{"id":29501,"date":"2018-08-02T08:58:22","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T12:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/?p=29501"},"modified":"2020-05-21T00:27:28","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T04:27:28","slug":"ramsar-cop-13-can-artists-contribute-urban-wetland-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/2018\/08\/02\/ramsar-cop-13-can-artists-contribute-urban-wetland-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramsar COP 13: What can Artists Contribute to Urban Wetland Restoration?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Threats to wetlands include unsustainable urban development, pollution from cities, industry, agriculture, and invasive species, to name a few. But the biggest threat is one of perception.<\/blockquote><\/figure>The Ramsar Convention<\/em><\/a> (also known as Convention on Wetlands) is the first of the major intergovernmental convention on biodiversity conservation and wise use. It was signed in 1971, in the City of Ramsar in Iran. This October, the 13<\/em>th<\/em> Ramsar Conference of the Parties <\/em><\/a>(COP 13) will take place in Dubai, with a focus on \u201curban wetlands\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Convention has highlighted artists\u2019 important roles in wetland conservation, having previously published Wetlands – an inspiration in art, literature, music and folklore<\/em><\/a>. This document highlights a wide range of ways in which wetlands inspire artists, writers, poets, musicians and storytellers.<\/p>\n

But why are artists involved? And what can they do?<\/p>\n

In 1991, Artist Betsy Damon established Keepers of the Waters<\/a>. Working with landscape architects and scientists in China (among other places) she helps us understand water as a living thing, building gardens that use a transparent, natural processes of purification. Participatory science methods underpin Brandon Balleng\u00e9e\u2019s<\/a> studies of malformed amphibians in wetlands, resulting in peer reviewed papers and installations in galleries and museums. Artist Jan Mun<\/a> works with bioremediation companies to grow mushroom fairy rings, absorbing oil industry pollution in New York.<\/p>\n

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Photographs of Betsy Damon\u2019s \u201cLiving Water Garden Park\u201d in Chengdu, China | Images courtesy of the artist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"These are three brief examples. There exist countless more, and ecoartscotland<\/em><\/a> is out to find and highlight them. In support of upcoming Convention on urban wetlands, we will be using a hashtag #art4wetlands<\/a>, to highlight a wide range of examples of artists working on conservation and wise use.<\/p>\n

Art: changing wetland perceptions & instigating actions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite our scientific understanding of their critical roles both for humans and other species, wetlands are still among the most widely threatened habitats world-wide. Threats include unsustainable urban development, pollution from cities, industry, agriculture, and invasive species, to name a few.<\/p>\n

But the biggest threat is one of perception.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wetlands are, to quote the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> \u201c…misunderstood and undervalued by people, leading to a desire to replace them with more \u2018useful\u2019 and \u2018productive\u2019 options such as housing developments and agricultural land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing such \u201cperceptions of value\u201d is one of the typical roles we expect of art. Indeed, this is an important role.<\/p>\n

However, there are also other, perhaps more direct ways that artists are involved with wetland conservation. Artists across all disciplines are now actively involved using their creative skills in support of projects to preserve, restore, and interpret wetlands. At the heart of many artists\u2019 projects is changing perceptions of wetlands, not just by representing them beautifully, but through on the ground action, often framed as ecoart (ecological art) or ecovention (ecological intervention).<\/p>\n

Over the next few months, ecoartscotland will be publishing examples from all six of the Convention\u2019s regions (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania), specifically those which have to do with the topics of wetland pollution, biodiversity loss, and inappropriate development.<\/p>\n

We have assembled a programme highlighting artists working in different ways on issues such as habitat restoration, pollution and biodiversity loss. Below is a sampling of highlighted projects in these areas.<\/p>\n

Pollution<\/strong><\/p>\n

Waterwash ABC<\/em><\/a> is a project on the Bronx River led by artist Lillian Ball which created an intelligent buffer zone to absorb stormwater run-off from a parking lot. The project also restored native habitat, engaged local communities, opened up public space behind private businesses, and installed educational signage showing how the remediation works.<\/p>\n