Pakistan Wetlands Programme
Celebrates World Wetlands Day 2007

Pictorial highlights of the event

Introduction and Background

Pakistan Wetlands Programme hosted a wide array of activities to commemorate the World Wetlands Day in order to mark the date of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on February, 2nd   1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2007 was ‘Wetlands and Fisheries’, in recognition of the importance
of fish and fisheries to all people around the world.

The World Wetlands Day slogan ‘Fish for Tomorrow?’ encapsulates many of the challenges we are facing, which include:

1. Sustainable management of fish populations, especially those that are commercially fished
2. Supporting sustainable aquaculture practices
3. Effective management  wetlands and other important fish habitats to protect and conserve fish populations
4. Increase buyer awareness of fish species for consumption i.e. conscientious consumer

A slogan such as “Fish for Life” or “Fish for Tomorrow” may not mean much to many of us. This is because as the demand and consumption of fish grows in urban as well as rural areas, we continue to take it for granted that the phenomenal variety of fish that once existed will always remain.

To cater to the demand and make a livelihood for themselves, fishermen indiscriminately over fish and exploit this precious species without giving much consideration to the grave consequences of their actions.  Accelerated population growth, increased poverty, and as result, greater dependency fishing has raised alarming concerns from environmental conservationists across the globe. A conscious effort is being made by conservationists to highlight these issues at all levels of the society and educate the people to become ambassadors of change and make a difference.
Wetlands sustain more life than almost any other ecosystem, even though only about 6% of the earth's surface is wetland. The Ministry of Environment’s Pakistan Wetlands Programme has been established to conserve the country’s freshwater and coastal wetlands and their associated biodiversity; and it is our job to change the mindset of people, educate them of the dire consequences of current attitudes/practices, and promote the wise use of all wetlands resources, including fish. It is a long and arduous task, and there exists a strong need to create awareness at the mass level to sensitise the key stakeholders, policy makers, local communities that use unsustainable practices and the public at large about the significance of sustaining and preserving the water ecosystems that support the wetlands biodiversity.
The World Wetlands Day is celebrated across the globe each year to mark the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. This daywas celebrated for the first time in 1997 and was an encouraging event inspiring individuals from every walk of life to use the platform for information sharing and learning and spreading the spirit of the cause. The Pakistan Wetlands Programme plans to commemorate this day and for this purpose your kind support is requested.

Objective

PWP celebrated World Wetlands Day, 2007, by organising a ‘Wetlands Festival’ with the objective to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness, in general, of the value and benefits of the wetlands and promoting wise-use of wetlands, and the initiatives of the Pakistan Wetlands Programme in particular. Pakistan Wetlands Programme’s ‘Wetlands Festival’ provided great opportunity for students, teachers and professionals to participate in a positive mix of activities i.e. education, entertainment and promotion. 

Theme and Target Audience

This year, the global theme of Wetlands Day was ‘Wetlands and Fisheries’and we intend to highlight the same theme during our festival. The agenda/activities for both days of the festival was the same, the only difference being the change in the target audience. Day one, the 10th of February, was targeted towards the youth represented by students from different colleges, universities and schools. The second day, 11th of February, was held for relevant individuals from the corporate, governmental and the NGO sector.

Programme Activities

The programme was spanned over two days. The same programme was repeated on both the days but to a different set of audience with an objective of targeting a diverse and large group of spectators. Day one involved the youth representing different colleges, universities and schools, where as on day two the Programme invited people from the corporate, governmental and the NGO sector.


Documentary Show

Pakistan Wetlands Programme organized ‘Wetlands Festival’ with the objective to raise awareness about wetlands and shifting public opinion in favour of proactive conservation measures among children, teachers, parents, professionals from public and private sector and general public at large. The festival included screening of various English and Urdu films highlighting a diverse range of environmental and developmental issues.

Play Performance by School Children

Wetlands Art Competition

February 2nd 2007

3-D Model Presentation

The schools from the twin cities were asked to develop 3 D model under the main theme Wetlands and Fisheries and Fish for Tomorrow? for display  at the venue. The participating schools competed on the themes and winners were announced from each theme on the final day.

This innovative approach to create awareness is part of the Programme’s awareness raising and school outreach initiative. This sensitised these junior ambassadors, teachers and parents to care for and conserve these precious ecosystems (ecologically important constituent) of our environment.

Puppet Show

The team of professionals performed informative and entertaining puppet show on the main theme i.e. ‘Wetlands and Fisheries’ to raise awareness on wetlands related issues and challenges in Pakistan. 

Wetlands Poetry Competition from January 12th-Febuary 5th 2007

Information corner

There was an elaborated information corner at the event on both days. It housed a senior representative of the PWP who answered any minor and major question that anyone had. The information corner also carried educational and promotional material. This included programme brochures, educational leaflets, and other attractive items that may be purchased in order to contribute to the PWP and support our initiatives. 

Judges Panel

A panel of judges decided about the winners of each competition at the Wetlands Festival.  The panel comprised of technical and professional experts from prominent organisations.
The Pakistan Wetlands Programme looks forward to developing sound synergies between the people and wetlands and accordingly give way to similar ventures for strengthening sustainable development. This also served to mobilize the electronic media and encourage them to increase the number of broadcasts on environmental issues.