In 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, a convention was hammered out between international bodies to protect the world’s wetlands. The aim of the Ramsar Convention is:
“the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
to highlight the convention, today is World Wetlands Day, but what is a wetland?
It’s land that’s wet. This might seem a bit simple, but it’s the presence of water that makes it important, but also difficult to pin on one hook. For example rivers are sources of drinking water, but that’s not the only use for wetlands. Mangroves provide shelter for coastlines from storm damage. The Okavango Delta, an inland delta in Botswana provides vital hydration for wildlife. With such a broad definition of wetland it seems almost anywhere could have wetlands, and you’d be right.
Looking at the country profiles on the Ramsar site, they are everywhere from four sites in Albania to seven in Zimbabwe. What surprised me most was seeing forty-one sites listed in Tunisia. It shouldn’t have, in an arid country wetlands are obviously going to be vital, but even so, when I think of my time in Tunisia I don’t think of a land known for its lush verdant countryside.
