When we look at a wetland, a marsh, a peatland, or a mangrove, we often see water, birds, and vast landscapes. But today, on World Wildlife Day, I invite you to look closer. I invite you to see a pharmacy.
This year’s theme, 'Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,' hits close to home for us at the Convention on Wetlands.
For thousands of years, wetlands have been the cradle of healing. From the sacred lotus used in traditional therapies across Asia, to the sweet flag root used in Europe and the Americas, our wetlands are reservoirs of health. They hold the genetic blueprints that not only support traditional medicine but form the foundation of modern pharmaceuticals.
But this is about more than just science; it is about people.
We know that many communities rely on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare. For many marginalized communities living next to wetlands, harvesting medicinal plants is not just a tradition, it is a livelihood. It is how they put food on the table.
There is a philosophy I hold dear: Ubuntu, 'I am because we are.' This applies to nature, too. We cannot be healthy if our wetlands are sick.
Yet we are losing these habitats. When we drain a wetland, we don't just lose water; we lose the cure for future diseases, and we erase the heritage of the communities who act as its stewards.
So today, as we celebrate World Wildlife Day, let us remember the healing power of plants and let us support the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by protecting the ecosystems that heal us.
From all of us at the Convention on Wetlands, I wish you an inspiring World Wildlife Day.