World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2nd to increase awareness about the crucial role wetlands play for people and the planet. This day commemorates the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which took place on February 2, 1971, in the city of Ramsar, Iran.
What are Wetlands?
- Wetlands are regions of land that experience regular or occasional flooding by water.
- They are recognized for their extraordinary variety of plant and animal life, thriving in the distinct conditions formed by the submerged environment. This fosters the growth of special flora and fauna adapted to low-oxygen conditions.
- These ecosystems are essential habitats for diverse species, vital in maintaining natural cycles.
- Moreover, wetlands act as vital sources of freshwater for numerous communities. They function as natural filters, purifying the region’s waste, and contributing to regulating the water supply.
How are wetlands formed?
- Wetlands are present on every continent except Antarctica and are shaped by various natural mechanisms. Some wetlands take shape swiftly, while others require thousands of years to develop. The creation of wetlands is influenced by processes such as:
- Human activities like constructing highways, dams, and irrigation projects also contribute to the formation of wetlands.
- The retreat or melting of glaciers.
- Periodic flooding of river floodplains.
- Depressions are formed by wind action, many of which evolve into wetlands.
- The influence of waterfalls, currents, and wave action, plays a role in forming and sustaining wetlands.
- Coastal lowlands are being flooded due to rising sea levels.
Classification of Wetlands
- Wetlands are primarily classified based on the prevailing vegetation or water source, including:
- Floodplains: Wetlands arising from excess water overflow from rivers or lakes.
- Swamps: Wetlands characterized by woody vegetation like shrubs and trees.
- Tidal Wetlands: Wetlands shaped by oceanic tides.
- Estuaries: Wetlands formed by the convergence of tides and river waters.
- Marshes: Wetlands dominated by emergent vegetation such as reeds, cattails, and sedges.
- Vernal ponds and bogs: Wetlands resulting from rainfall or melted water.
- Springs: Wetlands emerging from the discharge of groundwater onto the surface.
World Wetlands Day Date
- Every year on February 2nd, World Wetlands Day is celebrated to highlight the significance of wetlands and raise awareness about the need for their preservation.
- This special day marks the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971, which has been observed annually.
- In 2022, World Wetlands Day is increasingly important as it is now recognized as an official United Nations International Day.
World Wetlands Day History
- The Convention on Wetlands was established as an international treaty on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran.
- In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated February 2 as World Wetlands Day through resolution 75/317.
- Despite the treaty being in effect since 1971, efforts to raise public awareness for World Wetlands Day commenced in 1997. The Convention on Wetlands Secretariat began providing educational materials such as fact sheets, documents, posters, and logos.
- Since 2015, an annual youth photo contest has been conducted from February to March to enhance awareness about wetlands and their preservation.
- The contest is open to participants aged 15 to 24, encouraging them to capture and submit images of wetlands during the contest period. The contest winner will be able to visit a wetland of their choice.
World Wetlands Day Significance
- Wetlands play a vital role in sustaining the ecosystem as they serve as a focal point of biodiversity, offering a habitat for diverse aquatic plants and animals, along with numerous bird species, including migratory birds.
- The degradation of wetlands can negatively impact the millions of people who depend on the wetland ecosystem, directly or indirectly. Observing World Wetlands Day contributes to increasing awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need for their conservation.
What are the major threats to Wetlands?
- Wetlands confront threats from human activities and natural disruptions, encompassing direct and indirect challenges.
- The primary risks to wetlands involve development, removal of vegetation, overgrazing, unsustainable water usage, mining, and nutrient pollution, which lead to elevated levels of dissolved nitrogen, water pollution, and drainage.
- These disturbances can lead to water scarcity, disrupt wildlife breeding grounds, upset nutrient filtration and sediment balance, and adversely affect endangered species.
World Wetland Day Theme 2024
- World Wetlands Day 2024 theme is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing.”
- Significance: Highlights the interconnectedness between wetlands and human life.
- Emphasis: People draw sustenance, inspiration, and resilience from these productive ecosystems.
Campaign Focus
- Interconnectedness: Underscores the integral role wetlands play in human wellbeing.
- Holistic Perspective: All aspects of human well-being are tied to the health of the world’s wetlands.
Call to Action
- Value and Stewardship: Encourages individuals to appreciate and care for wetlands.
- Every Wetland Matters: Recognizes the significance of each wetland in the global ecosystem.
- Every Effort Counts: Highlights the collective impact of individual and collective efforts.
Key Message
- Symbiotic Relationship: Portrays the mutual dependence between wetlands and human life.
- Environmental Guardianship: Urges people to be stewards of wetlands for the sake of collective wellbeing.
Campaign Slogan
- “Every Wetland Matters. Every Effort Counts. Value and Steward Our Wetlands.”
Why is World Wetlands Day Celebrated?
- World Wetlands Day is commemorated to enhance awareness regarding the crucial role of wetlands in environmental preservation and human well-being.
- Wetlands stand out as unique ecosystems offering a multitude of benefits, including water purification, flood control, carbon storage, and serving as habitats for a diverse array of plant and animal species.
Despite their significance, wetlands face threats from various human activities, including development, agriculture, and pollution.
- World Wetlands Day aims to amplify public understanding of the importance of wetlands and advocate for their conservation and protection, ensuring they endure for future generations.
Thursday is #WorldWetlandsDay. #DYK wetlands are:
— Wetlands International (@WetlandsInt) January 30, 2023
🦦 home to 40% of the world’s biodiversity
🐤 nurseries and breeding grounds for many species
🐢 places of shelter for 1/3rd of the world’s threatened species#GenerationRestoration #ForWetlands #WeNeedWetlands pic.twitter.com/KQ5kfBpn8e
World Wetlands Day Celebration in Indore, India
- Global Awareness and Action: World Wetlands Day is a global platform for raising awareness and encouraging collective action to safeguard wetlands.
- The interconnectedness of Wetlands and Human Life: The 2024 campaign emphasizes the close connection between wetlands and human existence, highlighting how people derive sustenance, inspiration, and resilience from these ecosystems.
- Integral Role in Human Wellbeing: The theme underscores that the health of the world’s wetlands is essential for various aspects of human well-being, calling on individuals to value and responsibly care for these critical ecosystems.
- World Wetlands Day Celebration in Indore: Indore, India, is set to host Dr Musonda Mumba, the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands, for the 2024 celebration.
- Indore’s Wetlands: Indore boasts two Wetlands of International Importance, Yashwant Sagar and Sirpur Wetland, playing crucial roles in irrigation, drinking water supply, and commercial aquaculture.
- Biodiversity Hotspots: Yashwant Sagar is designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), serving as a significant birdwatching site in the region. Sirpur Wetland, known as Pakshi Vihar (bird sanctuary), is a human-made wetland with near-natural characteristics.
- Diverse Wetland Landscapes in India: The celebration in Indore will focus on India’s diverse wetland landscapes, from serene backwaters to lush mangroves, showcasing these areas’ rich biodiversity and ecological importance.
- Call for Conservation: The message encourages unity in protecting wetlands globally, ensuring their conservation for the benefit of future generations.
Why Wetlands are Called Nature’s Kidney?
- Wetlands are often hailed as “Nature’s Kidneys” owing to their remarkable capacity to filter pollutants from water, safeguarding other ecosystems from contamination.
- They stand out as one of the planet’s most diverse biological ecosystems, earning the title of the “cradle of abundant animals and plants.”
- Functioning as the “kidneys of the landscape” or “earth’s Kidney,” natural wetlands absorb, transform, and filter contaminants from the land, preventing their passage into waterways. This protective role shields lakes, rivers, and other water sources from harm.
- Similar to biological kidneys, wetlands play a role in diluting and neutralizing harmful substances. This action helps prevent the proliferation of toxic algae, lowers water temperatures, and safeguards aquatic life.
Why are wetlands important?
- Wetlands are vital ecosystems, paralleling the world’s most productive environments like rainforests.
- They offer a multitude of benefits to the environment and human well-being, including water purification, groundwater replenishment, water storage for flood control, shoreline stabilization, storm protection, carbon fixation, decomposition, sequestration, nutrient and pollutant filtration, and serving as habitats for diverse plant and animal species.
Benefits of wetlands
- Wetlands play a vital role as providers of fresh water.
- They are crucial in the hydrologic cycle, actively receiving, storing, and releasing water, contributing significantly to the replenishment of both groundwater and surface water supplies.
- Additionally, wetlands aid in climate change mitigation by storing carbon and preserving plant biomass, preventing its release into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
- As rich biodiversity reservoirs, wetlands offer critical fish, plants, and animals habitats. Many species depend on wetlands for different stages of their life cycles.
- Wetlands also regulate water flow and prevent soil erosion, making them indispensable components of healthy and resilient ecosystems.
World Wetlands Day is coming up on Feb. 2! #DYK that 35% of the world’s #wetlands have disappeared in the last 50 years?
— UN Land and Drought (@UNCCD) January 25, 2023
It’s time to revive wetlands! Explore this #WorldWetlandsDay kit from @RamsarConv and help make a splash for #wetlands #UNited4Land
💦 https://t.co/MjfRomdDBm pic.twitter.com/dISwa1kLTX
World Wetland Day Quotes
▪ “Wetlands Biodiversity is calling to save their resources. Give yourself some moments to save the earth. “
▪ “The wetlands help to sustain life on this planet and so it is of utmost importance that we save the wetlands.”
▪ “Wetlands are nature’s gift to humanity and we must realize their importance before it’s too late.”
▪ “Stop Draining, the life of wetlands use wisely. It is the deepest biodiversity of our earth. “
▪ “If the wetlands were to vanish, many different species of plants and animals would get extinct.”
▪ “Rewet, Revive Forests, and Restore wetlands. It is the greatest opportunity for the sea life.”
“If the wetlands dry up or get filled with land for housing and buildings, the balance in the ecosystem will get shaken.”
▪” Strengthen to power the wetlands will revive the Human Strengthen.”
▪ ” The more knowledge you gain about wetlands, the better you will realize how important a role they play in our lives.”
World Wetlands Day Wishes
▪ “Here’s to the wetlands, the lungs of the earth, on World Wetlands Day.”
▪ “Here’s to the wetlands, the home of diverse wildlife!”
▪ “Sending love to all the wetlands and the creatures that call them home.”
▪ “World Wetlands Day is a reminder of the crucial role wetlands play in our planet’s health.”
▪ “Wishing for the preservation of our wetlands on World Wetlands Day!”
▪ “Honoring the role wetlands play in regulating our water cycle on World Wetlands Day.”
▪ “Happy World Wetlands Day! May we always protect these precious ecosystems?”
▪ “Let’s work together to conserve wetlands for future generations.”
▪ “Wishing for a world where wetlands are protected and cherished, Happy World Wetlands Day!”
▪ “May we always remember the importance of wetlands for biodiversity and human well-being.”
▪ “Let’s take action to restore and protect wetlands on this World Wetlands Day.”
▪ “Here’s to the wetlands, the source of life for countless species, on World Wetlands Day.”
▪ “Celebrating the beauty and importance of wetlands on World Wetlands Day!”
▪ “Wishing for a future where wetlands are protected and restored on this World Wetlands Day.”
▪ “Happy World Wetlands Day! Let’s work together to keep these precious ecosystems thriving.”
On #WorldWetlandsDay, let’s take a moment to appreciate the vital role #wetlands play in maintaining #biodiversity & protecting our planet 🌎
— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) January 31, 2023
Safeguarding & restoring our wetlands lies at the heart of solving our multiplanetary crises
➡️ https://t.co/HVcdIk2PiB
via @RamsarConv pic.twitter.com/Medpf032B2
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Q1. When was World Wetlands Day first celebrated?
Answer: February 2, 1971
- Q2. What is the theme of World Wetlands Day 2024?
Answer: The theme for 2024 is: “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”
- Q3. Why is World Wetlands Day celebrated?
Answer: Every year on February 2nd, World Wetlands Day is celebrated to highlight the significance of wetlands and raise awareness about the need for their preservation.
- Q4. World Wetlands Day is observed every year on?
Answer: February 2
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