Why is World Wetlands Day celebrated?

The day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Since the 1700s, about 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded, and we are reducing them three times faster than forests. Wetlands are being lost. Nevertheless, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies, and much more.

Wetlands :-

A wetland is land that contains water either permanently or seasonally. Thus it becomes a different type of ecology.
These include flood plains, marshes, fish ponds, tidal marshes and man-made wetlands.
Due to the highest productivity in wetlands, their socio-economic and ecological importance is immense.
Wetlands are important for the existence of natural biodiversity. It provides suitable habitat for endangered and rare species of birds and animals, native plants and insects.
What do wetlands?
– It cleans and stores water.
– Help control the climate.
– It gives us food.
– Support our global economy.
– It provides habitat for wildlife.
– It gives us security.

Effects of Wetland Loss
Climate change is already depleting surface water and groundwater in arid regions, resulting in increased competition for water.
Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been lost since the 18th century, disappearing three times faster than the rest of the forests.

25% of all wetland species and 1 in every 3 freshwater species are facing extinction.
Our increasing water consumption means less water available for nature. The loss and pollution of wetlands has further aggravated the water crisis, posing a threat to all living organisms.

efforts to conserve wetlands
In 1971, a high-level intergovernmental multilateral conference was held at the Ramsar site (located in Iran on the shores of the Caspian Sea) as part of a global effort to conserve wetlands. It sets out a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and rational use of wetlands and their resources.

This convention was organized on 2 February 1971, on this occasion Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. This agreement came into force in 1975. There are 171 parties to this agreement. India joined this agreement in 1982.

✅ #Updated_list_of_Ramsar_sites_in_India
✅ Now, there are 75 Ramsar wetlands in India.
✅ With 14 Ramsar wetlands, Tamil Nadu tops the list.#RamsarSite #ramsarwetland #Wetlands pic.twitter.com/iJSZReXll9

— Gkbooks (@Gkbooks3) August 14, 2022

Wetland Conservation Program in India:-
India has added 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make it a total of 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13,26,677 hectares in the country in its 75th year of independence.