Brunei wetlands in good shape

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM remains fortunate to have wetlands that are under relatively less pressure compared to other countries in the region.

Wetland forests in the Sultanate have a total area of about 121,000 hectares or 30 per cent of the total forest cover, said Mahmood Yussof, deputy director of Forestry Department.

Wetlands are of paramount importance to a country's socio-economic, development and environmental benefits, he said.

"Wetlands in Brunei cover the peat swamp forests, fresh water forest and mangrove forest. All these forest types are of paramount importance," he said in an email interview with The Brunei Times.

He said that wetlands helped in water purification and waste treatment, flood control and storm protection, as well as provide recreational opportunities. They are also crucial in recharging groundwater reservoirs.

Selirong Forest Reserve at Brunei Bay is part of Brunei's wetlands conservation efforts. "Selirong Forest Reserve (mangrove) has been kept aside as a conservation forest in view of its ecological, aesthetic and ethnological values as well the Badas Forest Reserve in Seria," he said.

Rodrigo U Fuentes, executive director of Asean Centre for Biodiversity, said humans are misusing and abusing wetlands.

In a press statement issued on the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2010, which falls every February 2, Fuentes said: "Already large areas of wetlands have been lost, mostly to agricultural development. Those that remain are heavily degraded due to combined impact of mismanagement, over-exploitation and pollution. The effects of climate change further exacerbate the situation."

Fuentes said this poses a real threat to biodiversity. "When wetlands are degraded, the species that live in them face serious trouble. Two basic needs for human survival are taken away from us: food and water," he said.

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2010 is "Caring for Wetlands: An answer to Climate Change".

"If we make a conscious effort to protect wetlands, we can also contribute to curbing the impact of climate change," he said.

The Asean Centre for Biodiversity encourages all citizens of the Asean member states to protect wetlands. This is a shared responsibility among all of us who stand to lose so much.

There are practical actions that individuals can take, he said. "Support wetlands conservation and watershed protection initiatives in your community, limit your use of products that contain hazardous waste, dispose garbage properly and conserve water."

Brunei is not a contracting party to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention. The convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

Fuentes said: "The Asean region takes part in this global event as majority of the 10 member states have recognised the special attributes of the wetlands and are parties of the Ramsar Convention." To date, there are 29 Ramsar sites within the Asean region.

The deputy director of Forestry Department said that Brunei does not celebrate World Wetlands Day.

The Brunei Times