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Thursday, 2 February 2017

World Wetlands Day


World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2017 is Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction. This theme was chosen to highlight the vital role of wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities, and in helping to build resilience.

World Wetlands Day is also an opportunity to enjoy the wildlife value provided by wetlands such as those as Musselburgh, near Edinburgh. The photo above shows The Firth of Forth at Musselburgh with the tide in. When the tide is out this is a place where hundreds of waders gather. The Lagoons at Musselburgh, slightly inland from the Firth of Forth, are vital places for waders too. These are ponds made where formerly ash from a nearby power station was buried. Now that the power station has closed down the remaining active ash lagoons are set to be converted to more lagoons for waders.

8 comments:

  1. Hello, the wetlands are important habitat. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  2. World Wetlands Day

    __ On this coast, though many of the cranberry farms remain, several have closed due to competitive costs. Now, we see those abandoned "cranberry bogs" in a different light... the "bogs" are being 'farmed' by nature, and in their water bearing design, the "bogs" add cushioned protection to/for the water flow. In that storage of water, they remain a boon to wild life.

    left wealth
    as abandoned bogs strive
    wild turkeys

    _m

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  3. Wetlands are important, it must be a lovely sight to see the waders.

    All the best Jan

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  4. such an important cause.

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  5. I was out walking in the wetland, too!

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  6. I must have heard about World Wetlands Day a hundred times, yet I never remember it. Kushiro Shitsugen National Park in Hokkaido (where I live) is Japan's largest wetland and famous as a breeding ground for the tancho (red-crested) crane. Have you heard of it? It's awesomely beautiful, and has inspired much art including my own humble etegami. Even though I've never been there, it makes me sigh with happiness just to know that it exists.

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  7. It is so go great to see a country that cares. Wetlands are extremely important for wildlife and flood control.

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  8. Magyar - very interesting to hear about the cranberry bogs, thanks!

    Lowcarb - yes it's always lovely to see the waders

    Deb - I've not heard of that national park, but it must be lovely to see the cranes there

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