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WetlandsHistory 
During the Carboniferous Period, around 350 million years ago, wetlands produced and preserved many of the fossil fuels (coal and oil) which we depend on today. More recently, wetlands along some of major rivers of the world, including the Tigris, Euphrates, Niger, Nile, Indus and Mekong, nurtured the great civilisations of history. These wetlands provided fish, drinking water, pasture land and transport and were part of the cultural history of early people, being a central element of mythology, art and religion. As humans spread out and colonised the continents they viewed natural resources from wetlands as things to be used without limit. Wetlands were regarded as swampy lands that bred diseases, restricted overland travel, impeded the production of food and fibre, and generally were not useful for survival. They were seen to be obstacles to development, which should be eliminated and the land reclaimed for other purposes. As a result of this type of thinking, wetlands were drained and converted into farmlands. This was mirrored in many countries as they were colonised, with wetlands being drained for either agriculture or in areas that were becoming urbanised they were converted for housing or market gardens, some used for recreation, and others used for road reserves. Around 50 percent of wetlands worldwide are estimated to have disappeared since 1900. During the first half of the previous century, this mostly occurred in the northern temperate zones. However since the 1950’s, tropical and sub-tropical wetlands have also been disappearing rapidly. Over 50 percent of the wetlands in the southern half of the United States were lost over a 50 year period. The loss of wetlands is thought to have been much higher in parts of Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. This draining and converting of wetlands occurred extensively up until the 1950’s when public awareness and education about wetlands started to increase. Although draining of wetlands slowed, scientific understanding of wetlands also increased at this time resulting in people becoming increasingly aware of the goods and services they could gain from these areas. It wasn’t until the 1970's, as a result of public awareness and protests that governments actually stopped draining wetlands and recognised the importance of this ecosystem for both humans and the wildlife that depends on them for survival. In 1971 the Convention on Wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Iran (often now referred to as the Ramsar Convention) and reflected the communities concerns. The Convention on Wetlands is an international treaty which has been signed by 152 different parties, with 1610 wetland sites totalling 145.2 million hectares listed as wetlands of international significance. This Convention aims at stopping the worldwide loss of wetlands and conserving the remaining wetlands through wise use and management. This means ensuring that activities which affect wetlands will not lead to the loss of biodiversity or diminish the many ecological, hydrological, cultural or social values of wetlands. This requires policy making, capacity building, information and technology sharing between countries as well as international cooperation to conserve and recognise valuable wetland ecosystems. |
