World Wetlands Day

Why in news?

• Two new Ramsar sites — Khijadiya wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira wildlife sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh — were announced on the occasion of World Wetlands Day at Sultanpur national park.
• India now has a network of 49 such sites, the highest in South Asia, covering 10,93,636 hectares.
• Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance as per UNESCO’s 1971 Convention on Wetlands held in Ramsar, Iran.

About World Wetlands Day

• World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2 February, aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet.
• This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
• This year is especially significant as World Wetlands Day 2022 will be observed as a United Nations international day for the first time.
• The theme of World Wetlands Day 2022 is ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’.
• It aims to highlight the importance of actions to conserve and sustain wetlands.