World Wetlands Day

Tuesday, Feb. 2 is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the 1971 adoption of the United Nations’ intergovernmental Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Every year on Feb. 2, people around the world raise awareness about the importance of wetlands and take action in their own communities to protect these special areas.

A wetland is any area that holds water – either temporarily or permanently. They may more commonly be known as sloughs, swamps, ponds or marshes.

We here at LWF love wetlands: for their biodiversity, for their ability to mitigate the effects of flooding and...

On Feb. 2, 1971, an intergovernmental treaty called the Ramsar Convention was adopted. Named for the Iranian city in which its adoption occurred, the convention came into force in 1975 to provide a framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. (You can learn more about the Ramsar Convention here.)

Today, almost 90 per cent of UN member states – including Canada – are considered “contracting parties.” Contracting parties implement the Ramsar Convention and collaborate on shared projects. More than 2,000 wetlands across the globe (37 in Canada) are currently...