Restoration, revitalization and protection of mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows
Coastal ecosystems are of paramount importance in many ways. They represent one of the most biodiverse places on earth: 90% of all maritime species are at home in coastal areas – and 90% of marine fishery is dependent on them. Furthermore, coastal wetlands such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows and mangroves play an important role in the protection against the impacts of floods: they protect coasts from erosion and can provide flood plains. Lastly, coastal wetlands are able to sequester and store carbon dioxide.
However, due to land use change, the modification of coastal waterways, water management and other influences, coastal wetlands are degrading and decreasing rapidly. Nature-based solutions, such as a sustainable use of these ecosystems or the enlargement of flood plains, can contribute to the protection of existing coastal ecosystems as well as to the restoration of degraded ones.
Therefore, the fifth CITIES TALK NATURE webinar focuses on coastal habitat restoration and revitalization.
- Francisco Martínez Vázquez, Wildlands Conservation Manager, WILDCOAST, will share with us his experience as head of the WILDCOAST Mangrove Recovery Program in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
- Dr. Finn Andreas Viehberg, Head of the WWF-office Baltic Sea, will share his practical experiences in the implementation of coastal protection measures, such as the renaturation of polders and salt marshes. Furthermore, he will present ways municipalities can take to support the protection of coastal ecosystems.
The event is free of charge and is being held in English and Spanish, translation is provided.
The webinar is part of the CITIES TALK NATURE events of the INTERLACE project. INTERLACE aims to empower and equip European and Latin American cities to effectively restore and rehabilitate (peri)urban ecosystems towards more liveable, resilient and inclusive cities. CITIES TALK NATURE offers a series of events to create and promote learning and cooperation between municipalities, their stakeholders and initiatives in Latin America and Europe.
CITIES TALK NATURE is facilitated by a unique cooperation between the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Associations of Local Governments (FLACMA) and the National Union of Local Governments (UNGL), as member of FLACMA as well as Climate Alliance (CA) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). It was developed within the INTERLACE project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Please find more information on the CITIES TALK NATURE events here.