World Wetlands Day 2022: World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2 to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands and the need to preserve them. The day commemorates the date when the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971. The World Wetlands Day 2022 is significant as this is the first time that the day will be observed as a United Nationals International Day.
World Wetlands Day 2022 theme is "Wetlands Action for People and Nature". The theme aims to highlight the importance of actions that ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably used.
World Wetlands Day 2022 Focus
The World Wetlands Day 2022 focus is on taking action for wetlands. The day calls for more human, financial and political capital investment to preserve the world’s wetlands and save them from disappearing and restore those that have been degraded.
World Wetlands Day 2022 Slogans
Wetlands not a Wasteland
Stop draining the life from wetlands, use wisely
Rewet, reforest, restore Wetlands
World Wetlands Day 2022 Hashtag: #ActForWetlands
Wednesday is #WorldWetlandsDay.
— United Nations (@UN) February 2, 2022
Did you know wetlands store more carbon than any other ecosystem? Yet they are one of 🌍's most threatened habitats.
We must increase our efforts to protect & restore these unsung heroes of the climate crisis. https://t.co/Tee3fM9RL2 via @UNEP
What are wetlands?
Wetlands are land flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are considered to be among the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, as the flooding results in the prevailing of oxygen-free process and create an ideal condition for the growth of highlight adapted plants and species. They are home to a wide range of plant and animal species and play a critical role in maintaining natural cycles. The wetlands are primary source of freshwater for many, as they purify and filter the waste from the region and regulate the water supply.
How are wetlands formed?
Wetlands are formed naturally on every continent, except for Antarctica. While some wetlands are formed quickly, others take thousands of years to develop. Some of the natural processes that help form wetlands include:
-Flooding of coastal lowlands from rising sea levels
-Periodic flooding of river floodplains
-Receding glaciers or glacier melting
-Wind action form depressions, many of which become wetlands
-Waterfalls, currents and wave action also form and sustain wetlands
-Manmade processes like highway or dam construction and irrigation projects also create wetlands
Classification of wetlands
The wetlands are classified mainly on the basis of the dominant plants or the source of the water like given below:
Marshes: Wetlands dominated by emergent vegetation such as reeds, cattails and sedges.
Swamps: Wetlands dominated by woody vegetation such as shrubs and trees.
Tidal Wetlands: The wetlands formed due to oceanic tides.
Estuaries- The wetlands formed from tides and river waters.
Floodplains: The wetlands formed from excess water from overflowed rivers or lakes.
Springs: The wetlands formed from the discharge of groundwater on the surface.
Vernal ponds, bogs: The wetlands formed from rainfall or melted water.
Why are wetlands important?
Wetlands are important as they are among the most productive ecosystems in the world like the rain forests. The wetlands have numerous benefits such as water purification, groundwater replenishment, water storage and flood control, stabilization of shorelines and storm protection, processing of carbon fixation, decomposition and sequestration and comprise other nutrients and pollutants and are home to various plant and animal species.
Benefits of wetlands
-Wetlands are primary sources of freshwater.
-Wetlands minimise the impact of climate change, as they store carbon and preserve plant biomass instead of releasing
it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas affecting global climates.
-Wetlands are reservoirs of biodiversity, a primary habitat for fish, plants and many animals.
-Many animals need wetlands for at least part or all of their life cycles.
-Wetlands also play a crucial role in the hydrologic cycle, as they receive, store, and release water in various ways, replenishing both ground and surface water supply.
Where are wetlands located?
The world's largest wetlands include the Amazon River basin, West Siberian Plain, Sundarbans in Ganges-Bramhaputra Delta in India and Pantanal in South America.
What are the major threats to wetlands?
Wetlands can be threatened by various human and natural disturbances that either direct or indirect. Some of the major threats to wetland include development, vegetation removal, over-grazing, unsustainable use of water, mining, nutrient pollution that drastically effects the dissolved nitrogen , water pollution and drainage.
The disturbance to wetlands can lead to water scarcity, disruption of wildlife breeding grounds, imbalance in nutrient filtration and sediment load and can also impact endangered species.
When was World Wetlands Day first celebrated?
World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997. The day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the Caspian Sea shore on February 2, 1971.
World Wetlands Day History
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to mark World Wetlands Day on February 2nd every year.
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