会议敦促保护地球上的湿地

AS IT IS 2015-06-09 Conference Urges Protection of Wetlands

Hundreds of millions of people around the world depend on wetlands for their livelihoods¹, such as fishing or farming. However, since 1900, experts say 64 percent of wetlands have disappeared. The rest are on the decline. To find a way to stop the destruction of wetlands, more than 800 delegates from 160 countries are meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The meeting started on June first and will end on the ninth. The summit is the 12th meeting on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Dr. Christopher Briggs is the Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention. He says wetlands affect almost every part of people’s lives.

“Wetlands are important to all of us because it is from wetlands that we have our fresh water for cooking, for eating, for washing. All our fresh water comes from wetlands.”

Mr. Briggs adds that wetlands also clean and purify water and help to store carbon. He says that 660 million people around the world depend on wetlands because they earn a living from the aquaculture and the fishery industries.

Wetlands are a buffer² to protect people from natural disasters.

“They’re also critical for us in terms of disaster risk reduction – helping³ everyday people to protect their livelihoods and their homes against the impacts of rising sea level, of tsunamis⁴ and hurricanes.”

He adds that the wetlands can buffer the impacts of both drought and flooding.

Besides providing resources for fishing, farming, water and fodder⁵, wetlands are a place for recreation for millions of people.

“It is in wetlands that we spend our holidays – in beaches, in coastlines, in coral reefs, on mangroves, in lakes and rivers and ponds.”

Mr. Briggs also says that wetlands are important for our future and for future generations.

About 40 percent of the remaining wetlands have faced destruction over the last 40 years. The decline continues at a rate of one and a half percent each year. Christopher Briggs says that is because people build their civilizations near wetlands.

“We have built agriculture. We have built houses, roads, cities on wetlands because it is easy for them to be drained.”

Now, the world is facing a massive loss of wetlands. The World Wildlife Fund reports that 76 percent of the plant and animal species living in wetlands have been disappearing over the last 40 years.

Mr. Briggs compares the damage of wetlands to the loss of rainforest in Brazil and countries in Asia during the 1980s.

He adds that wetlands might face more serious destruction as the world’s population increases. That number is expected to grow to more than nine billion by 2050.

Mr. Briggs says that people have only recently recognized the issue of the loss of wetlands.  He says that there is a need to raise people’s awareness⁶ on the issue of wetland protection.

People, Mr. Briggs adds, need to know that the wetlands are as important as rainforests because they have similar functions.

The wetlands help protect the earth from the effects of climate change. They store huge amounts of carbon and prevent the carbon from entering the atmosphere.

Peatlands, for example, are areas of partially⁷ decayed vegetation and other organic matter. They cover three percent of the land’s surface. But they capture twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests.

Words in This Story

aquaculture – n. the cultivation⁸ of water plants and animals for human use or consumption

buffer – n. something that serve as a protection

fodder – n. food for cattle, horses, sheep, etc.

drain (ed) – v. to remove water or any liquid so as to dry or empty

decay (ed) – v. to be slowly destroyed by natural processes

1 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

2 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

5 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。