Wednesday 2 February 2022

Takeaways from the ADB Healthy Oceans Forum: Innovations for WWD, Coastal & Ocean Resilience

 While participating online at the First Asian Development Bank (ADB) Healthy Oceans Tech & Finance Forum: Innovations Solutions for Asia and the Pacific I gained insights on many on paths to Coastal & Ocean Resilience, especially in Asia-Pacific. With Wetlands being a key ecosystem covered and with World Wetlands Day (WWD) being observed on February 2, 2022 with the theme 'Wetlands Action for People and Nature' it makes sense to highlight takeaways from the ADB Healthy Oceans Forum that focus on Wetlands and building coastal resilience. 

Now, ADB has committed to raise funds to restore wetlands in the Asia-Pacific. In India, Maharashtra's wetlands as well as rural connectivity is being funded by ADB projects in collaboration with the state government. Previously ADB has helped bring back beaches, restore shorelines and revitalize the coastal zone in Ullal, Karnataka, through sustainable costal protection and management. 



This project in itself and efforts to restore wetlands are big wins for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also by building in Gender Equality into the framework of the ADB Blue Loans and Blue Bonds funded Blue Future, more women entrepreneurs and women-led initiatives are being offered funding for projects to improve ocean and coastal resilience and mainstream Blue Foods and sustainable aquaculture to boost the economy and ecology.

Wetlands include marsh, swamp and mire (bog and fen). A mangrove is a tide-influenced wetland complex and are bio-diverse carbon-fixing ecosystems at the borders of land and oceans. Thus restoring wetlands and building up coastal resilience by funding and empowering farmers, SMEs and the government can ensure climate action as well as all the other Global Goals. While forests are referred to as the lungs of the planet, wetlands are called the kidneys of planet. But both are vital organs essential for the health of the planets and its inhabitants.



I covered the Plastics-Free Oceans spotlight of the ADB Healthy Oceans in the January 2022 RE-plastic blog post. I have also covered the importance of Wetlands and WWD before (2021 & February 2020) in posts blogs. Revitalizing and restoring wetlands, which are being drained and destroyed faster than forests enables sequestering lots more carbon dioxide than just in forests (SDG13). If forests are slashed for farmland, wetlands are "reclaimed" to expand cities and enable the urban sprawl. Most of the world's capitals, metros and megacities are built on wetlands. Examples span from Washington, DC to Venice to Mumbai and Chennai. Be it South America's Pantanal or South Asia's Sunderbans as well as the mangroves and wetlands along major rivers or the confluence of rivers and great urban centres, these biodiverse wetlands that are our main defense from climate catastrophes are most at risk. They are being destroyed much faster than forests. At the threshold of life on land (SDG15) and life below water (SDG14), their revitalization can revitalize the economy and empower the marginalized faster than most other efforts. The Coastal Resilience, Blue Foods and Ocean Finance streams of the ADB forum showcased many such restoration examples and experts. ADB's 5 billion dollar Healthy Oceans Action Plan launched in May 2019 is a great beginning.


The Regenerative Blue Economy model powered by renewable energy (SDG 7) for Just Transition is a great path to sustainable development and climate resilience. Women-led mangrove re-planting and lake and flood-plains reclamation have had more community participation than purely government or corporate restoration projects. For People and Planet we need action for wetlands. And the designation of many wetland as Ramsar sites is a great step forward.






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