Wetlands, the kidneys of the planet. How to maintain and/or recover them

Abstract

The planet's wetlands are subject to strong pressure from human communities and, therefore, in the Convention held in the city of Ramsar in Iran in January-February 1971, an intergovernmental treaty was created that serves as a framework for national action and international cooperation. It seeks the conservation and rational use of wetlands and their resources. It was approved on February 2, 1971 in the same city of Ramsar, entering into force in 1975. In Mexico 142 sites were recognized with an area of more than eight million hectares, with which the country ranked second internationally at the time. This means an enormous commitment on the part of the government and the people of Mexico to protect them, taking care that the people who live near them feel they are part of their heritage so as not to destroy them. One of them is precisely in Mexico City, a city of more than 20 million people. This wetland is located in the municipality of Xochimilco, one of the 16 political entities of Mexico City. This area is also considered a World Heritage Site. However, instead of helping to raise awareness among the citizens who live in it and to take care of it as their heritage, they are the first to destroy it, out of ignorance and not out of malice. It is the commitment of the authorities to become aware and to educate their representatees so that we protect this artificial wetland and the others that we have in Mexico. Some recommendations are given based on the Ramsar Conventions’ own principles for doing so.