Today, like every February 2, is World Wetlands Day, an initiative that seeks to raise awareness about the vital importance of these ecosystems for human life.

Wetlands are one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, areas where water connects with the land, which are saturated seasonally or permanently. Wetlands are a vast store of water and recharge the aquifers; although they only cover 6% of the earth's surface, they provide a habitat for at least 40% of all animal and plant species.

Wetlands are a natural solution to climate change, as they supply and purify fresh water, and absorb up to 30% of CO₂ in the atmosphere, twice as much as all the world's forests combined. They also produce food, and encourage tourism and recreation.  

"Revive and restore degraded wetlands” is the motto proposed by the UN for 2023, to highlight the vital role these areas play, as despite their importance for human life, in the last 50 years over 35% of the world's wetlands has been lost.

Human activities that lead to the loss of wetlands include drainage and filling for agriculture and construction, pollution, overfishing and overexploitation of resources, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change.

At Techint E&C, we are committed to caring for the environment. For example, in our Quellaveco project in southern Peru, the company has developed a management program to minimize the impact of the project, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 which refers to life in terrestrial ecosystems. This consists of the construction of an 87-km-long pipeline crossing high mountains, steep slopes and 27 bofedales, unique wetland ecosystems.

In order to preserve the natural conditions of the area crossed by the pipeline, the company carried out a study prior to the construction and development of the engineering required to lay the pipeline. The study modeled different water course diversion works (temporary drainage pipes for surface and groundwater) to find the best solution. Today, there are controls and monitoring processes in place to prevent sediment accumulation, as well as any other potential impact on the structure of the wetlands, their water quality and quantity.