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World Wetlands Day – Sunday 2nd February

World Wetlands Day occurs annually on February 2nd, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2nd, 1971. It was established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, and was celebrated for the first time in 1997.

Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community, have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits.

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is Wetland Biodiversity: Why it matters.

Wetlands are a vital component of the water cycle. The complex interaction of their elements – water, soil, plants and animals fulfill many important functions and provide important ecological services. Wetlands are providers and users of water. They maintain their structure and functions, and they provide water for us and other animals and plants.

Events in Ireland

You can find a list of events in Ireland for World Wetlands Day on the Irish Wetlands website: http://irishwetlands.ie/wwd-2020-events/

Wetland biodiversity matters for life to thrive.

Learn more:

www.irishwetlands.ie

Some of Wexford’s wonderful wetlands – Raven Point, Curracloe.

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.