World Wetlands Day 2014

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Posted 2014-01-23 by Here and There ⇒ follow

Sun 16 Feb 2014

UPDATE: Due to the expected extreme temperatures and in the interest of public wellbeing and safety, this open day has been rescheduled for Sunday 16 February. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. If you had previously booked to attend a tour at the Western Treatment Plant, you MUST rebook for the rescheduled date and time

The 2nd of February is World Wetlands Day and a number of events will be held in celebration of these fascinating watery ecosystems.

Melbourne Water is holding open days at both the Edithvale-Seaford Wetland Education Centre in Chelsea Heights and the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the important place wetlands hold in our natural ecosystems, the benefits they provide and the wildlife that inhabits them. For full details of their open day activities and tours, see the Melbourne Water website .

There's also tours of Tootgarook Wetlands Reserve and the Wildlife Sanctuary at LaTrobe University is holding an aquatic plant sale, frog bog building workshop and a tour of the sanctuary wetlands.

Much further afield near the Victorian border with NSW, the North Central Catchment Management Authority is providing a Wetlands Tour along Gunbower Creek and Breakfast with the Birds at Hird Swamp to celebrate the day.

Most of these World Wetlands Day events are free. For some of the tours and acitivities numbers are limited and advance bookings are essential. See the individual websites for details and get in quickly if you'd like to go along.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated on the 2nd of February each year. This date marks the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 2nd February, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Known as the "Ramsar Convention" this is a world-wide environmental treaty focussed on the conservation and sustainable use of the world's wetlands. Australia has 65 sites on the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance covering more than 8 million hectares.