Background:

World Wetlands Day occurs annually on February 2nd, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971.

Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community, have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits. Some of these benefits include: biologically diverse ecosystems that provide habitat for many species, serve as buffers on the coast against storms and flooding, and naturally filter water by breaking down or transforming harmful pollutants.

Theme for 2019:

Each year a theme is selected to focus attention and help raise public awareness about the value of wetlands. Countries organize a variety of events to raise awareness such as; lectures, seminars, nature walks, children’s art contests, sampan races, community clean-up days, radio and television interviews, letters to newspapers, to the launch of new wetland policies, new Ramsar Sites and new programs at the national level.

The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands approved the themes for World Wetlands Day as follows:

-          Wetlands and Climate Change, theme for 2019

-          Wetlands and Biodiversity, theme for 2020

-          Wetlands and Water, theme for 2021

“Wetlands and climate change”, the theme for WWD 2019, aims to highlight the important role played by wetlands, as natural solutions, in adapting to, and mitigating the impact of climate change.

Nowadays, the economy, human health and natural ecosystems are facing one of the most pressing problems: climate change. Wetland ecosystems are severely affected by such impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, coral bleaching, hydrological effects, changes in water temperature, and alterations in water availability and quality

Wetlands can be vulnerable to climate change, being impacted by changes in temperature, rainfall, sea level rise and extreme events. Wetlands can also play an important role in our approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation, through capturing and storing carbon to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases, and providing resilience to hazards such as flooding, storm surge and sea level rise.

Save Wetlands, Save Water!! 😊 😊

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