World Wetland Day Organized at Sultanpur Lake

• 03 Feb 2022

Why in News

• World Wetland Day (World Wetland Day) was organized on 2 February 2022 at Sultanpur National Bird Park, Gurugram, Haryana. On this occasion, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav declared 'Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary' in Uttar Pradesh and 'Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary' in Gujarat as Ramsar sites.

Key Points

• With the inclusion of these two sanctuaries in the Ramsar site, the total number of protected wetlands in the country has increased to 49. Now the number of Ramsar sites in India has become the largest among the countries of South Asia.
• It is to be noted that in May 2021, Sultanpur National Bird Park in Gurugram and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar were declared as Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance).
• Sultanpur National Park is spread over an area of 350 acres in Sultanpur village on the Gurugram-Jhajjar highway. Sultanpur National Park was notified as a wildlife sanctuary on April 2, 1971. It got the status of a national park on July 5, 1991.
• A series of webinars related to various aspects of wetlands are being organized on the occasion of Wetlands Day celebrations. In Haryana, an exercise on the number of birds is also going on in different parts of the state.
• On this occasion the National Wetlands Decadal Change Atlas on Wetlands of India (in physical form) prepared by Space Application Center (SAC), Ahmedabad was also released, which throws light on the changes in wetlands over the last decade.
• It is noteworthy that the Ramsar Treaty is an international treaty for the conservation and efficient use of wetlands, which was signed on February 2, 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran.
• World Wetlands Day is celebrated all over the world on 2 February every year to mark the date of implementation of the Treaty on Wetlands. It is celebrated to raise global awareness about the important role of wetlands for people and the planet.
• The theme of this year's World Wetlands Day is 'The Role of Wetlands for People and Nature', which highlights the importance of work to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for the health of humans and the planet.
• It is noteworthy that wetlands are ecologically diverse ecosystems, which shelter 40 percent of the biodiversity. These absorb water, control floods, purify water and recharge the water table. They store about 1/3 of the global carbon and control climate change. However, if they are not protected, they can also be a source of carbon emissions.