Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem

联合国教科文组织总干事奥德蕾·阿祖莱保护红树林生态系统国际日致辞

26 July 2018

2018年7月26日

Mangroves, located in tropical regions where land and sea meet, form unique ecosystems whose benefit for human beings, the environment and biodiversity are considerable.

红树林位于热带地区陆地与海洋交汇之处，这一独特的生态系统为人类、环境以及生物多样性带来巨大的惠益。

Mangroves constitute protection from storms, tsunamis and rising sea levels. They prevent shoreline erosion, regulate coastal water quality, maintain fishing areas and contribute to improving food security for many coastal communities. They also provide a habitat for endangered marine species. In addition, their natural mechanisms for storing atmospheric carbon, known as "blue carbon sinks", help mitigate the effects of climate disruption along coasts.

红树林构成一道应对风暴、海啸和海平面上升的屏障。它防止海岸侵蚀，调节水质，保护沿海渔场，并有助于改善众多沿海社区的粮食安全状况。红树林还为濒危海洋物种提供栖息地。此外，通过其储存大气碳的自然机制（又称“蓝色碳汇”），红树林有助于在沿海地区减轻气候变化的影响。

Yet today, the mangrove ecosystem is seriously threatened. It is estimated that global coverage of mangroves has been halved in 40 years, largely as a result of coastal development.

然而，红树林生态系统正面临严重威胁。据估计，全球红树林覆盖面积四十年来下降了一半，这主要由沿海地区的开发所致。

Through its biosphere reserves and geoparks, which include mangrove forests in various parts of the world, such as the Sundarbans between India and Bangladesh, one of the planet's largest mangrove forests, UNESCO is actively working to add to knowledge about this unique ecosystem, and improve its management and preservation. This commitment is also intended to further the sustainable development of indigenous communities and to promote the role of women, who are at the heart of the local economy.

教科文组织通过其生物圈保护区以及地质公园，其中包括世界各地的红树林，例如位于印度和孟加拉国之间的世界上最大的红树林之一松达班森林，积极致力于促进人们更好地了解、管理和维护这一独特的生态系统。这一努力还旨在推动土著社区的可持续发展，促进发挥妇女在当地经济中的重要作用。

The UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission is moreover a stakeholder in a major global project, the Blue Carbon Initiative, undertaken in conjunction with Conservation International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The purpose of the Initiative is to combat the effects of climate change by working for the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems, focusing on mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses.

教科文组织政府间海洋学委员会也参与了“蓝碳倡议”这一全球重大项目，该项目是与国际保护组织和国际自然保护联盟合作开展的。通过养护、保护、恢复和可持续利用沿海和海洋生态系统，尤其是红树林、沿海沼泽以及海草，该项目旨在应对气候变化的影响。

This International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem is an invitation to renew our efforts to support the preservation of an ecosystem that is vital for our planet and its inhabitants. The commitment of Ecuador, whose initiative the International Day was, and which is doing outstanding work in the Archipielago de Colon – (Galapagos) Biosphere Reserve, should be a source of inspiration.

值此保护红树林生态系统国际日，我们应作出新的努力，进一步保护对于我们地球及其居民至关重要的生态系统。作为该国际日的发起者，厄瓜多尔在科隆群岛（加拉帕戈斯群岛）的生物圈保护区开展了出色的工作，这应该对我们有所启迪。