First Person: Tears of joy as Argentinian city children encounter nature for first time

Ana Di Pangracio works for the civil society organization Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales or FARN which is involved in projects to restore degraded land in Argentina.

She spoke to UN News in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she was attending a UN conference (COP16) focused on desertification, drought and land restoration.

“We work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin which is a polluted area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, which is home to around 4.5 million people, many of whom are living in socio-environmental vulnerable situations or other difficult circumstances.

Restoration activities include planting native flora and removing non-native invasive species across some 4.5 hectares, as well as building viewpoints and interpretative trails and cleaning up illegal garbage disposal.

Part of our work is bringing people, especially young people, to experience this restored natural wetland.

Many live close by in very urban, built-up areas and may come from challenging or violent environments but have never seen this land or had not even known of its existence.

Emotions and tears

Some are moved to tears when they experience nature for the first time in their lives.

We comfort them and tell them it is OK to be emotional; I’m really pleased that they are able to connect with nature in this way, as I can see that our work is having a big impact.

Some are moved to tears when they experience nature for the first time in their lives.

They tell their friends and teachers about the experience as well and so we get more visitors.

There is an educational element to our work as we teach the children about the importance of protecting wetlands but also the adjacent grasslands and native forest.

I am a birdwatching lawyer, and although I am no expert, I enjoy showing our visitors my favourite bird, the carancho, which is a very clever and funny bird which you can see across Argentina, including in urban areas. It is my way to connect with nature.

The recognition that the right to a healthy environment is a human right underpins all of our work.

There is a lot of land loss in Argentina, including areas which have become degraded by drought. In 2020, we experienced a three-year-long drought, the worst in over 60 years. This had serious social and environmental impacts.

UN desertification conference

It’s important to come to this conference of the UN Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD) as it gives us the opportunity to engage with civil society constituencies and to consider the interface 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 the pressure from CSOs which led to the inclusion of human rights and gender-focused elements in the Biodiversity Convention and its recently adopted Global Biodiversity Framework.

In the UNCCD, the issue of land tenure, reflected in COP decisions, was also promoted by CSOs.

The UNCCD process, and this COP16 is no exception, does facilitate inclusivity, as CSOs are able to access the plenary meetings and deliver statements so we are being listened to.

CSOs are not yet allowed in contact group meetings at the UNCCD, but we hope one day we will. We are mindful that CSOs in other international fora like the UN climate COPs do not have the same level of access.

We have received a grant from the G20 Global Land Initiative and are presenting our work at the meeting in Riyadh. This support will enable us to carry on our work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin.

I’m excited to give more young people the opportunity to enjoy nature and for them to become the new guardians of wetlands and take the message back to their peers about the importance of preserving ecosystems for future generations.”