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The celebration of World Wetlands Day 2021 aims to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands for people and the planet. Ph: MAP
World Wetlands Day was celebrated on Wednesday at Lake Zarrouka, a Ramsar site in the province of Ifrane, on the initiative of local associations active in the field of the environment.
Organized by the Association “Friends of the Val d’Ifrane for the protection of the environment and ecotourism” and the Unesco Atlas Morocco club, in partnership with the Ifrane National Park, this day was marked by activities educational programs for a group of students on wetlands and their ecosystems, as well as a bird-watching operation and tree planting at Lake Zarrouka.
In a statement to MAP, the president of the Association “Friends of the Val d’Ifrane for the protection of the environment and ecotourism”, Mohamed Drihem, indicated that this educational activity takes place in celebration of the World Wetlands Day, adding that the initiative targets students from two private schools in Ifrane.
The main objective of this activity is to make children aware of the importance of these wetlands especially as the province of Ifrane has several Ramsar sites, he said, adding that the students have seized the opportunity to observe the birds of Lake Zarrouka and help plant trees.
For his part, Lahcen Okannour, from Ifrane National Park, indicated that the celebration of this day underscores the vital importance of water and wetlands in the protection of this material, adding that the choice of the site of the Lake Zarrouka is explained by the fact that it is one of the Ramsar sites in the province of Ifrane.
The importance of this lake emanates from its biological diversity and the abundance of living beings that live there, he observed, adding that this educational outing is likely to make students aware of the importance of preserving the biodiversity of these sites.
Abdelali Adnane, president of the Unesco Atlas Morocco club, stressed that the celebration of World Wetlands Day constitutes an opportunity to raise awareness among the general public and children, in particular, of the great scope of these ecological sites and of the richness of their ecosystems.
World Wetlands Day 2021, which has “wetlands and water” as its theme, highlights wetlands as a source of fresh water and encourages actions to restore and curb them. their loss.
The celebration of this day (February 2) aims to raise public awareness of the importance of wetlands for humans and the planet. It is also an occasion to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.
“We are going through an increasingly serious freshwater crisis that threatens both humans and our planet”, according to the Ramsar Regional Initiative “MedWet”, which believes that “we use more freshwater than nature cannot replenish it, thus destroying the ecosystem on which water and all life depend most – wetlands ”.
The 2021 campaign highlights the contribution of wetlands to the quantity and quality of fresh water on the planet, it is pointed out, adding that water and wetlands “are linked in an inseparable coexistence that is vital for life, our well-being and the health of our