About World Wetlands Day:
- It is celebrated every year on 2 February.
- It was first celebrated in 1997 and has been a United Nations International Day since 2022.
- It marks the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.
- The agreement is also known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
- It is one of the oldest modern international environmental agreements and the only one focused entirely on a single ecosystem: wetlands.
- There are 172 Contracting Parties to the convention.
- Each year, the Convention Secretariat leads the World Wetlands Day campaign, with participation from governments, conservation organisations, businesses, NGOs, media, youth groups, and communities worldwide.
- World Wetlands Day 2026 Theme: The global theme for 2026, ‘Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage’, highlights the role of indigenous and local communities in conserving and managing wetlands.
New Ramsar Sites in India:
- Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch, Gujarat, have been officially designated as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, bringing the total number of Ramsar sites in India to 98.
