By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) on Friday celebrated the international wetlands day at Kinara Park near Rawal Lake with students of schools and universities to create awareness among the young generation on the importance and protection of wetlands for healthy ecosystems.
The theme for this year was “Wetlands and human wellbeing”. Its goal is to highlight how all aspects of human well-being “physical, mental, and environmental” are tied to the health of the world’s wetlands.
The wetlands day emerged on the global calendar after the Ramsar Convention, named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, was ratified which was an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands on February 2, 1971. Since then, the day is observed.
The IWMB regularly celebrates the Day and this time it was held in a unique fashion with students’ being sensitized through a special awareness session on the topic and its role in nature conservation followed up a group activity to hold cleanup exercise around the Park and ended up with a quiz and books distribution among the students.
The students from the Scholars School Bhara Kahu, National University of Modern Languages (NUML) and Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) both male and female joined the Wetlands Day celebration.
Wetlands cover only six percent of the earth, but more than forty percent of animal and plant species live and breed in wetlands.
Pakistan also hosts 15 potential wetlands sides along the banks of its largest River Indus that can help improve the shrinking rivers’ water mass and cleanliness as it was one of the world’s most polluted rivers mainly due to plastics.
Apart from that there were some nineteen wetlands existing in the country that offer one of the world most pristine natural ecosystems with eye-catching views and mesmerizing population of exotic flora and fauna.
These wetlands sprawl across the four provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Astola (Haft Talar) Island, Balochistan, Chashma Barrage, Mianwali District, Punjab, Deh Akro-II Desert Wetland Complex, Sindh, Drigh Lake, Sindh, Haleji Lake, Sindh, Hub Dam, Sindh, Balochistan, Indus Delta, Sindh, Indus Dolphin Reserve, Sindh, Jiwani Coastal Wetland, Balochistan, Jubho Lagoon, Sujawal District, Sindh, Kinjhar (Kalri) Lake, Thatta District, Sindh, Miani Hor, Lasbela District Balochistan, Nurri Lagoon, Badin District, Sindh, Ormara Turtle Beaches, Balochistan, Runn of Kutch, Sindh, Tanda Dam, Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Migratory birds from Caspian and Siberia stay here in winters), Taunsa Barrage, Muzaffargarh District, Punjab, Thanedar Wala, Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Wetland bird migration route), and Uchhali Complex, Khushab District, Punjab.
