World Wetlands Day

Suggestions for Activities in Celebration of World Wetlands Day

This is a Web-reprint of the brochure that the Bureau has been distributing in preparation for World Wetlands Day 1998. There are also versions in Français and Español.

Suggestions for Activities in Celebration of World Wetlands Day

At National Level

Use celebrations of World Wetlands Day, 2 February, to:

Launch a national wetlands policy or initiative.

Designate a new Ramsar site.

Announce funding for wetlands research, particularly in wise use, restoration, etc.

Announce a scholarship programme for future wetland scientists.

Inaugurate training programmes for wetland managers.

Announce a training scheme for teachers to help them promote wise use.

Announce the results of National Wetlands Awards for best initiatives in promoting wetlands or special service by individuals or groups.

Inaugurate a nationwide "Adopt-a-Wetland" programme to encourage local groups to become involved.

Arrange for the issue of a special commemorative postal stamp with a wetlands theme.

Issue a press release on WWD and the importance of wetland values.

Hold a press conference and/or radio/television interviews on Ramsar and wetland issues with a well-known government official or knowledgeable media personality.

Arrange for the public broadcast of the Ramsar Wise Use video translated into the appropriate language.

Add a line about WWD to your outgoing e-mails and announce it on your Web site.

Invite members of the national or state congress or parliament to a briefing on economic or legislative issues involving wetlands.

Produce and distribute a brochure on "Our National Wetland Heritage".

Post signs at all your Ramsar sites, in line with the text suggested by the Standing Committee, describing their Ramsar significance.

At local level

Celebrate World Wetlands Day at Ramsar sites and other wetlands, especially those with wetland centres, with locally-planned activities.

Enlist political and media celebrities to assist in commemorating WWD.

Offer guided visits through wetlands where possible, emphasizing wetland values and benefits for local communities.

Issue press releases, write letters to local newspapers, hold press conferences at wetland centres, and distribute media packs.

Invite local teachers to bring school groups to wetland centres, provide explanatory materials, and suggest activities.

Encourage school groups to "adopt" a local wetland and invent ways to assist in its conservation.

Host seminars and workshops on wetland issues; recruit experts from universities, NGOs, and other agencies as well.

Design a wetland quiz for your local newspaper (and send a copy to the Bureau for reprinting).

Promote literature involving wetlands, in cooperation with local libraries.

Organize an Open House day in or near a wetland visitors’ center, outdoors if possible, featuring displays, demonstrations, local crafts and foods, and try some of the following:

• Organize a "scientific" study for the public, surveying water quality, fauna and flora, etc.
• Organize a community litter hunt, a birdwatching outing, a camping expedition for children, a treasure hunt with educational objects and prizes.
• Organize boat races, fishing contests, running races, and other competitive games.
• Sponsor artistic competitions – drawing and painting; photography; essay, fiction, and poetry writing, T-shirt painting – especially with well-known judges.
• Arrange an exhibition of photographs of local wetlands in all seasons or showing the wetlands at various stages of times past.
• Organize demonstrations of traditional crafts and cooking, especially with wetland associations and materials.

The date of 2 February is the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. Though it may not be the optimum day for festivities in all parts of the world, its symbolic significance will add weight to your activities.

Remember to inform the Ramsar Bureau of your planned activities. We will publicize as many of them as possible in various Ramsar media.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). The brochure was first set up in summer 1997 as a 3-ply A4 using Microsoft Publisher 97, and the text was posted here on 28 November 1997, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.