The World Wetlands Day is marked on February 2 by the Ramsar Secretariat with financial support
from Danone Group.This year the day was marked under the following theme
Theme: Wetlands and Biodiversity.
The World Wetland Day is being marked since 1997. February 2 was chosen as the Ramsar Convention was signed on this day in 1971.
Significance of the theme
The world wetlands are disappearing three times faster than that of the forests. Therefore, this year
theme focuses on promoting actions to reverse the losses.
Importance of Wetlands :
The day is important to create awareness about the importance of wetlands. The wetlands provide
habitat to several species, acts as a buffer zone against flooding and storms. Above all, wetlands act as natural filter of water. They break down harmful pollutants and transform them into pure elements.
RAMSAR Convention :
The Convention is named after the Ramsar city of Iran where it was signed. The convention works closely with 6 partners namely Birdlife International, WWF International, International Water Management Institute, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.