World Wetlands Day National Festival

By Ifham Nizam

The Central Environmental Authority and the Department of Wildlife Conservation have organised a series of events to mark World Wetlands Day today.

This is the first time the World Wetlands Day will be observed as a United Nations international day, following its adoption by the General Assembly on 30th August 2021.

The theme for the 2022 edition is Wetlands Action for People and Nature and it highlights the importance of actions that ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably used.

It’s an appeal for people to invest financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded.

The World Wetlands Day National Festival will be held today from 9.00 am to noon at the Battaramulla – Apegama premises under the patronage of Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C. B. Ratnayake, Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe and other Secretaries of Ministries and officials. School and university students as well as members of INGOs and NGOs are also expected to attend the event.

The keynote address at the National Festival on Wetlands Day will be delivered by Dr. Priyani Amarasinghe, Honorary Specialist, International Institute of Water Management.

The event will feature a documentary on wetlands and the launch of the latest edition of the book ‘Wetland Fiesta’, a publication of the Central Environmental Authority. “A short story and poetry competition was held under the Universities and Open categories for man and nature and the winners of the competition will be presented with prizes at the World Wetlands Day National Festival.

Sri Lanka is also a party to the International Ramsar Convention on the Protection of Wetland Ecosystems, which is of ecological, biological and economic importance.