U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
January 31, 2005

World Wetlands Day

On February 2, 2004, United States Embassies from South America to the Middle
East will join their local communities to commemorate World Wetlands Day, an
annual celebration of the vital importance of wetlands to the world's
ecological health and of efforts to conserve these invaluable habitats. The day
marks the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed February 2,
1971 in Ramsar, Iran.

This year's theme, "There's wealth in wetland diversity --- don't lose it,"
emphasizes the biological and cultural diversity of wetlands and their
important role in sustaining people physically and emotionally. Wetlands are a
source of water, food, recreation, transportation, and, in some places, are
part of the local religious and cultural heritage. They provide groundwater
replenishment, benefiting inhabitants of entire watersheds.

Wetlands play a vital role in storm and flood protection and water filtration.
In addition, they provide a rich feeding ground for migratory birds, fish, and
other animals and boost local economies through opportunities for the
harvesting of aquatic resources and ecotourism.

Despite the great value of wetlands, they have been shrinking worldwide,
including in the United States. In 1987 the United States joined the Ramsar
Convention, an international treaty that aims to halt the worldwide loss of
wetlands and to conserve those that remain. The treaty's 144 Contracting
Parties have designated 1,404 wetlands sites totaling more than 300 million
acres for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Most recently, on Earth Day 2004, President Bush announced an aggressive new
national initiative to move beyond a policy of "no net loss" of wetlands to an
overall increase of wetlands in America. The President's goal is to create,
improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five
years in order to increase overall wetland acreage and quality.

The United States designated three new Ramsar sites last month: the 2500-acre
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in San Diego County, CA; the
160,000-acre Grassland Ecological Area in western Merced County, CA; and the
1000-acre Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex located on the northeast coast of
the island of Oahu, HI. That brings the total number of U.S. Ramsar sites to
22, covering nearly 3.2 million acres.

For further information, visit the State Department's Bureau of Oceans,
Environment and Science website at:
http://www.state.gov/g/oes

and the Ramsar website at:
http://ramsar.org.