World Wetlands Day celebrated across globe

People from across the world celebrated World Wetlands Day on Sunday with outings, water quality testing and newly established commitments to improving habitats.

The yearly event is sponsored by the Ramsar Convention, which has been protecting wetlands since 1971. This year the theme of the day was wetlands and agriculture.

Floridians were invited to tour the state’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Naples. Guides shared information on the importance of wetlands and conservation, according to a report from the Naples News.

Volunteers planted 100 mangrove seedlings in Fiji. According to a report from The Jet Newspaper, volunteers have planted nearly 2,000 mangroves in total.  In Senegal, 273 hectares of wetlands were designated as a Ramsar protected site. Australians gathered near Coffs Harbor for a day of conservation, water quality testing demonstrations and bird spotting, according to WetlandCare Australia.