World Wetlands Day 2024: Minister Hackett highlights the importance of Wetlands
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
To mark World Wetlands Day (2 February), Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett, said:
“Today is a day to recognise and advocate for wetlands around the globe. It’s an opportunity for all countries and people to collectively encourage awareness and appreciation, and to spur action for wetlands. Farmers are the custodians of so many important wetland sites, and across the country farmers are managing wetlands, integrating them into their farm enterprises, and managing them carefully with their livestock.”
Wetlands are the world’s most threatened ecosystem. The benefits that wetlands provide to help sustain life on earth are often overlooked even though they are vitally important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation and freshwater availability.
The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”. Minister Hackett said:
“Wetlands and people have been intrinsically connected throughout human history. For thousands of years, people have established settlements near wetlands for access to fish, other food sources and freshwater for crops and livestock.”
Research has shown that wetland landscapes positively impact on mental wellbeing. The connection to nature that wetlands provide promotes mindfulness and a sense of emotional balance, contributing to improved mental health. Wetlands provide recreational opportunities, including fishing, water sport activities and swimming, allowing people to relax and manage stress.
Concluding, the Minister said:
“Taking positive actions for Wetlands today will help protect human wellbeing tomorrow. I encourage all landowners to reflect on the importance of wetlands and to consider actions to reverse the loss of our wetlands, and to conserve and restore them. We know that it can be done - whether it’s creating a pond to slow the flow of water entering a stream, or potentially restoring a previously drained wetland area, farmers up and down the country have shown it is possible to achieve improvements in water quality, contribute to carbon storage and enhance biodiversity at the same time as running a productive farm enterprise.”
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February to raise awareness about wetlands. This day also marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971 and a United Nations International Day since 2022.
A wetland is an area of land that is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally, and where the water table is near or at the surface. “Wetlands” may vary considerably in visual appearance, owing in part to the setting in which they occur and the vegetation type(s) present. There are special suites of plants adapted to cope with wet conditions and, as these wet conditions vary spatially, a mosaic of habitats comprising different plant communities may occur within a single wetland.
Ireland’s wetland habitats range from the very small (like a freshwater spring) to habitats which dominate the Irish landscape such as lakes, rivers and bogs. They are home to a large diversity of plant and animal species and form an important network of ecological sites for many species on migration.
The biodiversity of wetlands in Ireland has been estimated to be worth €385 million per year to the Irish economy and wetlands also contribute a component of the €330 million nature and eco-tourism value of Irish habitats.
For more information regarding World Wetlands Day, go to the official website of World Wetlands Day by Ramsar - 2 February - World Wetlands Day.
The Government of Ireland recognises that taking action on climate change, restoring and protecting nature, and improving our water and air quality is central to Ireland’s social and economic development, and to ensuring a good quality of life for everyone.
Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan is due to publish by year end.