Wetlands and water resources.

 



These threatened ecosystems are crucial for water security.

  • Less than 1% of Earth’s freshwater is usable and most of that is contained in wetlands, including about a third in rivers and lakes. • Globally, 2 billion people – 26% of the population – do not have safe drinking water, and two-to-three billion experience water shortages for at least one month per year. The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to jump to 1.7–2.4 billion people by 2050. • Traditional knowledge systems have long guided how communities protect and manage water in wetlands. • The silt-rich soil and abundant plant vegetation of wetlands act like water filters, absorbing harmful toxins, agricultural pesticides and industrial waste. • Wetlands play a key role in the global hydrological cycle by changing how water moves in and through landscapes and seascapes. Their degradation and destruction disrupt this cycle, posing risks to global and regional water systems. 

ONE OF THE 2025 WOMEN CHANGEMAKERS IN THE WORLD OF WETLANDS

 Raised by the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, Rosa Jalja grew to understand that the lake was more than water, it represented life, memory and identity. She witnessed the lake’s waters sustain her community, only to see them become more polluted over the years. Refusing to stand by, she became a radio journalist and activist, using her voice to defend its future. As a founding member of Mujeres Unidas en Defensa del Agua, she mobilizes women to restore, protect and advocate for the lake. Through storytelling and action, Rosa is preserving both Titicaca’s waters and the ancestral wisdom they hold for her children and future generations.

Thanks to funding from the Government of Canada, the Secretariat is documenting the stories of women and wetlands. When women also are in leadership, conservation strategies do not just protect wetlands; they protect future generations and the ecosystems they depend on.




“THE STORIES OF THESE WOMEN COLLECTIVELY EXEMPLIFY THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER UNLEASHED WHEN WOMEN AND GIRLS, INCLUDING INDIGENOUS WOMEN, ARE SUPPORTED AND EMPOWERED TO LEAD IN THE CONSERVATION OF WETLANDS." – Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention.


Location: 405 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017, USA

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