World Wetlands Day

Did everybody in TUNZA Eco-generation know that Feburary 2nd, just 3 days ago from today, was World Wetlands Day? Well, World Wetlands Day is an annual event that commemorates the date of signing the Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar Convention(you probably would have heard about it as the latter), which was Feburary 2nd, 1971. The day itself was legislated in 1997, and since then, government agencies, NGOs, and citizen groups at all levels of the community have celebrated World Wetlands Day by taking advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general, and promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

If so, what is a wetland, and why is it important?

Well, wetlands are land or areas consisting of marshes or swamps that are covered often intermittently with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture, according to the English dictionary. But it can be called as another single, small ecosystem where production and consumption meet equilibrium by breeding a variety of organisms that come and go through the flow and stagnation of water. Thus it provides shelter and habitat to numerous environmental species including migratory wading birds, so wetlands are also called sometimes as 'the supermarket of organisms' as a nickname. And these organisms play a huge role on the environment they purify contaminated streams and brooks, prevent floods, draught, and greenhouse effects from occurring, and try to stabilize climate change. Therefore not only wetlands have biological, ecological, and environmental benefits, but they are also significant in economical aspects. It can also be beneficial to humans as well, since it can be used as an excellent venue for in-depth studies and tourist spots.

However, the problem is that major wetlands around the globe are facing the danger of exterminated due to the theory that economic development must be prioritized. Government officials are replacing wetlands with apartments, cities, and extensive factory complexes since they neglect the environmental and unseen economical signicance of wetlands.

2013 is the UN International Year for Water Cooperation, and Ramsar has also chosen its slogan as "Wetlands Take Care of Water". It is the ideal opportunity for us, Ramsar, and people all over the world to look at the connection between water and wetlands and strive for its preservation.