Healthy coastal wetlands for sustainable development

THE Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (1972 Ramsar Convention) defines wetlands as "areas of marsh, fen, peatlands or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine waters, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters."ExceptforQatar's mangroves and salt flats, wetlands in the Philippines, Fiji and the Solomon Islands include estuaries and deltas, mangroves and intertidal mudflats, coastal lagoons, freshwater lakes and marshes, swamp forests, rivers and streams and coral reef systems.

Despite the impact of global warming and the threats of sea-level rise, identified marine and coastal wetlands in those countries are being managed to the best of capabilities in order to maintain their functions and values for subsistence and well-being of their respective inhabitants. Some of the countries' experiences and lessons learned are herein narrated for whatever they may be worth in the free market of ideas to achieve effective marine and coastal wetland management.