VOA常速英语2015--保护湿地,保护生命

Protecting Wetlands, Protecting Lives 保护湿地,保护生命

Well over 600 million people around the world depend on wetlands for their livelihoods 1, such as fishing or farming. Yet experts say since 1900, 64 percent of wetlands have disappeared and the rest are on the decline. More than 800 delegates from 160 countries are meeting in Uruguay (6/1-9) to find solutions to the problem.

全世界超过6亿人依靠湿地带来的渔业或农业维持生计。然而有关专家表示自1900年以来,64%的湿地已经消失，且剩下的湿地仍在减少。在6月1日至少9日于乌拉圭举行的会议上，来自160多个国家超过800名代表们聚在一起寻找解决之道。

The summit in Punta del Este is the 12th meeting on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The international treaty provides a framework for the “conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.”

此次在埃斯特角城召开的峰会是国际重要湿地公约举行的第12次会议。这一国际条约为“湿地及其资源的保护及明智使用”提供了一个框架。

Dr. Christopher Briggs, the Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention, said, “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. The wetlands indeed also clean and purify the water of its substances – pollution. They also help to store carbon. They provide livelihoods. 660 million people around the world live from aquaculture and fishery from wetlands.”

国际重要湿地公约秘书长克里斯托弗·布里格斯博士说道:”湿地对我们所有人都是至关重要,因为有了湿地，我们才有淡水用来做饭,吃饭,洗衣。我们所有的淡水都是来自湿地。湿地也的确对水中所含的污染物进行清洁和净化。同时还能储存碳。湿地也提供了赖以生存的必要条件。全世界6.6亿人依靠湿地的水产养殖及渔业生存。”

And wetlands are a buffer 2 when nature turns destructive.

而当自然变得极具破坏性湿地就会充当缓冲屏障。

“They’re also critical for us in terms of disaster risk reduction – helping 3 everyday people to protect their livelihoods and their homes against the impacts of rising sea level, of tsunamis 4 and hurricanes.That is the best possible protection – the natural infrastructure 5 along the coasts. And inland, the wetlands are there because they can buffer the impacts of both drought and flooding,” he said.

“就降低灾害风险而言湿地对我们也是非常重要，它每天帮助保护人们的生计及家园免受海平面上升,海啸及飓风的影响。这可能是最好的保护措施，沿海岸线的大自然基础设施。而在内陆湿地也是这样，因为它们可以缓冲干旱和洪水造成的影响。”

Besides providing resources for fishing, farming, water and fodder 6, they’re a source of pleasure for millions of people.

除了提供资源,渔业、农业、水源及饲料外,湿地也是数百万人的快乐源泉。

Briggs said, “It is in wetlands that we spend our holidays – in beaches, in coastlines, in coral reefs, on mangroves, in lakes and rivers and ponds. That is what wetlands are. They are the source of sustainable development and they are vital for our future and for our children’s future.”

“湿地成为了我们的度假圣地，海滩,各处海岸线,珊瑚礁,红树林,湖泊，河流及池塘。这就是湿地。湿地是可持续发展的源泉,对我们的未来和我们孩子的未来而言至关重要。”

Besides losing 64 percent of the world’s wetlands since 1900, about 40 percent of the remaining wetlands have been degraded over the last 40 years. The decline continues at a rate of one and a half percent annually 7. Briggs said it’s because humans build their civilizations near them.

除了自1900年来世界上64%的湿地消失以来,剩余约40%的湿地也在过去40年间逐渐退化。退化速度持续在每年1.5个百分点。布里格斯表示这是因为人类在湿地附近建造自身文明所致。

“We have built agriculture. We have built houses, roads, cities on wetlands because it is easy for them to be drained. But the services that they provide are also very important. And when we have what is now a massive loss of wetlands it is critical for the future – for a sustainable future – for us to look again at how we need to stop, prevent and restore wetlands.”

“我们已经开始了农业进程。我们又在湿地上盖房、修路、建造城市，因为抽干湿地非常容易。但湿地为我们带来的益处也非常重要。当我们现在面临对未来如此重要，对可持续发展未来至关重要湿地的大规模消失，我们要重新审视自己该如何停止,防止这样的情况再次发生并且恢复湿地。”

He compared it to other environmental losses.

他将湿地同其他环境退化相比较。

“That compares with the worst loss of rainforest that was happening in the 80s in Brazil and Asia. So, the rate of loss of wetlands is serious. And at the same time as we have a growing population we desperately 8 need those wetlands to provide the water for the sustenance 9 – for the livelihoods – for the future of our people,” he said.

“相比之下,最严重的热带雨林退化发生在80年代的在巴西和亚洲。因此,湿地问题非常严重。同时随着我们的人口不断增长,我们迫切需要湿地为未来提供赖以生存的水源。”

Briggs said the problem is not due to people denying it exists. Rather, he said, it’s people not knowing about it at all until recently. In 2014, three different indicators 10 were released showing wetlands degradation 11. For example, the World Wildlife reported that 76 percent of the plant and animal species associated with wetlands have been lost over the last 40 years.

布里格斯表示问题不是由于人们否认它的存在所致。相反,他说,人们直到最近才意识到这个问题。2014年有3项不同的调查都揭示了湿地的退化现象。例如世界野生动物组织报道过去40年间与湿地相关76%的动植物物种已经消失。

“I don’t think that there is a denial that there is a problem. There has been a complete lack awareness 12. And that’s what we have to put out there for the seven billion people on this planet – that there needs to be an increased level of awareness.This will allow us then to be able to build a future for nine billion, which is not impoverished 13, but is enriched by the opportunities given by wetland,” said Briggs.

“我认为这不是否认问题的存在。一直是没有整体上的认识。我们必须要做的是提升这个地球上70亿人的认知度。这将使我们能够为90亿人创造未来,不是让他们贫于资源匮乏,而是湿地提供丰富的机会。”

It’s estimated the world’s population will grow to more than nine billion by 2050.

据估2050年世界人口将增长到超过90亿。

The Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention said public awareness of wetlands should be just as high as it is for rainforests. And they protect against the effects of climate change by storing huge amounts of carbon and prevent it from entering the atmosphere.

国际重要湿地公约秘书长表示对于湿地公众应该是具有和热带雨林一样的认知度。湿地能够抵御气候变化的影响,储存大量的碳并且防止它进入大气层。

For example, peatlands are turf areas consisting of partially 14 decayed vegetation and other organic matter. They cover just three percent of the land’s surface, but they capture twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests.

比如泥炭地是由于部分腐烂植被及其他有机物组成的植草区域。它们仅仅覆盖陆地表面的百分之三,但能够捕获碳的能力却是世界上所有森林的2倍。

The 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is the treaty’s decision-making body. Briggs said he hopes delegates will agree to an “ambitious strategic plan to prevent, stop and reverse the degradation of wetlands.”

此次国际湿地公约第12次缔约各方会议是该条约的决策机构。布里格斯表示他希望代表们会一致同意预防、阻止及逆转湿地退化的一项雄心勃勃的战略计划。