The World Wetlands Day will be celebrated on February 2 (today) to raise public awareness about the values and benefits of wetlands. This year, World Wetlands Day celebrations will focus on the theme ‘Wetland and Tourism’, with a slogan ‘Wetland Tourism: A Great Experience’, which has been designed to create awareness about the role tourism plays in our environment.
Wetland tourism has both local and national benefits for people and wildlife, such as stronger economies, sustainable livelihoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems. Wetlands also provide water and food and other services such as water purification, erosion and control to benefit tourists and their accommodation.
Wetlands are habitats that fall on the environmental spectrum between the land and water. They sustain both terrestrial and aquatic life and possess a unique mixture of species. Therefore, the wetlands are among the earth’s most diverse habitats. Wetland soils, also known as hydric soils, are shaped by water. These soils are saturated or submerged throughout the year. The hydric soils vary depending on the composition of soil and water in the area and therefore, wetlands vary greatly throughout the world.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan Wetlands Programme has been a trend-setter in developing a firm base for mainstreaming the values of wetlands across Pakistan. The programme, being implemented by the WWF Pakistan, would announce the celebration of one of its mega events that is held each year on February 2, to mark the date of adoption of the International Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran in 1971.
