World Wetlands Day

This year’s theme, "In the face of poverty…wetlands are lifelines," emphasizes the essential role of well-managed wetlands in poverty alleviation. Wetlands provide a crucial source of food, water, and natural products. In rural areas, wetlands are a primary source of income, and can be vital when other income sources fail. They also play an important role as a source of recreation, transportation, and cultural heritage.

Wetlands play a vital role in storm and flood protection and water filtration. They provide groundwater replenishment, benefiting inhabitants of entire watersheds. In addition, they provide a rich feeding ground for migratory birds, fish, and other animals and boost local economies through opportunities for the harvesting of aquatic resources and ecotourism.

Recognizing the importance of wetlands, the U.S. in 1987 joined the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty that aims to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve those that remain. The treaty’s 150 Contracting Parties have designated more than 1500 wetlands sites totaling more than 300 million acres for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. On Earth Day 2004, President Bush announced an aggressive new national initiative to move beyond a policy of "no net loss" of wetlands to an overall increase of wetlands in America. The President’s goal is to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years in order to increase overall wetland acreage and quality.

The U.S. currently has 22 Ramsar sites covering nearly 3.2 million acres. This includes three sites designated in 2005, two in California and one in Hawaii.

For further information, visit the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science Web site at <http://www.state.gov/g/oes> and the Ramsar Web site at <http://ramsar.org>.

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