Community Involvement
World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008
Source:
Dept of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/environmental/wetlands/do/day/index.html
WetlandCare Australia
Date: March 2008
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2008 was Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People. Two events were planned in the Hawkesbury Nepean CMA, where the CMA in conjunction with WetlandCare Australia are developing management plans for important wetlands: Lake Bathurst and Paddy’s River.
World Wetlands Day – History
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.
World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997. Since then government agencies, non-government organisations and community groups have celebrated World Wetlands Day by undertaking actions to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits and promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands. These activities include seminars, nature walks, festivals, launches of new policies, announcement of new Ramsar sites, newspaper articles, radio interviews and wetland rehabilitation.
World Wetlands Day 2008
The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2008 is Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People. This is in recognition of the importance of the impacts of wetland-related diseases and poor sanitation on the quality of water and wetlands.
World Wetlands Day in Hawkesbury Nepean CMA
Two events were planned in the Hawkesbury Nepean CMA, where the CMA in conjunction with WetlandCare Australia are developing management plans for important wetlands: Lake Bathurst and Paddy’s River.
World Wetlands Day Event at Lake Bathurst
A field day was planned at Lake Bathurst to celebrate World Wetlands Day on the 1st of February. The day was collaboration between WetlandCare Australia along with the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority (HNCMA).
25 people attended the field day with speakers from HNCMA, Conservation Management Network, Canberra Ornithologist Group, Department of Lands and local consultants, covering the topics; serrated tussock control, wetland birds, native grassland management, threatened species and crown land management.
The draft Wetland Management Plan for Lake Bathurst and the Morass and the Background paper were launched at the World Wetlands Day Event. The Plans are available for comment from interested community and stakeholders. See Trish Chadwick (HNCMA) or Michael Pattison (WCA) for more details.
Feedback forms were used to evaluate the event. Most people heard about the event from receiving a direct invitation from WCA. The majority of attendees were happy with the content and believed to increase their skills (graph 1). The speakers and value of the day were seen to range of useful to extremely useful (graph 2)
Graph 1: Whether participants gained anything from the day
Graph 2: Value of the workshop and speakers
World Wetland Day at Paddys River – 2nd Feb
WetlandCare Australia along with the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority held a bus tour of the Paddys River Wetlands to celebrate World Wetlands Day. 50 community members attended the tour, which visited Stingray Lagoon (Penrose State Forest), then onto Long Swamp (private property) finishing at Penrose Hall for a BBQ lunch.
Speakers were from WetlandCare, DPI, HNCMA, DECC, NPWS and local community members including the local Aboriginal Community. Speakers spoke about erosion control techniques, fish management in wetlands, weed management in particular pine invasion, indigenous values of wetlands, threatened species and vegetation.
The HNCMA has contracted WetlandCare to compile a Background Paper and write a Wetland Management Plan for the Paddys River Wetlands. The Draft Plan and Background Paper were launched for comment at the World Wetlands Day Event. The Plans are available for comment from interested community and stakeholders. See Trish Chadwick (HNCMA) or Michael Pattison (WCA) for more details.
Graph 3: Whether participants gained anything from the day
Feedback forms were also at Paddy River. As at Lake Bathurst most people heard about the event from receiving a direct invitation from WCA, but there were a large number of people who had heard of the day by word of mouth or forwarded an invitation. Again the majority of attendees were happy with the content and believed to increase their skills (graph 3). The speakers and value of the day were seen to range of some use or more (graph 4).
Graph 4: Value of the workshop and speakers
View the PDF – Priority Wetlands Project (989KB)
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