About World Wetlands Day

“World Wetlands Day” is celebrated globally on February 2 every year since 1997.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat was signed on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, and has since been known as the Ramsar Convention.

The main goal of the Ramsar Convention, as an intergovernmental treaty, is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.”

Wetlands include a wide range of habitats, including marshes, floodplains, rivers and lakes, coastal areas with salt marshes and mangroves, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and marine areas no more than six meters deep at low tide, as well as man-made sites, including wastewater treatment ponds and reservoirs.

Wetlands are of exceptional importance for people and nature, considering the enduring value of these ecosystems and the benefits and services derived from their existence, including their contribution to conservation, climate, ecology, society, economy, science, education, culture, recreation, and aesthetics in ensuring sustainable development and human well-being.

Currently, over 2,500 wetlands worldwide, with a total area of more than 2.5 million sq. km, are included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

In the Miory district, the republican landscape reserve “Yelnya” is designated as a Ramsar site.