Today is the World Wetlands Day

ЕруWorld Wetlands Dayis celebratedon February 2. The holiday history started in 1971, when the city of Ramsar, Iran, “Convention on Wetlands”was signed. The main purpose of holiday events is to attract the people and the government attention to the need for careful treatment and awareness of the importance of wetlands as part of the planet’s ecosystem and habitat of water birds. In 1971, the Ramsar Convention was signed by 18 states,by 2000 they became 119, and now over 169 countriesjoined the Convention. The total number of Ramsar sites listed is 2,250, with a total area of ​​215 mln. ha. On the territory of the Russian Federation there are 35 declaredwetlands covering an area of ​​10.7 mln. ha.

In the Republic of Tatarstan the wetlands includedinto the prospective list of the Ramsar Convention (“shadow list” of wetlands of international importance) are:

1). Kuibyshev reservoir near the town of Bulgar (area 25,000 ha)

2) Nizhnekamskoe reservoir near the mouth of the rivers Ik and White (area 18,600 ha).

Press-service of MENR of RT