The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 1998 in Kenya

What is World Wetlands Day? At the 19th meeting of the Standing Committee, in late October 1996, World Wetlands Day was officially designated for 2 February of every year, the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971, as an opportunity for governments, organizations, and citizens to undertake big and small actions intended to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

This page is part of a series of reports on activities held on and about WWD '98 in various countries of the world, as reported to the Bureau.  If you should know of any other activities not mentioned on these pages, send us a note (ramsar@hq.iucn.org) and we'll add it to this list.

See also our earlier list of activities reported as planned for WWD '98, a repository of inspiring ideas in itself.

Kenya

WORLD WETLANDS DAY CELEBRATIONS -- ACTIVITY REPORT

Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauveney 28, CH-1196 Gland, SWITZERLAND

Fax: 41229990169, E-mail: ramsar@hq.iucn.org

World Wetlands Day (2nd February) has become an important event in the Kenyan calendar. This day has been marked in Nairobi with different themes and activities in 1996 and 1997.

In 1998, the theme of the World Wetlands Day in Kenya was "Conserving wetlands to ensure availability of clean water for all". A wide range of activities which expounded on that theme were carried out on Saturday 31st January 1998. The principal activities of the day in Nairobi were:

• Talks about the significance of World Wetlands Day in nationwide radio and television. ·
• Working with Nairobi City Council Staff to clean up public recreational ponds in the popular Uhuru (Independence) Park. ·
• March for wetlands, a 4 km procession with placards, song and dance from Uhuru Park to National Museums of Kenya. ·
• Keynote speeches and lectures focusing on wetland conservation as a strategy for water resources management. ·
• Awarding of prizes and certificates to individuals and community groups that have made a remarkable contribution to wetland conservation and public awareness in Kenya. ·
• Launching of essay, art and photographic competition whose winners will be awarded prizes in 1999 World Wetlands Day. ·
• Distribution of 1997 World Wetlands Day Activity Report.

The Kenya Wetland Working Group (KWWG) and the National Museums of Kenya organised the World Wetlands Day celebrations held at the National Museums of Kenya. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) the implementing agency of Ramsar Convention in Kenya provided press releases to both national and international print media in Nairobi. Small scale Wetlands Day activities were also carried out by KWS and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Saiwa Swamp National Park in western Kenya.

Dr. Nathan Gichuki
6 February, 1998

The Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@hq.iucn.org). Posted 11 February 1998,  Dwight Peck, Ramsar.