World Wetlands Day, celebrated on February 2, is a global awareness campaign that spotlights the critical importance of these richly biodiverse and productive ecosystems. It reminds us that healthy wetlands are essential for our universal wellbeing and long-term survival.
This year’s campaign centers on the theme “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future.” It underscores the urgency of bold action to protect these natural habitats for the welfare of all people – and so future generations can continue to benefit from all that wetlands provide.
Life thrives in wetlands, and human life depends on them. Wetlands provide the home or breeding ground of many endangered and threatened species. And a multitude of endemic plants and animals can only survive in certain wetland locations. Wetlands link mountains to oceans, span national borders, connect different habitats and facilitate the movement of species. They’re vital for maintaining genetic diversity and healthy populations. In fact, wetlands support 40% of all known plant and animal species, including many endangered, threatened and endemic species that can only survive in certain wetland habitats – and nowhere else.
Beyond the clean water and food that wetlands provide, they help protect against natural disasters by mitigating the impact of storm surges, floods and droughts. By absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their soil and biomass, wetlands make the planet more resilient to climate change.
Economically, people depend on wetlands for livelihoods in agriculture, tourism and recreation. About 1 in 8 people make their livelihoods from wetlands in ways that also deliver food, water supplies, transport and leisure. Empowering people to make a decent living while ensuring that wetlands will always provide drinkable water, biodiversity, food and their many other benefits don’t have to be conflicting goals. These ecosystems are tied to long-standing cultural practices that enable human societies to use nature in a sustainable way so they can thrive.
Despite all of this, wetlands remain among the most threatened ecosystems.
Source:http://worldwetlandsday.org
