Cobourg Peninsula - Australia's first Ramsar wetland. Photo - Elizabeth McCrudden
World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.
Since 1997, World Wetlands Day has been used to:
- raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits
- promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
Join in on the day. Attend a seminar or festival, help with a revegetation project or go on a bird walk.
Our 2021 edition of Wetlands Australia has a focus on engagement, education or research activities undertaken at our Ramsar sites or local wetlands. It shares the good work being done to value and protect wetlands.
2021 - the 50th Anniversary of the Ramsar Convention
Throughout 2021 we are celebrating 50 years of the Convention.
The 2021 theme is ‘Wetlands and Water’. This highlights the role wetlands play in:
- clean water
- water supply
- ecosystem resilience
- sustainable livelihoods and jobs
- biodiversity conservation
- storm protection
- carbon storage
- climate change adaptation
- health and well-being
- tourism and recreation
For further details:
History
Australia was one of the 5 founding nations to sign the Convention. We also designated the world’s first Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar wetland) under the Convention. This was the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, in 1974.
Australia continues to play an important role. We help manage and implement the Convention, internationally, in the Oceania and in Australia.
Australia has 66 Ramsar wetlands, covering every state and territory. They cover more than 8.3 million hectares.
Iconic Australian sites include:
- Kakadu National Park (NT)
- Roebuck Bay (WA)
- Gippsland Lakes (Vic)
- Moreton Bay (Qld)
- Blue Lake (NSW)
- Macquarie Marshes (NSW)
- Coorong (SA)
Worldwide, there are 170 Contracting Parties to the Convention and over 2,400 listed Ramsar wetlands.
Ramsar Secretariat resources
The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has developed a number of downloadable World Wetlands Day materials for 2021, including posters, a power point presentation, fact sheets and logos. These materials can be found on the Ramsar Convention Secretariat’s World Wetlands Day 2021 website. Groups and individuals are encouraged to adapt these materials for their own World Wetlands Day events and activities throughout the year.