Message from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
教科文組織總干事奧德蕾·阿祖萊保護(hù)紅樹林生態(tài)系統(tǒng)國際日致辭
26 July 2023
2023年7月26日
Mangroves are a link between the land and the sea. Rooted in saline water and soils exposed to the tides, these plants form a rare and fragile universe; a haven of life that must be protected.
紅樹林是連接陸地和海洋的紐帶。這些植物在咸水和受潮汐侵蝕的土壤中扎根而生，形成一方稀有而脆弱的世界，一個(gè)必須加以保護(hù)的生命庇護(hù)所。
From their intertwining roots to the tips of their branches, mangroves are a complex habitat where many species come to feed and reproduce, and one of the most flourishing ecosystems in existence. These environments are also vital for humans, as they slow down coastal erosion and are a source of food for many.
根部盤虬交錯(cuò)，頂端枝條蔓生，紅樹林這種錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的棲息地吸引著許多物種前來覓食、繁衍生息，是現(xiàn)存最為豐富多彩的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)之一。這些環(huán)境對人類同樣至關(guān)重要，因?yàn)樗鼈兗饶軠p緩海岸侵蝕，也是許多人的食物來源。
This is probably why the Colombian poet Tomas Gonzalez made these trees the symbol of his poetry collection entitled Manglares (Mangroves), which calls for a return to the essential unity of nature: “So that the trees first emerge and then blur and merge with the air, the landscape behind, the mudflats; /(...) /so that the gannet plunges into the sea in an instant sprinkled with salt, sun, glare; / and so that the sea first gleams and then once again merges with the land”.
或許正因如此，哥倫比亞詩人托馬斯·岡薩雷斯（Tomás González）才在其詩集《紅樹林》（Manglares）中以這些樹木為意象，呼吁回歸自然的基本統(tǒng)一性：“樹木隱現(xiàn)，繼而淡出，融入天空、遠(yuǎn)景和泥灘/（……）/沙鷗猛扎入海，水花、陽光撒落，一片絢爛；/大海波光閃耀，復(fù)又與陸地融為一體?！?/p>
However, mangroves are in danger: it has been estimated that more than three quarters of mangroves in the world are now threatened and with them all the aquatic and terrestrial organisms that depend on them. This is why UNESCO has decided to act to protect them, along with other valuable blue carbon ecosystems, through its Geoparks, World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves.
然而，紅樹林正處于險(xiǎn)境之中。據(jù)估計(jì)，世界上超過四分之三的紅樹林如今面臨威脅，所有依賴紅樹林的水生和陸生有機(jī)體也因此岌岌可危。因此，教科文組織決定采取行動(dòng)，通過其地質(zhì)公園、世界遺產(chǎn)地和生物圈保護(hù)區(qū)，保護(hù)紅樹林以及其他寶貴的藍(lán)碳生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。
Yet time is running out. In the face of the climate emergency, we must go even further, for mangroves also serve as key carbon sinks that we cannot allow to disappear. This is why a UNESCO project is restoring mangroves in seven Latin American countries: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Peru. This project will not only bring economic opportunities to local communities, but it will also allow knowledge to be shared between local and indigenous populations and the scientific community.
然而，時(shí)間緊迫。面對氣候緊急情況，我們必須做出進(jìn)一步努力，因?yàn)榧t樹林也是重要的碳匯，我們不能讓它消失。為此，教科文組織正在哥倫比亞、古巴、厄瓜多爾、薩爾瓦多、墨西哥、巴拿馬和秘魯這七個(gè)拉丁美洲國家開展一個(gè)紅樹林恢復(fù)項(xiàng)目。該項(xiàng)目不僅將為當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)帶來經(jīng)濟(jì)機(jī)會(huì)，還將促進(jìn)當(dāng)?shù)睾屯林用衽c科學(xué)界之間的知識(shí)共享。
Beyond protection and restoration, we also need global awareness. This means educating and alerting the public, not only in schools, but wherever possible. This is the spirit of the exhibition that UNESCO designed jointly with the Mangrove Action Project and the National Science Museum of Thailand, which will open to the public at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, in September this year. This exhibition will then travel the world – because by raising awareness of the mysteries of mangroves, we will be able to preserve them sustainably.
除了保護(hù)和恢復(fù)，我們還需要廣泛提高認(rèn)識(shí)。這意味著需要在學(xué)校以及任何可能的地方開展教育和宣傳活動(dòng)。這正是教科文組織與紅樹林行動(dòng)項(xiàng)目和泰國國家科學(xué)博物館共同設(shè)計(jì)的展覽（該展覽將于今年9月在法國巴黎教科文組織總部揭幕，隨后在世界各地巡展）所秉持的精神。因?yàn)橹挥凶屓藗兏玫亓私饧t樹林的奧秘，我們才能可持續(xù)地保護(hù)紅樹林。
Herein lies the objective of this Day: for everyone in our societies to become aware of the value, the beauty, and the vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems and to commit themselves to their protection.
保護(hù)紅樹林生態(tài)系統(tǒng)國際日的目標(biāo)正在于此：讓我們社會(huì)中的所有行為者都意識(shí)到紅樹林生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的價(jià)值、美麗和脆弱性，并致力于保護(hù)它們。
