This Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) and the Department of Agriculture will spearhead the commemoration of the 2014 World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2014. The international theme for the day is Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth.
World Wetlands Day marks the signing on the Convention on Wetlands that took place in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971 and is used to raise public awareness and appreciation of the significance of wetlands and their contributions to global ecosystems. Wetlands lie at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic habitats and are highly productive communities, providing homes, food and resources for an extensive assortment of species.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are made up of over 50 percent wetlands. The biological diversity found within these wetlands is irreplaceable. In the TCI, there are many types of wetlands; coastal estuaries, mangrove forests, seasonal freshwater ponds and marshes, salinas, pine, palmetto, and buttonwood swamps and salt marshes.
The following activities are scheduled in connection with the World Wetland and World Wildlife Day celebrations:
1) Poster making contest. Theme “Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth”.
2) Digital wildlife photo contest. Focus on endemic plants and animals in TCI.
3) Wetlands and wildlife display at the National Environment Centre (NEC). Endemic plants and animals will be featured.
4) Mangrove planting along Venetian Road, Providenciales – February 3, 2014
5) Bird monitoring in the wetlands (Jan. 14 – Feb. 3, 2013)
Awarding of prizes for the poster making contest and digital wildlife photo contest will be held during the Science Fair in March 2014. Last year, the digital bird photo contest was sponsored by Kite Provo and the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB), now known as BirdsCaribbean.
