It’s time for wetlands restoration
On February 2, 2023 World Wetland Day was celebrated at all the Ramsar sites across the country. The World Wetlands Day is observed annually to commemorate the signing of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971, to highlight the degrading health of our wetlands and the urgent need for their restoration. The theme this year was ‘It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration’. Wetlands are land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally. They are vital ecosystems providing habitat to 40% of the world’s species including some of the most endangered species. They also help in water purification, flood control and provide livelihood opportunity to local communities. However, between 1970 and 2015 around 35% of the world’s wetlands were lost. In fact, they are disappearing three times faster than forests.