02/02/2026
World Wetlands Day! - 2 February 🌿
World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on 2 February and marks the date for the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 Febrauary 1971. World Wetlands Day is celebrated in countries around the world to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands.
This year's theme for World Wetlands Day is ' Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cutural heritage".
What is a Wetland?
- According to worldwetlandsday.org, wetlands are "land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally."
The 3 categories of wetlands - Inland wetlands, Coastal wetlands and Human-made wetlands. Inland wetlands incudes lakes, rivers, swamps and marshes, while coastal wetlands include mangroves, estuaries and lagoons. Fish ponds and salt pans are examples of human-made wetlands.
Wetlands of any kind support a diveristy of plant and animal life. Many species of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and other invertebrates live in wetlands. The health of wetlands are critical for the survival of such wildlife.
The Emperor Valley Zoo is home to several types of animals which can be found in local wetlands. These include spectacled caimans, black-bellied whistling ducks, common gallaps, red-eared sliders, cascadura and scarlet ibises.
The video below features one of the iconic local wetlands - the Caroni Swamp, home to many many species of animals including the scarlet ibis..
