GYBN Communities celebrating the World Wetland Day 2018

We are very excited to share with you photos of GYBN members across the globe showcasing the wetlands they love on the this World Wetland Day.  The World Wetland Day is celebrated every year on 2nd February and this year’s theme is Urban wetlands: prized land, not wasteland.

As cities expand and demand land increases, the tendency is to encroach on wetlands. They are degraded, filled in and built upon, yet when left intact or restored, urban wetlands make cities livable (Check out the infographics below).  

See how young people are taking action to play their part in saving the wetlands!

Tuni-Condoriri Andean Mountain Range, Bolivia

  Why I care about this wetland? Although this is not an urban wetland, the water of the city of La Paz-Bolivia depends of this wetlands to help conserve and keep the glaciers of the Tuni-Condoriri system which is the main system of water distribution for one of the highest cities in the planet. Picture: Carmen Capriles/Reacción Climática

Lake Olbolosat, Kenya

Lake Olbolosat in Central Kenya.  The guest of honor for the event was Mr. Najib Balala, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism. Why I care about wetlands? They are home to biodiversity, which may not be on the endangered list, but as we encroach them, we risk losing those species. Social-economically, they are viable for tourism which employs a lot of local people through activities such as boat rowing for profit.

Macoun Marsh, Ottawa, CANADA

Macoun Marsh, Ottawa, CANADA Located in the southeast section of Beechwood Cemetery, the Macoun Marsh is a unique urban wetland named after John Macoun, a pioneering Canadian naturalist buried at Beechwood. To date, over 1,400 wildlife species have been recorded at Macoun Marsh. The magnetic attraction of the Marsh as a unique teaching tool started in earnest in 2004. Led by science teacher Michael Léveillé, students attending the St. Laurent Academy and Jean Vanier Catholic School began to visit, photograph and document the many natural wonders of the Marsh. In so doing they not only captured local attention but the notice of the international community. Pinegrove Productions created an educational film about the Marsh, and the Marsh spawned a number of biodiversity-related high-profile projects and events. Students from St Laurent Academy have visited various countries, including Sweden and Japan, where they have promoted the Marsh and the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Dekar Haor wetland, Bangladesh 

Urban wetland Bogota, Colombia

Jaboque Wetland, Bogotá - Colombia. Jaboque wetland is the second important ecosystem and one of the biggest wetlands in Bogotá. Its name means land of abundance in Chibcha and it has been considered an ancestral place, where the Muiscas lived a thousand years ago. Sadly, this ecosystem has been distroyed by the people that live nearly and in my view this situation affected the way that Jaboque Wetland worked. First, because this wetland has been impacted by settlements and it is used like a waste dump, and secondly because some endemic animals have been disappearing due to some people doing ilegal trafic of animals in order to earn money easier.

Wetland Colombia 

Colombia. Wetlands are important places for water birds and crocodiles, without them, these creatures would have very few places to live. Save the wetlands.- Alejandra Echeverri

Quetenas, Sud Lipez- Bolivia 

 Quetenas, Sud Lipez- Bolivia. Why I care about this wetland? The small communities of indigenous peoples in Quetena Grande and Quetena Chico in Sud Lipez- Bolivia, depend on the peat bogs, wetlands that offer food to the camelids that are the main source of income for these families. Sadly, these peat bogs are drying up because of climate change and the mining activities that have a direct impact on the water supply for these ecosystems. I have been studying the biodiversity in these wetlands and documenting traditional techniques for their restoration as an adaptation measure to climate change as part of my bachelor's thesis. 

Lake view park, Islamabad, Pakistan 

Akanyaru wetland, Rwanda

Akanyaru wetland, Rwanda Akanyaru wetlands are located in the south of Rwanda on the international border with Burundi. These are important in terms of local community welfare of about 100,000 people; providing goods and services to the local community such as improved ecological conditions like clean air, water, agriculture productivity, fish, traditional medicine, a source of handcrafting among others. Also, it is home of endangered bird species including Madagascar Pond Heron, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, and the “Statunga”, Papyrus provide shelter of blue monkeys and snakes, whereas waterways host hippopotamus, crocodiles, and fishes. However, it is seriously threatened by invasive species such as water hyacinth, anthropogenic activities resulting from pressures from increasing population like agricultural, hunting, burning, extraction of vegetation, uncontrolled fishing, and others, as natural phenomenon. Therefore, there is a need for enhancing it's sustainable conservation.