It’s World Wetlands Day! Today marks the 44th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (otherwise known as the Ramsar Convention).
Just in time for World Wetlands Day, last weekend brought some great news for our Caley Valley wetlands! The people of Queensland voted out the Newman government – who had proposed to dump millions of cubic metres of seabed inside the internationally significant wetlands. Home to thousands of birds and endangered species – dumping on the Caley Valley wetlands would have been disastrous for the animals that rely on them. Luckily, the newly elected state government in Queensland has promised to keep these precious wetlands protected.
So today, let’s celebrate this win for the Caley Valley wetlands, and acknowledge the beauty of wetlands around the world. Enjoy Greenpeace’s most beautiful photos of wetlands below!
Australia
Caley Valley Wetlands. The wetlands are a habitat for over 200 species of birds including the Australian Painted Snipe. The area is also home to endangered turtles, dugongs, whales and over 40,000 water birds.
Balaclava Island off the coast of Gladstone. The area is under threat from coal mining and in particular the loss of the Bimblebox nature reserve – home to the endangered Black-Throated Finch.
Indonesia
Sungai Sembilang Nature Conservation Park in South Sumatra.
Intact peatland rainforest reflected in the afternoon sunlight on ‘Lake Besar’, during a journey through some of Riau’s most beautiful forests up the Serkap river.
Peatlands (wetlands) in the Kampar peninsula. The Kampar peninsula is the last large intact area of peat swamp forest in Riau with some of the deepest peat in Indonesia, the rest has been destroyed by the agriculture and logging industries.
Peatland rainforest reflected on the Serkap river.
Old peatland trees inside the Karuputan Nature Reserve in the Kampar Peninsula. This area is a good example of protected peatland forest.
Brazil
Photos from the Pantanal Wetlands in Brazil.
