Naveen Pledges to Protect Wetlands of Odisha for Disaster Resilience

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today called for protection of wetlands of the State for building up disaster resilience.

On the occasion of World Wetlands Day today, Naveen urged all to pledge to protect climate change defenders – wetlands of Odisha.

Preservation of Odisha’s Ramsar sites like Chilika and Bhitarkanika are essential for building up disaster resilience, the CM tweeted.

On this #WorldWetlandsDay, let us pledge to protect our climate change defenders – wetlands of #Odisha. Preservation of our @RamsarConv sites like Chilika and Bhitarkanika are essential for building up disaster resilience. pic.twitter.com/RZJthsntGK

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 2, 2020

World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.

World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997. Since then government agencies, non-government organisations and community groups have celebrated World Wetlands Day by undertaking actions to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits and promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is ‘Wetlands and Biodiversity’. This theme is reflected in the February 2020 edition of Wetlands Australia.

Wetland biodiversity contributes to ecosystem resilience, clean water, water supply, storm protection, carbon storage, health and well-being, tourism and recreation and jobs. Biodiversity is a foundational value of wetlands and an inherent part of the significance of these ecosystems. It is through wetland biodiversity that critical ecological processes are carried out.

The contribution that wetland biodiversity has on broader environments, society and economies has also been historically undervalued.