International Days and Observations
World Wetlands Day
2 February
2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
February 2 was designated as WWD in order to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general, and the Ramsar Convention in particular.
2023
The 2023 theme focusses on
"Revive and restore degraded wetlands"
More than 35% of natural wetlands have been lost in the last 50 years. Our choices, our voices and our actions can trigger a restoration trend.
Between 300 million and 400 million people live close to and depend on wetlands.
Wetlands support the cultivation of rice, provide flood control, clean water, shoreline and storm protection, materials, medicines, and vital habitat.
Today, there are more than 2,400 wetlands, covering 630,000,000 acres, designated as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Wetlands play important roles in nature conservation through water purification, flood protection, shoreline stabilization, groundwater recharge and stream flow maintenance. They also function as habitat for a number of animals and plants.
Did you know? Wetlands can store up to fifty times more carbon compared to rain forests.
Wetlands are being degraded as they are being drained, destroyed and replaced with agricultural fields, commercial and residential urban developments.
