World Wetlands Day: 500 pledge their support for conserving wetlands

500 people from different communities in G-B gathred to pledge their support for the conservation of wetlands.

GILGIT: A total of 500 people from different communities in a remote valley of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) gathered to pledge their support for the conservation of wetlands in the region.

The Wetlands Day was marked in G-B and its remote valleys on Wednesday, but the event could not be reported due to bad communication system, Frasat Ali, an environmentalist working with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Gilgit, told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

In the Immit village of Ghizer valley, WWF’s Gilgit office, under its Pakistan Wetlands Programme and the Saving Wetlands Sky High Project, organised an event to mark the occasion. Residents of the area, govt officials and other NGO representatives attended the event. “After experts explained the significance of wetlands, a walk was organised,” Ali added.

February 2 is marked as the World Wetlands Day across the world, including Pakistan, to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar convention on February 2, 1971.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th,  2011.