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World Wetlands Day 2010
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 World Wetlands Day 2010 Poster
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About the 2010 theme － Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change
The global theme of the Ramsar Convention's "World Wetlands Day 2010 (WWD 2010)" is "Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change", which is a theme to coincide with the UN designation 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. The slogan for WWD 2010 is:
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Caring for Wetlands - An Answer to Climate Change
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Climate change is one of the most discussed issues in the world, its effect includes global warming, glacial retreat, water level rise, uneven precipitation rates, etc. Facing this challenge, wetlands have helped a lot in alleviating the problem, even though wetlands only occupy 6 to 8% of the Earth's total surface area. It has been supported by a number of studies that wetlands can attenuate the impact of climate change through the following ways:
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- Marshes, floodplains and lakes can temporary store water and reduce peak flood flows in periods of extreme rainfall or glacier melt.
- Mangrove forest, delta ecosystems or coral reefs form natural buffers against storms or salt water intrusion.
- Wetlands store and release water slowly, it is particularly important during drought or insufficient rainfall.
- Wetlands provide nurseries for coastal fisheries. For humans, wetlands provide sources of fish, food and building materials, as well as keep floodplain farmlands fertile.
- Wetlands store carbon within plant communities and soil. They slow down carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, this help to moderate climate conditions.
In the other words, the lost of wetlands can increase the impact of climate change. It is time for us to take action together against climate change. Start caring for wetlands and response to climate change today!
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