Watch the Stockholm Debate online!

With its innovative format, the first Wetlandsforum.net debate at the Stockhoilm Water Week successfully raised attention for the policy conflicts inherent in current wetlands policies.

Inspired by electoral TV debates, three teams of speakers argued the case for different priorities: Should Wetlands policies first and foremost prioritize the rights and livelihoods of communities living in and depending on wetlands? Are wetlands too important an asset for economic development and food security to ignore their potential for large-scale agricultural investment? Or is the global value of wetlands as ecosystem service providers too important to risk their destruction?

Under the skilful moderating of Dipak Gyawali of the Nepalese Academy of Sciences and Technology, and driven by the relentless ticking of a large electronic clock, the teams presented their visions, argued about trade-offs and highlighted the cost of compromise through several rounds of questions, answers and rebuttals.

The event was sponsored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network (NBCBN), the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar), UNESCO Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE) and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Watch the debate video at the the SIWI media hub: siwi-mediahub.creo.tv/world-water-week/2015-water-for-development/wetlands_for_food_security_solution_or_illusion#

Media

Taxonomy

• Wetlands
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable Development
• Natural Resources Conservation
• Wetlands