Exactly 54 years ago, on 2 February, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted in Ramsar, Iran. It is the first global international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in modern history. It is still the only treaty to address specific ecosystems, such as wetlands.
On today’s World Wetlands Day, we invite you to learn more about wetlands and win a gift.
Bulgaria is represented by 11 wetlands on the Ramsar Convention list. These are “Lake Atanasovsko”, “Belen Islands Complex”, “Lake Durankulak”, “Ibisha Island”, “Lake Shablensko”, “Poda Locality”, “Pomorie Lake”, “Ropotamo Complex”, “Lake Srebarna”, “Lake Vaya” and “Dragoman Marsh Karst Complex”.
Two of these sites are located on the Northern Black Sea coast. We will take you to them through our short films. See “The lake with a soul north of Varna” and “The magic of happiness hidden in an ancient lake“. Discover this unknown paradise!
The five who give the most interesting answers about lake conservation will receive a gift from the Public Center for Environment and Sustainable Development. Some of you will get T-shirts with the logo “The Unknown Paradise” and others – notebooks with animals inhabiting wetlands on the Black Sea coast.
Wetlands are heathlands, marshes, bays, wetlands, lagoons… They protect us from flooding because they absorb excess water during heavy rains.
Although wetlands cover a small total area (about 6% of the Earth), they are one of the richest ecosystems in terms of species diversity. 2/3 of the world’s fish spend at least part of their lives in them.
These types of ecosystems absorb millions of tonnes of carbon each year and so reduce the effects of global warming.
Photos: Georgi Krastev
