World Wetlands Day 2021: wetlands are the freshwater sources

Less than 1% of water on Earth is usable freshwater and much of it is stored in wetlands. This World Wetlands Day we celebrate how wetlands are essential for water and provide for life.

 

The world is facing a growing freshwater crisis that threatens people and our planet. This year’s World Wetlands Day shines a spotlight on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore them and stop their loss. Wetlands are the water systems in the landscape, capturing, storing and releasing water but they are increasingly being drained, dammed and developed over leading to their degradation. This in turn reduces available freshwater, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable and causing biodiversity to go into freefall. But by safeguarding and restoring the world’s wetlands, we can change this.

 

World Wetlands Day, celebrated each year on 2 February, raises global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. It marks the date of adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the only multilateral environmental agreement to date that focuses solely on the conservation and wise use of wetlands, of which Wetlands International plays an instrumental role. This year is the Convention’s 50th anniversary.

 

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