First person: Tears of joy as children in the city of Argentina come into contact with nature for the first time
Ana Di Pangracio works for the civil society organization Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales or FARN, which participates in projects to restore degraded land in Argentina.
She talked to UN News in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she is attending a United Nations conference (COP16) focuses on desertification, drought and land restoration.
Ana Di Pangracio attends the COP16 desertification conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“We work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin, a contaminated area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires that is home to about 4.5 million people, many of whom live in financially vulnerable situations. social environment or other difficult circumstances.
Restoration activities include planting native plants and removing invasive alien species on an area of approximately 4.5 hectares, as well as constructing observation points and interpretive trails and cleaning up Illegal waste disposal.
Part of our work is to bring people, especially young people, to experience this restored natural wetland.
Many people live nearby in urban, densely populated areas and may come from challenging or violent environments but have never seen this land or even known of its existence. It.
Emotions and tears
Some people were moved to tears when experiencing nature for the first time in their lives.
We comfort them and tell them that it is normal to express emotions; I’m really pleased that they can connect with nature in this way, because I can see that our work is having a big impact.
Some people were moved to tears when they experienced nature for the first time in their lives.
They also tell their friends and teachers about the experience and so we attract more visitors.
Our work has an educational element as we teach children about the importance of protecting wetlands and neighboring native grasslands and forests.
I’m a birdwatching attorney and although I’m no expert, I enjoy showing visitors my favorite species of bird, the caranchoa very intelligent and funny bird that you can see all over Argentina, including in urban areas. It’s my way to connect with nature.
The recognition that the right to a healthy environment is a human right underpins all of our work.
An ibis and ducks graze in a wetland near Buenos Aires.
Argentina lost a lot of land, including areas degraded by drought. In 2020, we experienced a three-year drought, the worst in more than 60 years. This has caused serious impacts on society and the environment.
United Nations Desertification Conference
It is important to attend this conference of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) because it gives us the opportunity to engage with civil society constituencies and consider the nexus between national and global policy on a range of issues including land restoration and biodiversity.
If you believe in multilateralism, it is important to be here and civil society organizations (CSOs) can make a difference.
It was pressure from CSOs that led to the inclusion of human rights and gender-focused elements in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the recently adopted Global Biodiversity Framework.
In UNCCD, the issue of land ownership, reflected in COP decisions, is also promoted by CSOs.
A carancho sits on a sign in a wetland in Buenos Aires province.
This UNCCD and COP16 process is no exception, facilitating inclusivity, as CSOs can access plenary meetings and make statements for us to be heard.
We note that CSOs in other international fora such as the UN climate COP do not have the same level of access.
We have received funding from the G20 Global Land Initiative and are presenting our work at the meeting in Riyadh. This support will allow us to continue our work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin.
I am excited to give more young people the opportunity to enjoy nature and for them to become the new guardians of wetlands and pass on the message to their peers about the importance of preserving ecosystems for future generations.”
