{"id":78706,"date":"2021-02-02T06:13:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T13:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=78706"},"modified":"2026-03-18T05:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T10:02:23","slug":"world-wetlands-day-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/02\/world-wetlands-day-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"World Wetlands Day 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wetlands And Water<\/strong><\/h2>\n

February 2nd is World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the critical role of wetlands for people, wildlife and our planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. Today is the fiftieth anniversary of that Convention.<\/p>\n

What Are Wetlands?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially adapted plants and promote the development of characteristic wetland soils.<\/p>\n

Two general categories of wetlands are recognized: coastal or tidal wetlands and inland or non-tidal wetlands.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Colorful<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Adult<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Tundra<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Black-crowned<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Snowy<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Dark<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Great<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"March<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Great<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Tricolored<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Wet<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Morning<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Flock<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Red-winged<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Juvenile<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Clear<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Blue-winged<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Brewer's<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Male<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Dissipating<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Trumpeter<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"American<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Yellow-headed<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Checkered<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"American<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Solitary<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Wilson's<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Marsh<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Immature<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Tundra<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Bull<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Drake<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Lance-leaf<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Sunrise,<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Male<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Long-tailed<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Greater<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Mating<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Great<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Eight-spotted<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Sunrise,<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Drake<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Immature<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Variegated<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Adult<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Black-bellied<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Drake<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Tundra<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Idaho<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Sandhill<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Red-breasted<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Drake<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Wilson's<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Trio<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Adult<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Male<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Perched<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Hooded<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Least<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Pectoral<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Punked<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Scarlet<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Drake<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Young<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Low<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

All of the animals, plants, insects, and birds in the images above are dependent on wetlands during part or all of their lives. Protecting our wetlands protects them and us. With our current administration we can work towards conserving and restoring these critical wetlands and protecting our planet.<\/p>\n

Why wetlands are crucial for a healthy planet<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The health of people on our planet depends on healthy wetlands. “40% of the world’s species live or breed in wetlands, yet they are disappearing three times faster than forests,” says the UN Development. Here’s why wetlands matter:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Wetlands are “nurseries of life” – 40% of animals breed in wetlands<\/li>\n
  • Wetlands are “kidneys of the earth” – they clean the environment of pollutants<\/li>\n
  • Wetlands “matter for climate change” – they store 30% of land based carbon<\/li>\n
  • Wetlands “minimize disaster risks” – they absorb storm surge<\/li>\n
  • Wetlands “provide livelihood to one billion people” – their ecosystems are worth 47 U.S. dollars trillion annually<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    It makes sense to preserve, restore, and protect these wetlands for us, for the planet and future generations.<\/p>\n

    Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

    Mia<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    February 2nd is World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the critical role of wetlands for people, wildlife and our planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,5320,137,151,124,321,7107,420,223,10351,961,476,2152,5363,1254,726,25,704,166,362,964,1175,10972,6932,1719,2681,1157,538,12,316,2543,348,966,429,4649,608,133,419,157,2460,2397,10688,450,6338,255,504,254,227,158,26,5952,1372,5347,1140,93,427],"tags":[16313,10973,1799,10974,6269,3996,4095,102,10971],"class_list":["post-78706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barn-owls","category-american-bitterns","category-american-coots","category-bald-eagle","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-black-crowned-night-herons","category-blue-winged-teals","category-brewers-blackbirds","category-centennial-valley","category-checkered-white-butterflies","category-cinnamon-teals","category-common-mergansers","category-conservation","category-eight-spotted-skimmers","category-environment-wildlife-ethics","category-fish-springs-nwr","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-great-blue-herons","category-great-egrets","category-greater-scaups","category-green-winged-teals","category-halloween-pennants","category-hooded-mergansers","category-least-sandpipers","category-lesser-scaups","category-long-tailed-weasels","category-marsh-wrens","category-montana","category-moose","category-muskrats","category-northern-harriers","category-northern-pintails","category-northern-shovelers","category-pectoral-sandpipers","category-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge","category-red-breasted-mergansers","category-red-winged-blackbirds","category-reddish-egret","category-redheads","category-ruddy-ducks","category-rusty-blackbirds","category-sandhill-cranes","category-scarlet-skimmers","category-snowy-egrets","category-spotted-sandpipers","category-tricolored-herons","category-trumpeter-swans","category-tundra-swans","category-utah","category-variegated-meadowhawk","category-white-faced-ibises","category-wildflowers","category-wilsons-phalaropes","category-yellow-crowned-night-heron","category-yellow-headed-blackbird","tag-birds","tag-critical","tag-insects","tag-plants","tag-protection","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-wildlife","tag-world-wetlands-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunrise-mist-mia-mcpherson-9575.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-kts","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":111843,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/31\/snow-weary-and-needing-a-bird-fix\/","url_meta":{"origin":78706,"position":0},"title":"Snow Weary And Needing A Bird Fix","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"More fresh snow on the ground this morning. I am snow weary. What I need is a bird, nature, gone exploring in the wild fix with no real or clear return time.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring male Red-winged Blackbird singing, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/red-winged-blackbird-male-spring-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1613.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/red-winged-blackbird-male-spring-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1613.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/red-winged-blackbird-male-spring-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1613.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/red-winged-blackbird-male-spring-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1613.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7443,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/06\/some-of-the-birds-i-love-at-bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":78706,"position":1},"title":"Some of the Birds I Love at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of my favorite locations to photograph birds in northern Utah is Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I've selected some of the birds there that delight and entertain me while I observe and photograph them.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling Eastern Kingbird on a barbed wire fence, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't know if the Ring-necked Pheasants eat the midges but I know that many of the other birds at the refuge do so I like to think of midges as bird food on the wing.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-necked Pheasant and Midges, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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