World Wetlands Day 2007

The slogan for 2007 World
Wetlands Day is "Fish for
tomorrow", with an aim to
raise the awareness of
importance of wetlands and
fisheries

2 February each year is the World Wetlands Day (WWD). It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

Inland and coastal wetlands are important breeding grounds for many wetland species. Fish is the primary source of animal protein for over one billion people in the world. Inland aquaculture is an example of which human utilize the natural resources wetlands provided. They support large-scale fisheries, as well as small scale live-supporting fish farms. Wetlands play an important role on the ecosystem, species conservation, economic and community development, as well as cultural heritage. Unfortunately, consistent over-fishing has greatly threatened the sustainability of wetland fisheries. According to information of the Ramsar Secretariat, 75% of commercially important marine fisheries and most inland fisheries are over-fished to an unsustainable level.

Further information of Wetlands and Fisheries can be browsed on:
http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/wwd_index.htm