35% Of World's Wetlands Disappeared In Last 50 Years

ANKARA , Feb 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Feb, 2023 ) :Considered the world's most threatened ecosystems, over 35% of the world's wetlands have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to official website of World Wetlands Day.

The importance of wetlands which are among the world's most productive ecosystems is taking the global spotlight on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.

The awareness campaign organized by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, World Wetlands Day is being celebrated each every Feb. 2 since 1997. The UN General Assembly also designated February 2 as World Wetlands Day in 2021.

The Ramsar Convention, which was signed in Iran's Ramsar city, obliges 170 countries to protect wetlands and ensure their rational management.

There are over 2,400 Ramsar sites across the world. They cover over 2.5 million square kilometers, an area larger than Mexico.

The Cobourg Peninsula in Australia was designated in 1974 as the world's first site and Bolivia has the largest area, with 148,000 square kilometers under Ramsar protection.

The Rio Negro region in Brazil, on the other hand, is seen among the world's largest wetlands, with an area of 120,000 square kilometers.

While Canada, Chad, Congo and Russia have over 100,000 square kilometers of wetlands in each, Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in Congo and Queen Maud Bay in Canada cover an area of 60 thousand square kilometers each.

The countries with the most Ramsar sites are the UK, with 175 and Mexico, with 142.

- Ramsar sites in T�rkiye under protection T�rkiye became a party to the Ramsar Convention in 1994 for the conservation and wise use of its wetlands.

Sultan Marshes, Seyfe, Burdur, Manyas Lakes, Goksu Delta, Akyakan Lagoon, Kizilirmak Delta, Lake Uluabat, Gediz Delta, Yumurtalik Lagoons, Meke Maar, Kizoren Obruk (Sinkhole), Lake Kuyucuk, Nemrut Caldera were designated as Ramsar Sites and put under protection.

A total of 95 sites covering approximately 10,850 square kilometers, 59 of which are of national and 22 of local importance, are designated as "wetlands."As part of the Ramsar Convention, the management plans were prepared for 70 wetlands of T�rkiye between 1999-2021 and put into practice.