Local communities vital for wetland conservation

By Stevie Emilia

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Only a few people know that the rice they eat, the freshwater they drink or wood they use to build houses originate from the wetlands.

Wetlands have been described as "the landscape's kidney" for their water purifying role and "biological supermarkets" for their provision of abundant natural resources.

Indonesia is distinguished as the country with the biggest wetland area in Asia. But little has been done to conserve this precious heritage.

Out of 37,014,500 hectares of wetland found in the country, or 21 percent of the total 180 million kilometers of land, only 3.6 million hectares have been declared conservation areas. They are classified as freshwater swamp, freshwater lakes, peat swamp, seasonal freshwater swamp, seasonal peat swamp, mangrove forest and beach vegetation.

Remaining wetland has been remodeled to satisfy human needs. Industrial plantations, shrimp ponds, beaches and lake reclamation areas are all sited on former wetland. The most recent example is the government's controversial one million hectare peat land project in Kalimantan.

In many cases, efforts to reshape wetland areas have resulted in the loss or impairment of wetland function.

The multipurpose role of wetlands -- for example as a freshwater source and a food supply for humans -- has long been promoted by environmental activists. They fear that further wetland degradation will result in a water and food crisis.

They have every reason to worry.

A United Nation's 1997 assessment on freshwater resources, estimated that one third of the world's population live in countries experiencing moderate to high freshwater supply restrictions.

The international body projected that by the year 2025, this proportion will rise to two thirds, unless there are some dramatic changes in the way freshwater supply and demand is managed.

A gloomy global picture of the effects of wetland abuse and its long-term implications has failed to concern most decision makers, despite evidence that a heavy price -- both economically and socially -- is paid for disregarding the issue.

Assistant to the state minister of environment, Aca Sugandhy, said his office recognizes the vital role played by wetlands.

"But there remains an absence in people's understanding of wetland roles. Wetlands are often considered useless and unproductive. That's why many people turn them into more profitable sites, even though they are not suitable for the environment," Aca said.

He was one of the speakers participating in a dialog to commemorate World Wetlands Day, which fell on Feb. 2 this year. Wetland International Indonesia Programme hosted the conference with the theme of: People and Wetlands -- the Vital Link.

Indonesia ratified a treaty on wetlands, the Ramsar Convention, in 1991 -- 20 years after the intergovernmental treaty concerned with wetland conservation was first signed in Ramsar, Iran.

According to the convention, wetlands are classified into three categories: coastal, inland and manmade.

Coastal wetlands are permanent shallow marine waters less than six meters deep at low tide and include sea bays, coral reef, estuarine waters and coastal freshwater lagoons.

Inland wetlands describe permanent rivers and streams or creeks, including waterfalls, permanent freshwater lakes (more than eight hectares), seasonal and intermittent freshwater lakes, permanent freshwater marshes and pools and ponds (less than eight hectares).

Manmade wetlands are represented by fish and shrimp ponds, irrigated land such as irrigation channels and rice fields, seasonally flooded agricultural land, water storage areas and canals.

Program director of Wetland International Indonesia, Dibjo Sartono, said wetland problems require comprehensive assessment.

"Maybe we feel as if we've done many things (to conserve wetlands), but the result does not reflect our expectations. With comprehensive and integrated assessments, we can learn why."

Dibjo said many people, including related government agencies, did not recognize wetlands as integrated ecosystems as stated in the Ramsar Convention.

Wetlands were widely perceived, among other uses, as prospective cultivation fields. As a result, wetlands were not assessed in an integrated environmental manner, he said.

He urged for a concerted effort to change attitudes that undervalue wetlands by involving local people in conservation efforts.

Currently, preservation efforts are no longer based solely on the need to protect areas, such as by keeping wildlife in and people out. A more pragmatic approach recognizes the need to initiate close relationships between people and their natural environment.

Modification in the conservation approach is inherent in the Ramsar Convention, which asserts it is unrealistic to propose all wetlands be protected from human influence.

In the convention there is no commitment to "protect" wetlands, instead it promotes their "wise use". It defines wise wetland use as: "sustainable utilization for the benefit of mankind, in a way compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem".

Achieving a balance between human exploitation and ecological maintenance of a wetland ecosystem is an ongoing challenge.

Dibjo insists local communities closely linked to wetlands were the lynchpin in conservation efforts and their crucial role should be recognized by the government.

"There are no better guardians of our wetlands than the people themselves... the future of our wetlands lie in their hands."