concerning the challenges that they face in relation to working in wetlandconservation. The size of the letter corresponds to their frequency of occurrence with largerletters indicating the most commonly occurring challenge.


Figure 12. Word cloud illustrating the challenges that the respondents are facing

Issues related to funding such as unsustainable funding, short project-based funding anddifficulty in securing funds are the most commonly received responses, an issue raised bynearly half of all respondents (48%). While our study does not have good regional distribution, itis apparent that “funding” is a sizable challenge for respondents working in the African region(88% of African respondents) and to a lesser degree for respondents working in the LatinAmerica and the Caribbean region (50% of Latin American and Caribbean respondents) and Asia(30% of Asian respondents), see Figure 13.

Figure 13. Regional distribution of “Funding” as a challenge for respondents


" If only they could commit a small percentage of the profits towards wetlandsrestoration such as invasive species management, then wetlands will be wellprotected in the future."

Respondent from Zambia

In addition, respondents also shared challenges related to the general socio-political climate fortheir conservation work. Respondents frequently mention Lack of political will and interestalong with lack of corporate will to a lesser extent. One of the respondents from Zambiahighlights the challenges related to the lack of commitment to the wetlands on behalf ofdifferent large companies. He adds :


The lack of awareness, understanding and knowledge of the importance of wetlands at thecommunity level, political level and among different stakeholders are raised as common barriersfor advancing wetland issues. Among these, participants indicate that wetlands are under threatby a number of factors such as agricultural expansion, unsustainable activities like overfishing,overexploitation of wetland species and pollution. Wetlands are complex in nature and theirbenefits are not only direct monetary value from provisioning services. Wetlands are crucial inproviding regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. It is evident that awareness ofthe complexities and their direct and indirect benefits is yet to reach the desired level withincommunities and decision-makers.

Challenges related to engagement are also commonly reported. For instance, the mobilization ofother young people around local wetland conservation and the engagement of local communitiesare a particular challenge for a couple of respondents. Maintaining commitment andengagement of the local community in the initiative is a challenge for a participant in Indiawhere COVID 19 brought another level of challenges to reach to the community:

"Online activities/orientation is not effective for these communities."

Adarsh, 26 from India


Max adds that an association or project needs a welcoming culture with positive vibes in orderto attract young people who are willing to commit themselves more deeply.

Two respondents, including Maia from the Philippines, share the perceived disconnectionbetween people and their environment further accentuating lack of awareness:

"There is an observed historical forgetfulness of mangroves in some stakeholdercommunities, e .g. not connecting that their barangay [an administrativedivision in the Phil ippines] is named for the local name of a mangrove speciesbecause it was abundant there at the time"

Maia, 24 from Philippines

Some common challenges are also related to the lack of support given that for some participantsthere is a need for greater guidance and mentoring as well as capacity building and trainingopportunities. For a few participants, the lack of technical support and staff also limit them intheir activities.

Finally, while they are not the most common responses, it is worth mentioning a few otherchallenges stated by two individuals that relate to more personal challenges. One respondenthighlights the despair that is felt at times around wetlands conservation, the emotional challengethat arises from seeing these places being degraded and feeling their efforts are useless. Anotherparticipant explains the fear and life-threatening risk related to their work in wetlandconservation:

" It is increasingly diff icult to f ind people who are will ing to commit themselvesclosely in the project and take care of administrative and organizationalaspects of the project" .

Max, 28 from Luxembourg


Similarly, Max (28, Luxembourg) explains:

"There is fear of losing l i fe during our f ield visits because of ongoing i l legalactivities. It becomes diff icult for regular ecological data collections"

Respondent from India


Almost half of the wetland activities shared in this survey are carried out in Ramsar sites asshown in Figure 5. We asked the participants what the Ramsar Convention meant to them and ifit had any relevance in their work. Over half of the participants are aware of the RamsarConvention and its mission and feel that it was of relevance to their work.

Regardless of whether participants are working or leading research at a Ramsar Site or not, thedesignation of Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar Site is highly valued among 24participants:


RELEVANCE OF THE RAMSAR CONVENTION

"Ramsar helps in giving theAgusan Wetlands a label andhigh international value"

Gab, 24 from Philippines

"The Convention is for me a great ally in theconservation of these ecosystems, it pushes

local authorities to be able to promote theprotection of these ecosystems,

highlighting their international importance"

Karol, 25 from Peru

"Plays an important role injustifying to the government tokeep it protected"

Sameer, 19 from South africa

"Wetlands in our impact area are notclassified as Ramsar Site, nevertheless this

Convention is of great relevance for theconservation of wetlands at the global

level"

Isabela, 26 from Dominican Republic


Five participants mention that they would like to see their wetland designated as a Ramsar Siteor were currently working towards its designation. Four respondents indicate that the RamsarConvention is not of relevance to their work because their wetland is not listed as a Ramsar Site.

The Ramsar Convention is also seen as an important basis for promoting wetland conservationand wise use locally and nationally. It is viewed by some participants as a way to support thefurther protection of wetlands and to help in the creation of Protected Areas:


"Being a Ramsar site, it was pushed to be designated as a Nationallyprotected area by Mongolian Government"

Vandandorj, 31 from Mongolia

The Ramsar Convention is also seen as having an important awareness-raising role with acouple of participants mentioning World Wetlands Day and the materials produced forenvironmental education and academic research. Several participants highlight the guidance andrecommendations that the Ramsar Convention provides. Alejandro (28, Colombia), working inMexico, says:

"The Ramsar Convention is the organism that has the capacity to makerecommendations in terms of public policy for the conservation, managementand restoration of wetlands [ . . .] and give specific recommendations for wetlandmanagement at the local and regional levels ."

Alejandro, 28 from Mexico

For others, The Ramsar Convention is also an advocacy tool, used to raise the visibility ofwetlands to relevant authorities.

"We have used the treatyto petition ourgovernment to questionthe investors that aredestroying our wetland"

Edwin, 30 from Uganda


Photo by CECIC, Uganda

Participants show high levels of awareness of the Ramsar Convention and highlight differentdimensions of its influence based on their experience. A few share their interest in learning moreabout Ramsar. We asked the participants to indicate whether their work related to any of the objectives of theRamsar Strategic Plan 2016-2024. The link to the Strategic Plan poster was provided throughthe survey. 22% of participants align their work to at least one of the goals of the Strategic Plan,with a greater number contributing towards Goal 1: “Addressing the Drivers of Wetland Loss AndDegradation” (Figure 15). Overall, all four goals are shown to be relevant across differentrespondents.


Figure 14. Contribution towards the Goals of the 2016-2024 Ramsar Strategic Plan.


https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/ramsar_convention_strategic_plan_poster_english.pdf

https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/ramsar_convention_strategic_plan_poster_english.pdf

We asked the participants to indicate the relevance of their work with respect to the SustainableDevelopment Goals for 2030 (SDGs). 27% of all participants responded to this questionindicating that their work relates to at least one goal. All SDGs are quoted at least once apartfrom SDG 8 “Decent work and economic growth”, SDG 9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure”and SDG 10 “Reduced inequalities”. The most common SDGs were SDG 13 “Climate Action” andSDG 15 “Life on Land”, followed by SDG 14 “Life Below Water” and SDG 6 “Clean water andSanitation”.


YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN WETLAND CONSERVATION ANDTHEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SDGS

Figure 15. Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals


With the future motive of addressing the challenges that youth are facing, we asked what kind ofskills and knowledge they would like to develop. The results are shown in a word-cloud in Figure16.

Techniques on community engagement (34%) including how to involve communities inconservation work and to raise awareness and participation in wetland conservation are one ofthe most reported skills alongside wetland restoration (35%) and monitoring techniques (32%).Fundraising skills (31%), advocacy (24%) and policy (20%) are also commonly reported byparticipants.

Almost 20% of participants mention particular research techniques that they wanted to developincluding on the topics of wetland identification and mapping such as “ecosystem assessmentand identification”, “peat characterization”, “wetland identification”, “temporal mapping ofwetland dynamics”, “Mapping in Google Earth” and “Wetland delineation”, and greenhouse gasemissions measurements such as “GHG flux measurements”, “carbon footprint withinmangroves”, “carbon capture by coastal marine systems”, “carbon sequestration and biocharinvolvement”. A few other specific topics mentioned are “sustainable livelihood strategies”,“economic evaluation of mangroves and funding mechanisms”. Two participants also mentionan interest in developing some soft skills including leadership and conflict management.


ASPIRATIONS OF YOUTH

Figure 16: Aspiration of youth working in wetlands

RELEVANCE OF YOUTH NETWORK

As a global wetland network for youth that are involved in wetlands, we were interested inknowing if there was an interest in youth to be part of a network. 94% of the respondents showinterest in being part of a global network emphasizing the relevance of YEW as a platform toconnect like-minded young people around the topic of wetland conservation and wise use.


REFLECTIONS


The YEW team was very pleased with the outcomeof the survey and this exploratory research, the firstof its kind led by our core team. We count the 88responses from around the world as a great startwhich we wish to keep growing on in the future.Nevertheless, the team was surprised to see suchlow responses from Europe, Oceania and NorthAmerica. This low response rate is quitecontradictory to a previous citizen science wetlandsurvey, where academics from North America andEurope made up a relatively larger number ofresponses (McInnes et al., 2020) . Currently YEW’score team does not have Regional Representativesin Europe or Oceania which, we believe, might drivethis lack of representation. Alternatively, werecognize that the form of youth engagement andneeds may be different in Europe, North Americaand Oceania. The apparent imbalance in the number of femalerespondents is a concern for YEW. This givespreliminary indications that wetland conservationremains a male-dominated sector of work. There isevidence that women are often excluded fromdecision-making in conservation and naturalresource management (James et al., 2021), whichsupports the imbalance we see. Gender inequalityremains today an issue that is deeply ingrained insocial-cultural norms around wetland conservation(Aguilar, 2021). In addition, Taft (2010 in Earl et al.,2017) in their study on youth activism suggests thatgirls face different challenges as their malecounterparts as they decide to take on the identityof “activist” as it is perceived as a devaluation oftheir identity as girls. Gender remains today one ofthe many factors that will affect youth participationin activism (Checkoway, 2011).

YEW believes that greater efforts need to gotowards empowering women and non-binary people.As a start, providing more examples, role models,opportunities and enabling conditions of wetlandconservation work led by females and diversity ingender representation is crucial.

Given these initial results, YEW sees the benefit inexploring this question further in order to gainbetter understanding of the reasons behind thisdistribution. We also recognize the need to exploregender representation in our future surveys inrecognition that “sex” does not reflect anindividual’s gender. Among other factors that mayinfluence youth participation which have not beenexplored through this survey are race, Indigenousidentity, income, education, residence (urban/rural),religious tradition, cultural beliefs, civic knowledge,legal constraints, institutional barriers, adultattitudes among many others (Checkoway, 2011)that are worth exploring.


Overview of Respondents (Region, Age, and Sex)

REFLECTIONS

The majority of our respondents work for NGOsand/or Research Institutes, revealing littlerepresentation of youth in governmentorganizations and community based programs. Weare uncertain at this point of the reason behind thelack of representation in both government andcommunity based organizations. One of thereasons for this might be how the survey wasdisseminated, for example: it might not have beenaccessible to young people working in communitybased organizations with poor internet access.

Potentially, youth working in community basedorganizations or governments might not feelincluded or have little incentive to complete thesurvey. A similar citizen science based survey inwetlands carried out in 2017 (McInnes et al., 2020)also had a larger number of NGO and academics(~53%) as compared to national/regionalgovernment (14%) and citizen groups (2.96%). Thisgives us an opportunity to use different platformsor communication strategies in the future to reacha wider audience and to make the respondents feelincluded in the surveys.

However if this discrepancy was because ofabsence of youth in government organizations thenthe importance of creating opportunities for youthto enter government led initiatives throughintergenerational mentoring opportunities or

participation of youth in official delegationsappears vital. Further investigation needs to bedone to understand this dynamic.

Half of the respondents shared that the amount ofwork dedicated to wetlands is above 50% of theirworkload, which shows a significant timecommitment to wetland activities. These wetlandactivities are dominated by “Research”, “Educationand Awareness”, and “Monitoring”, and a largemajority of respondents report doing more than onetype of activity. The wide array of actions reportedby participants highlights the diverse andsometimes overlapping roles that a young personundertakes within one project.

It is important to mention that the most prevalentwetland activities are tightly related with the mainfocus of youth on the “Biodiversity andConservation” and “Wetland Ecosystem Services”aspects of wetland conservation and wise use.


NATURE OF WORK(Wetland type and type of activity)

R E F L E C T I O N S

The challenges faced by youth in the field ofwetland conservation are diverse. While someissues are specific to being a young person, manyare issues that are commonly found in wetlandconservation such as lack of resources, politicalwill and awareness raising and understanding ofwetland issues and importance (Prideaux, Rostronand Duff, 2015).

As respondents shared that “volunteer and in-kindsupport” and “International donor-based funds” aretwo of the most important economic sources fortheir work, it is no surprise that funding in wetlandconservation is one of the key issues that youth arefacing. Donor based funding, especially in natureconservation, is known to be vulnerable toeconomic downturns (Elliott, Seldon and Regens,1997), jeopardizing the focus, quantity and qualityof research done (Bakker et al., 2010). Lack offunding turns more problematic if we consider thata little over 30% of our respondents report doingvolunteer work in several aspects of wetlandengagement.

Some of the important work that youth are doing toprotect wetlands is coming from unpaid volunteerwork, which can be hard to maintain in asustainable manner.

A respondent reported fearing life threateningsituations, which, unfortunately, is the reality formany conservationists and activists around theworld and are often related to the socio-politicalenvironment of countries. In the year 2016 alone, atotal of 200 environmental defenders around theworld were murdered for protecting nature (GlobalWitness, 2017). Even though this is an isolatedresponse, YEW takes this issue with extremeconcern, as life threatening situations aredeterrents for youth to work in conservation aroundthe world. More importantly, young people shouldbe able to protect nature by exercising their right tolive in a healthy environment without fearing fortheir life.

When sharing their perception of the level of youth engagement within their research and conservationactivities in their region, the responses from survey participants vary greatly including within a region. Webelieve this is due to youth efforts differing largely across a nation and their great dependence on thelocal context. In addition, respondents will have different definitions and expectations of youthengagement. Due to the nature of the question and the 5 options for answers, we should keep in mindsome respondents could have answered “medium engagement” as a result of indecision when answering.This question deserves greater exploration in the future with the survey respondents.


PERCEPTION TO YOUTHENGAGEMENT

BARRIERS TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT


We found that half of our survey respondents areworking on Ramsar Sites, which underscores therelevance of youth work in supporting wetlandconservation and wise use in Wetlands ofInternational Importance. Aside from reaching outto our networks and social media, YEW relied on theCEPA focal points across several regions for thesocialization of the survey, which may haveincreased the number of respondents working inRamsar sites. Nevertheless, this still highlights theimportance of youth in supporting various aspectsof the Ramsar mission.

Half of the participants were aware of the relevanceof the Ramsar Convention to their work regardlessof whether they were working within a Ramsar Siteor not, which underscores the level of awareness ofthe Ramsar Convention among young people. Forthe other half and the four participants thatbelieved the Ramsar Convention was not relevant totheir work because their sites were not RamsarSites, it would be worthwhile to further dessiminatethe resources that the convention has put forwardto drive effective wetland protection and wise use in ways that are accessible to youth.

At a time when the impact of the RamsarConvention is put under scrutiny (Bridgewater &Kim, 2021), we report that the Ramsar Sitesdesignations have been influential in advocacy, inreceiving funding and in garning national protectionstatus for some of our respondents.

One of the most prevalent barriers faced by youth intheir work was the lack of awareness of theimportance of wetlands at local and internationallevel. This reinforces the goal of the 50thanniversary campaign: “to achieve increasedunderstanding about what wetlands “are” and theservices they provide (...)”, highlighting the level ofurgency. We recognize, however, that much morecan be done to increase awareness at local,regional and international level, and the Conventioncould be leveraging youth’s abilities and knowledgeto achieve a broader dissemination andimplementation of those goals.


RELEVANCE OF THE RAMSAR CONVENTION


Youth Engaged in Wetlands in the Ramsar Conference of the Parties COP13, Dubai 2018

Young people have shown their curiosity, ambitionand desire to improve their work related towetlands. This curiosity and ambition are an avenuefor collaboration with interested parties who wishto work together with youth and to support theirefforts through capacity building, mentoring andpractical or hands-on opportunities that canreinforce key skills. Particular topics of interest toparticipants are:

Sustainable funding mechanisms andfundraising techniquesCommunity engagementWetland restorationMonitoring and evaluation techniquesAdvocacy & policy makingWetland identification and mappingGreenhouse gas emissions measurementsSoft skills: Leadership, Conflict Management

Almost one third of the youth respondents can see the relevance of their work with respect to the SDGs,which highlights the awareness of youth regarding the topic and the importance of involving youth asessential actors in the development of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. These results alsoshow the intersecting benefits that wetlands provide to different dimensions of sustainable development.Greater communication and outreach on the SDGs and the relevance of wetlands in achieving SDGs couldlead to a larger number of wetland youth reporting connections between their work and the SDGs.


YOUTH AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONSTO THE SDGs

ASPIRATIONS OF YOUTH


Youth Engaged in Wetlands in the Ramsar Conference of the Parties COP13, Dubai 2018

Respondents are highly interested in having ayouth network to support their work. The needto find like-minded youth who are willing toshare their experiences with others is atestament of the fresh and trailblazing youthleadership in wetland work. This finding isfurther supported by Checkoway (2011) in hisexploration of youth participation thathighlights that “it is difficult to involve youngpeople when they do not view themselves as agroup that can create change, or when theyhave ideas but are unsure how to proceed, orwhen they take action but lack resources forimplementation”.

Similarly, Corriero (2004) underlines theimportance of engaging young people withinan organization to familiarize them with itsinner workings so that young people can thenbe meaningfully involved in problem solvingand decision-making processes. In that way,young people and organizations can respondtogether to “the complex and evolvingorganizational challenges being faced”(Corriero, 2004 p.11).

The relevance of a youth network which canstrengthen connections, understanding andcapacities is all the more relevant to ensurethat young people can participate meaningfullyin wetland conservation and decision-makingat different levels.


RELEVANCE OF A YOUTH NETWORK


CASE STUDIESIn this section, we present 12 case studies based on

interviews led by YEW members of a selection ofsurvey respondents to explore in greater depth their

experiences. These case studies illustrate the resultsdocumented above and the diversity, creativity, andinfluence that young people around the world are

making in their communities and in their countries.YEW plans to provide more case studies based on thesurvey responses throughout the year to showcase the

amazing stories submitted. While we would like toshare every story, we thank you for your patience as

YEW volunteers reach out to respondents.



AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS

CAMEROON3.8480° N, 11.5021° E

UGANDA0.1699° N, 30.0781° E

RAJEZOH is a platform for reflection, exchange, andaction for youth (18-35 years) regarding thesustainable management of wetlands. Activitiesinclude organizing forums and conferences aboutthe importance of wetlands, increasing theawareness of the communities living aroundwetlands on the protection and wise-use of theseecosystems, and mobilizing the communities ofYaoundé and surrounding towns for the protection ofthe Ebogo Wetland.

Awawou MANOUORE NJOYA, age 32, is a PhDstudent at the University of Yaoundé I. She studiesHydrobiology and Environment and is the PermanentSecretary of the African Youth Wetland Network(RAJEZOH, by its French acronym). RAJEZOH is aNon-Governmental Organization composed byAfrican youth.

Initiating a call for all African nations toinclude youth in wetland conservation,Being an operational hand for governmentsin the protection of wetlands,Conducting a wetland inventory in each ofthe member states of the network, includingboth degraded wetlands and those in goodcondition,Contributing to the restoration of degradedwetlands,Mobilizing young African people in wetlandprotection initiatives,Being represented in internationalorganizations related to wetland protectionactivities.

The RAJEZOH, is a youth network present in 10African countries, represented by focal points ineach member state, with the objectives of:

Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Is led entirely by young people (18-35 years old)and is supported by adult supervisors

Location: Yaoundé, Cameroun

Wetland types: Mangroves, marshes, riverinewetlands, geographically isolated wetlands

Topics: Constructed Wetlands, WetlandEcosystem Services, Mapping and Modelling,Cultural values of wetlands

Activities: Restoration activities, Monitoring,Wetland Management, Education andawareness, Wetland advocacy, Research,Ecotourism, Cultural activities

African Youth Wetland Network -RAJEZOH (Réseau Africain des Jeunessur les Zones Humides)

AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS:

S T O R Y B Y R O G E R D E L A M O UT R A N S L A T E D B Y M A R Í A E . S Á N C H E Z

C A S E S T U D I E S : A F R I C A H I G H L I G H T S


The Ebogo wetland has great importance on watersupply for the Yaoundé population and thesurrounding towns, the fish supply for fisherman,ecotourism, hunting, and farming activities. In light ofthe resulting accelerated wetland degradation due toanthropogenic pressures, Awawou and her peershave committed themselves as volunteers toincrease awareness among wetland communities,Cameroonian youth, and the government, and invitethem to get involved in the protection of the Ebogowetland and promoting the wise-use of wetlands inCameroon.

In Cameroon, the value of wetlands is minimized,their use is uncontrolled, and the government isconsidered, by most Cameroonians, as the soleresponsible for wetland protection. This is whyAwawou, has started awareness-raising activities inYaoundé and its surroundings for the protection ofthe Ebogo Ramsar Site. Such activities includeenvironmental education, organizing forums andconferences in order to reduce anthropogenicdegradation at the Ebogo ecotourism site, andadvocating Cameroonian decision-makers to restorethe degraded wetlands and to conserve those thatremain in good condition.

Their greatest success so far has been theestablishment of a youth network in 10 Africancountries to promote the socio-economic importanceof wetlands.

The restoration of the Nyong river shores, ahighly important wetland.Awareness-raising with African youth toincrease involvement in the protection ofwetlands all across Africa.

Future plans for Awa and RAJEZOH:

Major challenges that RAJEZOH has faced

The reality of African rulers abandoning youthdidn’t escape Awawou and her collaborators,this is why RAJEZOH is facing a lack ofresources (tools, materials, and financial). Theseresources could facilitate the establishment ofan action plan in Cameroon and the other 10member states of the network.

Another challenge for RAJEZOH is the reticenceof the Cameroonian government and difficultiesin gathering the paperwork that will authorize thenetwork to exercise their activities not only in theheadquarter country Cameroun but elsewhere.

Personal Impact

Through the years, Awawou has been at thefrontlines interacting between governments andAfrican youth to develop the initiatives andguidelines for the protection of wetlands. Shehas been able to participate in large workshopsand conferences with scientists and youngpeople from around the world, as well asparticipate in the Ramsar COP13 in Dubai in2018, where she became a member of YouthEngaged in Wetlands.

A visit to the Ebo

go ecotourism site

with the REJEPH an

d SOPNA members



Team briefing before the site visitwith the REJEPH and SOPNA members

AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS:A Youth-led & community-ownedorganization for wetland conservationand a healthy environment in Uganda

Edwin Mumbere (30) is the coordinator of Centre forCitizens Conserving (CECIC), a youth-led andcommunity-owned non-profit organization dedicatedto influencing environmental policies to benefit themost vulnerable and to protect and restore wetlandsacross Uganda.

Edwin grew up near Lake Edward, from a family offishermen where he developed an appreciation forthe lake and surrounding wetlands. Today, due to acombination of climate change and wetland loss,areas surrounding the lake have been subject tosevere flooding. Edwin Mumbere lost his own hometo flooding. Today, he explains: “I feel it is myobligation to fight.”

About CECIC

Edwin Mumbere and other co-founders startedCECIC in 2006 as secondary school students,gradually expanding their activities until theyregistered as a non-profit organization in 2010.

S T O R Y B Y E L I S E A L L É L Y - F E R M É

Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Is led entirely by young people (18-35 yearsold)

Location: Kasese, Uganda

Wetland types: Swamps, Freshwater Marsh,Riverine Wetland, High altitude wetlands

Topics: Biodiversity Conservation, WetlandHydrology, Climate Change and Greenhousegas dynamics, Constructed Wetlands,Wetland Ecosystem Services, Agricultureand wetlands, Mapping and Modelling,Cultural values of wetlands

Activities: Restoration activities, Monitoring,Wetland Management, Education andawareness, Wetland advocacy, Research,Ecotourism, Cultural activities

Designations: Ramsar Site, Important BirdArea, Biosphere Reserve, UNESCO WorldHeritage Site, National Protected Area,Indigenous Protected Area

CECIC is led by a team of six young people (2men and 4 women). Their Board is composed ofcommunity members that help shape the work ofthe team.

In Uganda, young people represent the largestproportion of the population followed by women.For Edwin and his team, their work is anopportunity to reach out to youth and women.Celebrating already its 15th anniversary, Edwinhas a lot of achievements to share. The teamworks on a diversity of activities, a few of whichare highlighted here.

CECIC meeting

Credit: CECIC



https://cecicug.org/

Governance

The team organizes local parliaments bringingtogether local leaders and community members todiscuss specific issues and to find solutions that willbenefit the local community. Edwin and his team aretrying to foment greater collaboration with thegovernment.

Community-owned project & plastic pollution

The team aims to build community ownership ofeach project and to increase the participation ofwomen and empower them to lead their ownprojects. A women-led project involved 200 womenfor the elaboration of baskets, mats and doorcurtains from plastic waste collected from nearbywetlands. The team has also built three houses out ofa combination of mud/cement and plastic bottles aswell as six water tanks for local schools. In 2007,CECIC received an Award from the district for thebest eco-community project for this work.

Advocacy and Lobbying

Currently, one of their largest advocacy campaignsrelates to the construction of the East African CrudeOil Pipeline, which would affect 27 wetlands including14 Ramsar Sites in Uganda. CECIC is advocating forthe protection of the land and environmental rights ofthe communities affected by the pipeline bysensitizing communities and governmentrepresentatives of the importance of wetlands,writing letters and petitions and meeting withgovernment representatives.

Challenges for CECIC

Security is an important matter of concern for Edwinand his team. In December 2020, governmentsecurity forces and police officers broke into theiroffices and took their cameras and laptops. It tookthem four months to come back to normal with thesupport of various organizations. They receiveddefenders training to increase their security, but itremains an important concern.

Fundraising is also an important challenge for theteam. With more financial support, they could cover awider area and increase their activities. Limitedfinancial support to translate the various materialsand resources about the environment and oil & gasactivities into a variety of local languages is a priority.


Personal Impact of CECIC

Across the years, Edwin greatly values workingwith and learning from the communities thatthey work with. He explains: “I feel at homeand I have made so many friends. I feel I amso attached to the project. At the end of theday, it helps me emotionally. Even when wereceive threats, we have the support from thecommunity. It keeps us moving every day.”

Recycled door curtains Credit:CECIC


Wetland cleaning on Worl

d Wetlands Day

Credit:CECIC

CECIC Field Work credit: CECIC

https://laudatosiafrica.wordpress.com/2020/10/06/spotlight-on-the-eacop/

https://laudatosiafrica.wordpress.com/2020/10/06/spotlight-on-the-eacop/

ASIA HIGHLIGHTS


MONGOLIA46.8625° N, 103.8467° E

INDIA27.0238° N, 74.2179° E

Rajashree Naik is a third year PhD scholar in theDepartment of Environmental Science, School ofEarth Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan. Shedecided to work in wetlands after she visitedSambhar Lake, saw the horrifying conditions ofdegradation and encroachment that the lake wasgoing through and following the suggestion from herPhD Supervisor Dr. Laxmi Kant Sharma, who is anAssociate Professor, former Head & Dean, School ofEarth Sciences, Department of EnvironmentalScience, Central University of Rajasthan.

Dr. Sharma had already been working on the samestudy area since 2015 through GeospatialTechniques. As this is a saline lake, it was notfeasible for Rajashree to lead the wholecharacterization of the lake given the level ofurgency. Therefore, she and her supervisor, Dr.Sharma, decided to go for an integrative approach ofgeospatial technology (optical, microwave andhyperspectral remote sensing), bird survey, soil-water quality analysis and interaction with localpeople.

Importance of Sambhar Lake

Sambhar lake is the largest inland saline lake whichis one of the gateways to Thar desert and it isimportant ecologically and economically. Ecologically, it is the refuge for thousands ofbiodiverse plants mostly halophytes, xerophytes andhalophiles and animals as it is a hot spot for

279 migratory and resident birds like flamingos,which used to flock to the lakes in hundreds ofthousands every year. Economically, it has beena historically important salt extraction sitecontributing 9.86% of total salt production ofIndia to the global salt market. The lake isdivided for economic (77 km2 towards east asreservoir) and ecological purposes (113 km2 aswetland).

Even with this distinction, the economicallylucrative illegal saltpan encroachment leads tothe degradation of part of the lake that has beendedicated for ecological benefits.


C A S E S T U D I E S : A S I A H I G H L I G H T S

ASIA HIGHLIGHTS:PhD project in Sambhar Salt Lake,Rajasthan India

S T O R Y B Y B I D H Y A S H A R M A

Youth engagement in the project/initiative:Entirely youth-led

Location: Sambhar Salt Lake, Rajasthan, India

Wetland types: Inland saline lake

Topics: Biodiversity monitoring, ecosystemservices, remote-sensing, habitat analysis

Activities: Monitoring, WetlandManagement, Education and awareness,Wetland advocacy, Research, Volunteerwork

Designations: Ramsar site and Importantbird area

Rajashree with site stakeholders

With the onset of this encroachment and degradation,Rajashree has found that 30% of the ecologicallypreserved lake has now been lost to mining. Stealingbrine is worth 300 million USD. This is reflected in thenumber of Flamingo populations that has declinedfrom hundreds of thousands to only thousands. Andshe notices a similar decline in the distribution andhealth of blue-green algae, soil-water quality andother primary productions from the lake.


Challenging aspects of her work

Challenges for Rajashree to work in thesewetlands are like no other. Because of theillegal activities that are going on wetlands-visiting the wetlands and communities forconservation purposes can dangerous forwhich she must make sure that she is with thelocal community for safety in her field work.Lack of funding for her project has limited thescope of her work without advancedtechnology like LiDAR and UAV, limiting thequality and quantity of work that she couldhave produced. Often, Rajashree is frustratedby lack of concern of stakeholders to theneeds of local people and ecology of the lake.

Glimpse of hope...

Seeing the resiliency of Sambhar lake duringCOVID lockdown was when Rajashree was mosthopeful. During a few months when illegalactivities were stopped, she could observe in herremotely sensed data that the water level in thelake rose back again and so did the habitatconditions. She is hopeful that the restoration ofthe lake requires just the right set of legalframeworks to stop illegal activities and withoutmuch effort, the lake can regain its ecologicalfunction. She is motivated to see the interest oflocal people in conserving the wetlands and seethe future prospect in working towards therestoration of Sambhar lake and in exploringways for alternate livelihood sources for the localcommunities.

In her work, Rajashree takes a holistic approach.She combines optical, microwave andhyperspectral remote sensing for geospatialmodelling to look at past and present conditionsof the lake and with this observation predicts thechanges to the lake in the future under differentconservation scenarios. She combines this withfield observations of monitoring bird populationsand assessing habitat conditions. Whileinteracting with locals she found that the localcommunity is in favor of conserving the ecologyof wetlands and she works with localcommunities and NGOs to look into alternateeconomic measures that can be taken to reducethe pressure from mining encroachment.


Asian waterbird Census t

eam of Sambhar Lake

Collecting water sample during avian botulism of sambhar lake 2019

Rajashree with the experts o

f sambhar lake discussing

about properties of salt fou

nd in sambhar lake


ASIA HIGHLIGHTS:Khurkh and Khuiten River Valleys,Mongolia

Vandandorj Sumiya works as a wetland researchand conservation project coordinator at Khurkh andKhuiten River Valleys in North-eastern Mongolia. Heis a Leiden Conservation Foundation fellow at theWildlife Science and Conservation Center ofMongolia. He has been working in this region forthe last four years. His project is led by youngpeople and supported by adult advisors.

The valleys are the summer breeding grounds forWhite-Naped Crane, a vulnerable species accordingto the IUCN Red List, and support 70 pairs of them,which is the most densely breeding site for thespecies. The valleys are a part of a Ramsar site,composed of a mosaic of rivers, lakes, permafrost,and peatlands. Mongolia has lost half of itspeatland habitats and the present site faces similarconsequences because of the grazing pressure andclimate change. Both issues degrade the wetlandhabitat and the population of the White-NapedCranes. Vandandorj takes a holistic approach towork in his region. Together with scientifictechniques to understand soil hydrology and carbonstorage, he works with communities and youngpeople to raise awareness. The conflict betweenagricultural companies and local herders is a majorissue for his work at present.


Type of youth engagement: Is led entirely byyoung people (18-35 years old), Is supportedby adult advisors

Location: Khurkh and Khuiten River Valleys,Khentii province, Mongolia

Wetland types: Peatlands with isolatedpermafrost

Topics: Biodiversity Conservation, WetlandHydrology, Climate Change and Greenhousegas dynamics, Permafrost dynamics, WetlandEcosystem Services, Agriculture and wetlands

Vandandorj mentions that the fact that thevalleys are a Ramsar Site has allowed them to beclassified as a national protected area, drawingmore interest towards the conservation of thesesites. He wishes to learn more about wetlandrestoration techniques and fundraising skills.

Following his participation in the YEW Survey,Vandandorj gave a beautiful presentation of hiswork in Mongolia for the 2020 Flyway YouthForum organized by Youth Engaged in Wetlandsand the East Asian-Australasian FlywayPartnership as part of Day 1 Youth Speakers. Hispresentation is accessible through this link.

Vandandorj is also a #PowerofWetlandsAmbassador – read his story here.

Activities: Monitoring, Wetland Management,Education and awareness, Wetland advocacy,Research, Internship, Volunteer work

Designations: Ramsar Site, Important BirdArea, National Protected Area, NatureReserve, EAAFP network site


Sharing information about wetland and biodiversityconservation with local students during Crane Festival

https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1380

https://www.eaaflyway.net/flyway-youth-forum-post-event-pr/

https://www.powerofwetlands.org/

https://www.powerofwetlands.org/vandandorj-sumiya-caring-for-carbon-and-cranes/

EUROPE HIGHLIGHTS


NETHERLANDS52.1326° N, 5.2913° E

LUXEMBOURG49.8153° N, 6.1296° E

The purpose of the Peat Anthology was tocomplement a policy paper produced by theGriefswald Mire Centre, Wetlands Internationaland the National University of Ireland and call onpolicymakers through creative means to re-imagine peatlands and to make brave decisionsfor our future, ensuring that the CAP decisiondoes not harm peatlands.

Some of the challenges that they are looking toovercome are the lack of political and policy levelinterest as well as difficulty in securing funding.

Frankie gave a presentation of RE-PEAT for the2020 Flyway Youth Forum organized by YouthEngaged in Wetlands and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership as part of Day 1Youth Speakers. Her presentation is accessiblethrough this link.

Frankie is also a #PowerofWetlandsAmbassador!

Frankie Turk (25) is part of an international youth-ledcollective called RE-PEAT which has members in theNetherlands, Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany and Estonia.Their objective is to change the perception aroundpeatlands so that they are widely valued and toencourage cultural and social connectivity bycollectively learning from peatlands.

This creative youth collective works on a range ofactivities from awareness raising to wetlandadvocacy. In May 2020, RE-PEAT organized a 24-hour online Peatland Festival gathering people fromaround the world for a series of nearly 50 sessionsall around peatlands from getting to know peatlandsfrom different parts of the world, to film screenings,musical performances, scientific presentations andproject highlights, yoga and quizzes.

In November 2020, RE-PEAT also created The PeatAnthology, EU Edition, which is a collection of stories,letters, anecdotes, poems, art, and images fromacross Europe that has been sent to the Members ofthe European Parliament before the EU CommonAgricultural Policy (CAP).

Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Is composed mainly of young people, and isyouth-led

Location: Based in the Netherlands butinternational membership

Wetland types: Peatlands

Topics: Biodiversity Conservation, WetlandHydrology, Climate Change and Greenhousegas dynamics, Wetland Ecosystem Services,Agriculture and wetlands, Cultural values ofwetlands, Interdisciplinarity, Creative activism,Climate Justice.

Activities: Education and awareness,Wetland advocacy, Research, Culturalactivities, Collaboration and networking,Re-imagining peatlands.

Designations: None

C A S E S T U D I E S : E U R O P E H I G H L I G H T S

EUROPE HIGHLIGHTS:Reimagining the peatland paradigmwith Re-Peat Earth –Netherlands/International



https://www.eaaflyway.net/flyway-youth-forum-post-event-pr/




About SchlammwissBird ringing activities by volunteers inSchlammwiss began in a small reed stand alongthe river Syre in 1969. Since then, due to theinterest in bird protection and land purchase bythe foundation “Hëllef fir d’Natur” the wetlandcomplex Schlammwiss grew to be one of thebiggest wetlands in Luxembourg. In parallel tothe global trend of wetland degradation, theSchlammwiss wetland represents a successstory as it is the result of years of bird ringing ledby a network of friends and adamant birders,purchasing areas for protection, government-funded restoration work as well as cooperationwith farmers to restore the wetland and protect alarge surface of reeds.


EUROPE HIGHLIGHTS:Bird ringing and practical conservationopportunities in Schlammwiss BirdRinging Station – Luxembourg

Max Steinmetz (27) started working in theSchlammwiss Bird Ringing Station 10 years ago, as avolunteer working on bird identification andprotection. Later on, as part of his universityinternship, he developed a pilot project at the stationmonitoring a breeding bird community throughacoustic territory mapping. Today, on top of his full-time job restoring and protecting key habitats withthe Biological Station “SICONA”, he dedicates hisfree time to support the running of the Schlammwissstation helping with bird ringing activities,environmental education and communication,research on bird ecology and administrative matters.Needless to say, bird conservation and theSchlammwiss bird ringing station have become a bigpart of his life.


Youth engagement in the project/initiative: It isled by both adults (over 35) and young peopleand includes people from completely differentage classes and nationalities

Location: Uebersyren, Luxembourg

Wetland types: Freshwater Marsh, RiverineWetland

Topics: Biodiversity ConservationActivities: Monitoring, Education and awareness,Wetland advocacy, Research, Ecotourism,Internship, Volunteer work

Designations: Ramsar Site, ImportantBird Area, National Protected Area


Schlammwiss wetlandCredit: natur&ëmwelt Fondation Hëllef fir d'Natur

When not in fieldwork

https://www.birdringingstation-schlammwiss.com/

https://sicona.lu/

Challenges as youth

As a young person, Max also reflected on thechallenges that young people face in the sector.Beyond Schlammwiss station, there are a lot ofpeople studying the theory behind conservationbut there are limited meaningful opportunitiesto get hands-on practice like those provided at Schlammwiss.

Another challenge that generally exists is the difficulty for youthvoices to be heard. Max says that he feels very fortunate workingin the station given the close and collaborative relationship thathas developed between senior and young people in the team. Theyoung people on the team feel supported by the more seniorteam members. Thanks to this intergenerational dynamic, youngpeople feel heard and appreciated.

Finally, Max explained that it is increasingly difficult to find peoplewho are willing and/or able to commit themselves to take care ofthe administrative and organizational aspects of a project. Max isfascinated by the volunteer dedication to the Station and amazedby the volume of work and the outputs that the Station producesfrom writing scientific publications and articles, fundraising, datacollection and handling. He reminds us to “never underestimatethe efficiency and importance of voluntary work”.

The bird ringing station, located beneath the CentraleOrnithologique du Luxembourg (the OrnithologicalCentre for Luxemburg) and the nature conservationorganization natur&ëmwelt a.s.b.l. attracted anumber of students and volunteers across the yearsinvolved in bird conservation. The station’s workfocuses on environmental education of the broadpublic and scientific projects of wetland and reed-specific bird species. Working onsite are around 40volunteers with a core team of around 15 peoplededicated to running the station and training othervolunteers.

A conservation hub for meaningful conservationopportunities for young peopleThe station has become a hub for nature and birdlovers in Luxemburg and beyond as well as forconservation exchanges. Students (high school oruniversity) that come to work in the station throughthe main season from March to October get practicalconservation work and are compensated financiallyfor their time.

The station attracts an international and gender-balanced crowd with students coming from acrossEurope to work in the station on bird ringing orleading guided tours.

Schlammwiss’ futureReflecting on the long-term future of the station,Max is convinced that the work of the Stationmust continue once the seniors on the teamwon’t be there anymore to lead the work. It willrequire a greater commitment from the youngerteam members, himself included. He knows thatthe strong connections that the station has builtthrough its network of volunteers over the yearswill help the Station to continue to make apositive impact in the future.

Environmental education led by volunteersCredit: OK Photography


Team picture Credit: Schlammwiss Bird Ringing Station

Max teaching about

migratory birds

Credit: Schlammwis

s Bird Ringing Sta

tion


https://www.naturemwelt.lu/de/wir-bieten/ornithologie/

https://www.naturemwelt.lu/

LATIN AMERICA & THECARRIBEAN HIGHLIGHTS


PARAGUAY26.8634° S, 58.2919° W

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC18.2787° N, 70.3336° W

Jorge Damián Ayala Santacruz is the EnvironmentalEducation Coordinator for Fundación Para La Tierra.This organization has worked since 2010 for theconservation of fragile habitats through scientificresearch, community engagement, andenvironmental education. At their current location inthe South of Paraguay, Fundación Para La Tierra isinvolved in multiple projects to empowercommunities in Pilar to improve children’senvironmental education as well as highlighting theimportance of wetland conservation throughworkshops, curriculum building, art displays, andnature walks.

The wetlands from the Ñeembucú area arebiologically diverse and represent an importantmigratory pathway for both fish and birds. Thesewetlands do not have any local or internationaldesignation as a protected area. They are threatenedby land-use change (cattle and rice farms) and lossof habitat connectivity due to road building with noenvironmental considerations.

C A S E S T U D I E S : L A T I N A M E R I C A & T H E C A R I B B E A N H I G H L I G H T S

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEANHIGHLIGHTS:Educating young people with creativity,connectivity, and curiosity: FundaciónPara La Tierra.

S T O R Y B Y M A R Í A E L I S A S Á N C H E Z

Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Ledby youth (18-35)

Location: Pilar, Departamento de Ñeembucú,Paraguay

Wetland types: Marshes, Tropical Peatlands,Riverine Wetlands, Humid Chaco

Topics: Education and Awareness Raising,Wetland Conservation

Activities: Education and awareness,conservation, research, and monitoring.

Designations: None


In light of this, Fundación Para La Tierra is workinghard to raise awareness on the importance of theseecosystems by doing scientific research, developingthe first studies of endemic species, and educatingyounger generations on the importance of theconservation of this ecosystem.

Show & tell lecture with the studentscredits: Jorge Ayala Santacruz

In their efforts to increase the community’sengagement with nature and the rich biodiversity ofthe wetlands in the area, Fundación Para La Tierrateamed up with other young people (PilarSustentable) to create a nature trail through a wetlandarea in Pilar. This has allowed the community to seethe biodiversity of the ecosystems and organizebirding events. The organization is looking forfunding to acquire land for protecting and conservingit, which will halt the further degradation of theseecosystems.


Jorge was particularly proud that the organizationwas awarded funding from the Lush Charity Pot.This allowed an expansion of the communityengagement program in Pilar including an art andawareness-raising event for World Fish MigrationDay 2020 where kids would paint fish and learnabout their importance in the river ecosystem aswell as the importance of maintaining healthyrivers and wetlands for the fish’s subsistence.The kids were then interviewed by the localmedia, raising awareness in the community.

Another part of this project is Pintando Pilar,where local artists’ work is showcased throughmurals of local wildlife throughout the city,beautifying the city and educating citizens aboutwetland biodiversity.


Fundación Para La Tierra has created “Voces dela Naturaleza”, a space for children to learn fromnature through three pillars: Creativity,Connectivity and Curiosity. The curriculum, whichincludes more than 200 lessons, was built toconnect children with nature while makingobservations and learning problem-solving skillsthrough experiments and lessons. Thiscurriculum is available for any teachers or youngpeople (18 and older) who want to lead activitieswith the children in their community, and trainingon how to deliver the cirriculum is availablethrough Jorge and the team from FundaciónPara La Tierra.

J o r g e b e l i e v e s t h a t w h e r e t h e r e i s w i l lt h e r e i s p o w e r ; h e m e n t i o n s t h a t t h el o v e f o r t h e l a n d i s i m p o r t a n t i n h i sw o r k . D e s p i t e g o v e r n m e n t s b e i n gr e l u c t a n t t o s u p p o r t e n v i r o n m e n t a le d u c a t i o n a n d c o n s e r v a t i o n o fw e t l a n d s , y o u t h s h o u l d l e a d p r o j e c t st o w a r d s w e t l a n d p r o t e c t i o n , a s t h i s i so u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o w a r d s f u t u r eg e n e r a t i o n s .

T o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e w o r k t h a tJ o r g e d o e s w i t h F u n d a c i ó n P a r a L aT i e r r a , v i s i t t h e i r w e b s i t e .

https://www.paralatierra.org/

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEANHIGHLIGHTS:Species conservation, education andcommunity engagement withinMonumento Natural Las Dunas de LasCalderas, Dominican Republic

Hispaniolana is a youth-led association made up of13 young people all volunteering their time and skillsto conserve the precious ecosystem and species ofthe “Monumento Natural Las Dunas de LasCalderas'', in the Dominican Republic. More thanteam members, they have been friends since theirtime at university.

In 2019, they started a project called “Conservationof Threatened Species in the Las Calderas DunesNatural Monument” funded by the BirdLife YoungConservation Leaders award and mentored by GrupoJaragua.

Youth Engagement in the project/initiative: Is ledby young people (18-35) and is supported by localprofessional research advisors

Location: Las Dunas de Las Calderas, LasCalderas, Peravia Province, Rep. Dom.

Wetland types: Salt marshes, mangroves andfreshwater wetlands

Topics: Monitoring, Education and AwarenessRaising, Research, Ecotourism, Wetlandmanagement, Wetland Advocacy

About The Calderas Dunes Natural MonumentWhile the name of this Natural Monument maylead us to believe otherwise, this area is in fact“much more than just sand”. Within its 1794hectares and surrounding coastal area, the sitehosts a great diversity of wetlands from coastallagoons, mangroves, small estuaries, springs,some man-made salt ponds, seagrasses andcoral reefs. For these friends, this arearepresents one of the most diverse sites of theDominican Republic, located only 1 hour awayfrom Santo Domingo, the capital.

There is only one Biology university degree in theDominican Republic and most Biology studentswill at some point get a chance to explore theDunes as a natural laboratory. For this team, it isthis special sentimental connection to their timeas students combined with the extraordinarydiversity within this small yet rich area that gavethem the idea of developing a project to protectits endangered and endemic species.

Activities: Biodiversity conservation, mappingand modelling, cultural values of wetlands,ecosystem services

Designations: Important Bird Area, NationalProtected Area and IUCN Protected AreaCategory III “Natural Monument”




Hispaniolana team members Credit: Hispaniolana

https://www.birdlife.org/projects/birdlife-birdfair-young-conservation-leaders-awards#:~:text=The%20BirdLife%20Young%20Conservation%20Leaders,Important%20Bird%20and%20Biodiversity%20Areas.

http://www.grupojaragua.org.do/

From species identification to environmentaleducation, community relationships and ecotourismThis group of friends with their diverse backgroundsin different areas of biology are tackling conservationthrough research, conservation, education andecotourism.

ResearchThe project works on the conservation of threatenedand endemic species including the Hispaniolan parrotAmazona Ventralis, the rhinoceros iguana Cycluracornuta, among other threatened althoughwidespread species like the green turtle Cheloniamydas. Gathering data on these iconic species,seabird colonies, coral reef and seagrasses, the teamdeveloped the first-ever baseline for the area.

Community engagement and educationIn addition to wider community engagement, theteam has led three different environmental educationworkshops at local schools for children and theirparents, so that the community can build a strongerconnection with the protected area.

EcotourismTheir initial plan to train local communitymembers to become nature interpreters wasunfortunately cut short because of the COVIDpandemic. Nevertheless, they were still able todevelop a detailed map of the area representingthe different ecosystems as well as key areasfor ecotourism activities and hiking trails, as wellas produce a species identification guidebrochure and a video promoting the ecotourismactivities that can be carried out within differentareas of the monument.

ChallengesIn addition to the COVID pandemic, anotherchallenge they faced was related to the illegalurban expansion occurring within the ProtectedArea, threatening the area’s ecosystems andspecies. As the team started to publicly opposethe urban encroachment that is occurring in thearea, they received more resistance whilereaching out to some local authorities.

As youth, at the beginning of the project, theyencountered a lot of doubt from some people,including from some professors who saw theirproject as too risky and too complicated. Butthat doubt soon vanished as the team’s effortsand success became apparent.

Personal impact and next stepsFor the team, this project gave them theopportunity to rediscover the Dunes and see thearea with a different eye. As the project willcome to an end this year, the team hopes to beable to keep monitoring the area, building linkswith the community and to develop otherprojects on mangrove conservation.

Follow them on Instagram and through theirFacebook page!

C A S E S T U D I E S : L A T I N A M E R I C A & T H E C A R I B B E A N S H I G H L I G H T S


Flagship species of the project and area Hispaniolana

Parrot, Amazona Ventralis.Credit: Hispaniolana

Ecosystems of the Caldera Dunes

Natural

Monument.Credit: Miguel Landesto

y & Hispaniolana

Map of the Caldera Dunes Natural MonumentCredit: Esquea

https://www.instagram.com/4.dunes/?hl=fr

https://www.instagram.com/4.dunes/?hl=fr

https://m.facebook.com/4-Dunes-101679175366850/

NORTH AMERICAHIGHLIGHTS


MEXICO17.8409° N, 92.6189° W

LOUISIANA30.9843° N, 91.9623° W

Samantha Hicks and Sarah Fontana, two youngmarine biologists with Master’s Degrees in Marineand Environmental Biology, work for the SouthLouisiana Wetland Discovery Center (SLWDC).SLWDC offers multiple programs to educate thepublic, particularly children, on the importance ofwetland conservation as well as increaseawareness of the challenges and potentialsolutions that Terrebonne Parish is facing as acoastal community in a world with a changingclimate.

South Louisiana is a coastal wetland region builtby sediment brought down by the MississippiRiver. However, the building of levees along theriver has contributed to sediment declination inthese coastal areas, which results in landsubsidence. This, added to sea level rise due toclimate change, results in a massive loss ofwetland area each day.

C A S E S T U D I E S : N O R T H A M E R I C A H I G H L I G H T S

NORTH AMERICA HIGHLIGHTS:South Louisiana Wetlands DiscoveryCenter: Building community andwetland resilience in the classroom

S T O R Y B Y M A R Í A E L I S A S Á N C H E Z

Coastal Classroom, one of the programs SLWDCcreated to address these concerns, is aimed atelementary school students. Samantha andSarah bring in the knowledge they have acquiredas scientists to the classroom when planningand teaching the lessons. They visit schools,bringing materials needed for teaching, andthrough hands-on lessons teach the importanceof coastal wetlands to the ecology and resilienceof South Louisiana. These lessons are integratedwith the state’s science standards, thus helpingteachers advance with the curriculum.


The Gulf of Mexico is a hurricane-prone area, andhurricane events are expected to increase innumber and intensity in the future. Withoutcoastal wetland hurricane protection, thecommunities in South Louisiana are at a greaterflood risk than ever before. Sadly, students in thisarea are on the front line of these coastal issues,because not only are their recreational and fishingareas lost, but also their houses and communityinfrastructure are constantly at risk.

Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Ledby adults (over 35) and includes young people

Wetland types: Estuaries, swamps, freshwaterand saltwater marshes.

Topics: Education and Awareness Raising, ultural Activities, Wetland Protection

Activities: Education and awareness, ResiliencePlanning

Designations: None

A new partnership with the University Corporationfor Atmospheric Research (UCAR) has allowedSLWDC to develop the Project Resilience andHurricane Resilience programs, of which Samanthais particularly proud. In Project Resilience, highschoolers are encouraged to review different plansthat have been implemented by other organizationsin order to propose their own plan to increase theirschool’s resilience in face of increasing flood risk.In Hurricane Resilience, these students learn aboutthe resilience of hurricane-prone communities intimes of climate change.

Each October, SLWDC holds an annual fundraisingevent called the Rougarou Festival which blendstogether several cultural aspects of South Louisianawith wetland awareness. People are encouraged towear costumes, taste traditional food, and learnabout coastal wetlands from the many boothsavailable at the event.


As far as challenges go, Sarah mentionsenvironmental science was not in theforefront of education in the past, whichled to little funding. However, Louisiana ismoving towards teaching betterenvironmental literacy in schools, whichwill have a great impact in the waydecisions are made in the future. As thecurrent pandemic forces education tochange, Coastal Classroom lessons arebeing adapted to online formats in orderto continue educating the youngergenerations.

To learn more about the work Samanthaand Sarah do with the South LouisianaDiscovery Center please visit theirwebsite.


Coastal Classroom session

https://slwdc.org/


NORTH AMERICA HIGHLIGHTS:Youth-led project on mangroverestoration in the Pantanos de CentlaBiosphere Reserve in Mexico

Juan Paulo Carbajal Borges, Raúl AlejandroBetancourth Buitrago, Pilar Angélica Gómez-Ruizand Mariana Arteaga are four inspiring youngpeople that developed a mangrove restorationproject using a participatory approach, promotingcommunity networks for the integratedmanagement of the Pantanos de Centla landscapeand mangrove recovery within two localcommunities in Tabasco, in southeastern Mexico.The project was funded with GEF Funds, developedby United Nations Development Program andMexico’s Commission on Nationally ProtectedAreas (CONANP) through the Resilience Project,and implemented by Foro para el DesarrolloSustentanble, NGO. They were not onlycollaborators in this project, they have been friendsfor many years.

Together they developed a conceptual framework toincrease community resilience to climate changethrough the participatory restoration of 50 hectaresof mangroves inside PCBRs.


Youth engagement in the project/initiative: Entirely led by youth (18-35)

Location: Pantanos de Centla BiosphereReserve (PCBR), Tabasco, Mexico

Wetland types: Mangroves, Tropical Peatlands,Freshwater marshes, Salt Marshes, FreshwaterWetlands

Topics: Biodiversity Conservation, WetlandHydrology, Climate Change and Greenhousegas dynamics, Wetland Biogeochemistry,Wetland Ecosystem Services, Mapping andModeling.

They worked with local communities to increaseownership of the project and to raise awarenesson the importance of conserving and restoringmangroves to improve their quality of life.

One of their great successes was also thetranslation of scientific information related tomangrove restoration, climate change mitigationand adaptation into practical terms for thecommunities, thanks to the participatoryapproach that they developed from the very startof the project and by strengthening localgovernance around ecosystem management.

They were also successful in engaging womenand youth in the project, providing greateropportunities for their involvement in decision-making as well as the implementation ofrestoration actions and their monitoring. Someyoung people were hired for fieldwork and themonitoring sessions, based on their participationin capacity-building workshops.

Activities:Ecological restoration activities, mangrovesmonitoring, Wetland Management, Educationand awareness raising, Research

Designations: Ramsar Site, UNESCO (MAB)Biosphere Reserve, Important Bird Area,National Protected Area, IUCN Protected Area



As young people leading a conservation project, itcan be challenging to build projects and manageresources through complex bidding processes and togain confidence from other partners because of theirage. Sometimes, young people do not have enoughcredibility in spaces traditionally dominated by oldergenerations, especially in more rural areas becauseknowledge is associated with age. With assertivecommunication based on respect, horizontalprocesses and transparency, local people recognizedthat their team was very capable.

As a young scientist, Pilar faced a different set ofchallenges linked to being a woman. While she neverexperienced any disrespect, she could perceive attimes some resistance and mistrust because shewas the female lead researcher. However, they wereable to overcome these challenges by demonstratingtechnical experience, listening and incorporating localknowledge and making collective decisions in orderto build trusting and horizontal relationships. Theteam also noted more structural challenges inengaging youth and women, in particular due to theland tenure system which is not readily accessible toyoung people.


Alejandro and Pilar led a capacitybuilding workshop for the 2020 FlywayYouth Forum organized by YouthEngaged in Wetlands and the EastAsian-Australasian Flyway Partnershipon the topic of “Local CommunityEngagement” based on theirexperience in the mangroverestoration inside Pantanos de CentlaBiosphere Reserve.

Their workshop is accessible throughthe this link.The team are also #PowerOfWetlandsAmbassadors - read their story here


Work team of El Palmar community during monitoringworkshop. Credits: Robín Canul.

A video of the project is available here in vimeo

http://eaaflyway.net/flyway-youth-forum-post-event-pr

http://powerofwetlands.org/the-three-mangrove-defenders

http://vimeo.com/480516645/28def707d0

OCEANIA HIGHLIGHTS


CANBERRA35.2809° S, 149.1300° E

TASMANIA42.0409° S, 146.8087° E

Zoë Ezzy (25) led her Honor’s research project at theUniversity of Tasmania on the Lagoon of Islands inthe central highlands of Tasmania (Australia). Whilestudying ecology for her undergraduate degree, shecame across a study on Lagoon of Islands – aunique and rare wetland ecosystem of freshwaterislands and Schwingmoor bogs.

Intrigued by this wetland, Zoë chose to focus herresearch on understanding how birds responded tothe initial degradation of this system and its currentrestoration efforts.

About the Lagoon of IslandsThe Lagoon of Islands gets its name from thepresence of small islands dotted across the lagoon.It formed in a shallow depression in the localbedrock, which at some point in its past graduallyfilled with peat, which was then covered with a thinlayer of reeds. Something about the structure of thepeat and reeds allowed for the formation oftemporary islands, emerging out from the lagoon.From Zoë's depiction, this wetland complex soundsquite extraordinary.

1964, Hydro Tasmania created a dam at Lagoon ofIslands, and later (in 1985) diverted a river into thesystem which changed considerably the compositionand hydrology of the wetland and led to a set ofproblems including eutrophication and algal blooms.

"Prior to its damming Lagoon of Islands wasunique, but the system was never protected andsomething of great scientific and ecological valuewas lost.”

In 2013, the dam was removed by HydroTasmania and a process of restoration of theLagoon of Islands system started with theobjective of creating a healthy and self-sustaining ecosystem. That’s where Zoë comesin, looking to see how birds have responded tothe restoration process.


C A S E S T U D I E S : O C E A N I A H I G H L I G H T S

OCEANIA HIGHLIGHTS:Researching wetland-dependent birdsof Lagoon of Islands and adjacentwetlands in the Tasmanian Highlands


Youth engagement in the project/initiative:This research project was organized andconducted by Zoë Ezzy and supported byvolunteers (mostly young people) and issupported by adult advisors.

Location: Lagoon of Islands, CentralHighlands, Tasmania, Australia

Wetland types: High altitude wetlands,Schwingmoor

Topics: Biodiversity Conservation, WetlandHydrology

Activities: Research

Designations: None

Zoë Ezzy at Penstock Lagoon November 201

9

Historical data on Lagoon of Islands before itwas dammed is pretty scarce and waterbirdpopulation data pre-dam and post-dam comefrom a limited number of studies. Through herresearch, Zoë aimed to start to fill this data gapby providing a systematic bird survey for Lagoonof Islands.

She also came to the realization that her studycontributes to building greater understandingaround wetlands and supports practicalrestoration work: “Wetlands are the mostdegraded ecosystem on the planet. The moreinformation we can get the better. Researchprojects around wetland conservation have real-world implications”.

Personal discovery and challenges

Zoë found that certain bird monitoringtechniques have limited application in wetlands.The amphibious environment of wetlands, fromthe dry patches to open water bodies, meant thatdeveloping adequate monitoring techniques wasan interesting challenge.

To conduct her research, Zoë had the help ofseveral volunteers, a diverse group of mostlyyoung people from different backgrounds: acouple came from Sydney that came down toTasmania just to work on her project with her, aveterinarian that was taking a year off, anAmerican exchange student, a nature trailguide… While Zoë’s team of volunteers enjoyeddiscovering central Tasmania and its birds, shelearned a lot from her team’s range ofbackgrounds and skills.

Through her research, Zoë’s newly developedbird identification skills made her appreciate thesounds and sights of the wetlands around her -Lagoon of Islands opened her eyes to a wholeother world.Arthur's Lake in March 2020Credit: Zoë Ezzy



A b o u t Z o ë ’ s r e s e a r c h

Z o ë ’ s r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t , w h i c h s h es t a r t e d i n 2 0 1 9 , c o m p a r e d t h e b i r dp o p u l a t i o n s a c r o s s t h r e e d i f f e r e n tw e t l a n d s ( L a g o o n o f I s l a n d s a n d 2a d j a c e n t w e t l a n d s A r t h u r s L a k e a n dP e n s t o c k L a g o o n ) a n d a c r o s s t i m eu s i n g t h e l i t t l e h i s t o r i c a l r e c o r d sa v a i l a b l e a r o u n d L a g o o n o f I s l a n d s .

Penstock Lagoon in November after a

fresh

snowfall - Credit: Zoë Ezzy

Lagoon of Islands in November 2019Credits: Zoë Ezzy

Andrew O’Meara is the education and outreachcoordinator at Capital Woodlands and WetlandsTrust and is based in Canberra, Australia. With hisundergraduate in environmental science, he firststarted as a volunteer to work in the wetlands in2015. He then worked as a tour guide in ecology andwetland ecosystems before he went into his currentposition.

The Woodland and Wetlands Conservation Trustboard manages Jerrabomberra Wetlands andMulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary on behalf of theAustralian government. Andrew predominantly workson Jerrabomberra Wetlands.

These wetlands were formed after filling up LakeBurley Grifin in 1964, which led to a high water tableon the Molonglo River floodplain, formingJerrabomberra Wetlands of 174 hectares thatpresently supports a number of flora and faunaincluding 250 different bird species. The wetlandsare shallow in nature and sometimes dry out duringthe dry season. Jerrabomberra Wetlands aremigratory bird stopover sites, making them quiteattractive as bird watching sites and for trackingecologically important bird species like the Lathamsnipe. Tracking of the Latham snipe is one ofAndrew’s roles, bringing an amazing dataset tounderstand the bird’s ecology and movementpatterns.


OCEANIA HIGHLIGHTS:Jerrabomberra Wetlands outreachproject, national protected area


Location: Canberra, Australia

Wetland type: River floodplains

Wetland activities: Biodiversityconservation, education and outreach

Designation: National protected area


( S p i d e r H a n d l i n g ) A n d y d i s p l a y i n g a n a t i v e A u s t r a l i a n T a r a n t u l a

C r e d i t : A n d y O ' M e a r a

Personal impacts

On a personal level, Andrew recalls havinglearned so much not just in ecology but inclimate change and education. He hasdeveloped a deeper respect for nature andheightened motivation in educating othersabout ecology, especially in changing climateconditions.

Challenges

Certain challenges that Andrew faces are inregards to interacting with other stakeholdersand making them understand the importance ofwetlands and the activities that are carried outin Jerrabomberra Wetlands.

Learn more about Jerrabomberra wetlands andthe ongoing work of Andrew and his teammembers here on the website.



Role of youth in Jerrabomberra Wetlands initiatives Andrew’s team members are predominantly youth andthe team is led by an adult supervisor. All the casualstaff is under the age of 24! As an outreach coordinator,Andrew works with kids and youth up to university levelsand engages them in various wetland ecology activitiesfrom birdwatching, through hiking, to clay sculpting. Thebusiness model of Jerrabomberra Wetlands is focusedaround youth empowerment. During storytimes, Andrewand his team members read novels and books aboutwetland stories around Australia to the other kids andyouth.

The dynamic youth group working in JerrabomberraWetlands managed restrictions due to COVID-19 quitewell. Within two months of shut-down, most of theactivities moved online and they organized seminarsand webinars on wetland topics.

Future plans…

In the coming years, Andrew is super motivated to keepworking in wetland outreach and share the knowledgethat he has gained with a wider group. His group hasplans to build a visitor centre for the wetlands that canoffer workshops for up to hundreds of school kids everyday.

Kelly's Swamp at Jerrabomberra Wetlands from the Bittern HideCredit: Woodlands and Wetlands Trust

http://jerrabomberrawetlands.org.au/

Youth engagement in wetland conservation and wise use has many facets. Eachproject is unique and the diversity of youth initiatives that has been shown throughthe responses we have received highlight the different forms that youthengagement can take. Around the globe, efforts led by youth are instrumental inaddressing wetland issues and for initiating or amplifying conservation actions.These efforts range across different wetland ecosystems and take different formsfrom awareness-raising to research and advocacy.

Youth is more than an age category, it is as a period of life. Youth is greatlyheterogeneous by definition and provides each one of us with different sets ofchallenges depending on local contexts. Yet, through our diversity, we are alsounited by some common obstacles that are specific to our age group as well as acommon sense of urgency and vision of a world where together wetlands andpeople thrive. Our respondents are motivated, already taking great action forwetlands, and are keen on finding solutions to the barriers that they often face. Intackling these challenges, youth aspire to increase their capacity and impact aseducators, researchers, advocates, and conservationists. This report confirms thatyouth are indeed creators of change, motivated to make a difference at whicheverlevel they choose for wetlands in their community or around the world - youngpeople are “taking action for the conservation and wise use of wetlands”. Actingalone or in a group, they use their creativity, resourcefulness, skills, and energy towork towards healthy wetlands for nature and people.

In the context of the 50th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, we recognize howinstrumental the Convention has been for the protection of wetlands around theworld. The Ramsar Convention and Ramsar sites clearly hold significance in theseyouth-driven projects. For some, the Convention provides a framework for wetlandconservation and wise use. And for others, Ramsar Sites are important to gain thesupport/interest of various stakeholders. In addition, efforts led by youth in wetlandconservation have over-arching benefits, in addressing and achieving differentSustainable Development Goals.

However, the enduring and dire loss and degradation of wetlands remind us that weare far away from reaching the desired goals of the Ramsar Convention, theSustainable Development Goals, Aichi Targets, and the Paris Agreement amongother global agendas. This state of emergency calls for greater ambition as well asincreased collaboration and the development of new and unconventionalpartnerships. Youth are key allies for wetlands and can contribute constructivelyto the world of wetland conservation if they are meaningfully involved inprocesses and decisions that ultimately affect their lives.

Finally, the stories shared by youth in this report inspire us greatly and are awonderful reminder that one of the youth’s best assets is the capacity to innovateand provide unconventional solutions to the world's pressing issues. These assetsand abilities should be fostered and the enabling conditions for meaningful youthengagement should be secured. In this way, youth initiatives and partnerships withyoung people can grow and contribute to the positive change that is so desperatelyneeded for the world’s wetlands.

CONCLUSION

Y O U T H A R E K E Y A L L I E S F O R W E T L A N D S A N D C A NC O N T R I B U T E C O N S T R U C T I V E L Y T O T H E W O R L D O F

W E T L A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N I F T H E Y A R EM E A N I N G F U L L Y I N V O L V E D I N P R O C E S S E S A N D

D E C I S I O N S T H A T U L T I M A T E L Y A F F E C T T H E I R L I V E S .


Discuss - Our objective with this report is that it remains a livingdocument. We want to explore the findings with you, understand the trendsthat are shown, discuss and criticize what we have found. What do youthink? That is what we want to know. With that in mind, we plan to explorethese findings with youth around the world and interested stakeholdersthrough a series of thematic webinars and workshops.

Exchange - YEW will be developing further resources and platforms, togather a diversity of youth voices as well as to foster and build a commonvoice for wetland youth agendas. Through our upcoming YEW membership,we hope that YEW becomes a network that is molded by youth voices fromaround the world.

Collaborate - Based on the findings of the report and the futurediscussions, we are keen to collaborate with national/regional andinternational agencies, youth groups, NGOs and governments that areinterested in enhancing youth capacities in wetlands agendas. We alsoneed more spaces that are accessible to young people to allow their voicesto be heard especially where decisions affect their lives. YEW is committedto creating more of these spaces and supporting the development offormal mechanisms for the participation of youth in key decision-makingbodies including the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, allowing for greaterintergenerational dialogue and collaboration for wetlands.

The youth participants raised an overwhelming interest in being part of aglobal youth network for wetlands. We see YEW as a key network that canprovide this collaborative space for youth to connect, share, learn andamplify their impact.

This survey has been critical for YEW, first, to connect with and learn moreabout youth-led initiatives all around the world and to build the basis for astrong youth network; second, to use the findings to define our futureactivities in a way that they can respond to the needs and aspirations of youthand third, to develop the Second Edition of YEW Wetlands Youth Survey toexplore the questions that remain unresolved in time for the Ramsar COP15.

So what do we do now?

We believe that building and supporting young wetland leaders and defendersin their actions for wetlands should be a consistent effort by a number ofstakeholders at local, regional, and international levels. To ensure the survivalof healthy wetlands globally for generations to come, we have to join forces.We, at YEW we are committed to doing so through its platform and throughcollaborative actions with other stakeholders.

You can follow YEW’s future work through our website and on Facebook. If youare interested in joining YEW's future membership, register your interestthrough our website. For any future collaborations, please contact us [email protected]

NEXT STEPSFOR YEW


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