Tag Archives: sponge cities

Urban wetlands to the rescue. How can wetland restoration protect cities from drought?

Peatland in the Kicińska Struga valley in Czerwonak as an example of a wetland supporting natural water retention.

For many years, there was a perception that wetlands were a bad thing – wasteland, impractical, waterlogged land that became an obstacle to human activity. This misconception led to the drainage of a vast number of wetlands (in Poland – over 80%, which per unit area translates to over 1 million hectares!), which are crucial not only for local biodiversity but also for counteracting the effects of drought. Due to the rapid decline of wetlands since the beginning of the 20th century, an international agreement – the Ramsar Convention on the Conservation of Wetlands – was signed on February 2, 1971.

Summary of the Gdańsk conference “Stop Drought! Start Retention! – time for action!”

Panel dyskusyjny podczas konferencji Stop Suszy! Start Retencji! w Gdańsku poświęconej przeciwdziałaniu skutkom suszy i retencji w miastach

Experts, local government officials, and scientists analyzed mechanisms for combating drought during the conference “Stop Drought! Start Retention! – Time to Action!” held on June 17 in Gdańsk. The discussion focused on the proposed actions in the draft update of the Drought Effects Counteracting Plan (uDECP) for urban areas. Drawing on the experiences of Gdańsk, Łódź, and Poznań, the need for systemic legislative and educational changes was emphasized, as well as the importance of wetland protection and the role of comprehensive blue-green solutions in cities.

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