World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 all over the world. 2022 marks 51 years of the Convention on Wetlands. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2022 is ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’. The day aims to raise awareness about the crucial role played by wetlands for people and our planet.
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Why it is celebrated annually on the 2nd of February?
The day is celebrated to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997.
Defining Wetlands:
Wetlands are a habitat for a dense variety of plant and animal species and also rich with the biodiversity which is declining according to the researcher’s estimates. These are the land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either perennially or seasonally.
Types of wetlands:
- Coastal wetlands: mangroves, estuaries, saltwater marshes, lagoons etc.
- Inland wetlands: marshes, fens, lakes, swamps, rivers, floodplains and ponds.
- Human-made wetlands: Fish ponds, saltpans, and rice paddies.