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2 February is World Wetlands Day (WWD), marking the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. IUCN Nepal joined in the national celebrations of the Day which is designed to draw the attention to the significance and the plight of wetland ecosystem in Nepal. IUCN Nepal in conjunction with its members and partners has expressed the urgency of protecting the culture and livelihoods of wetland dependent communities and urged to seize the opportunity to change the way we manage our wetland environment. On the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2007, IUCN Nepal joined hands with the Department of National Parks and Widlife Conservation (DNPWC), WWF Nepal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), in organising a national workshop on "Fish for Tomorrow?" During the programme, Chief Guest and Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation Dr. Uday Raj Sharma launched the wetland poster and a set of fact sheets on the high altitude wetlands of Nepal. Stating that wetlands and culture are inseparable and cannot be looked into isolation, Mr. Prabhu Budhathoki, Country Representative of IUCN Nepal, remarked, “Despite the significant values possessed by wetlands, humans have had considerable impacts as the services provided by wetlands have long been taken for granted. As a result, conservation and management of wetlands has been a low priority." "Priority must now be placed on sustainable productivity rather than short-term increase in production, with long-term costs. This is high time that all concerned stakeholders of wetland resources join hands for the conservation, sustainable and wise use of wetlands in Nepal," Mr. Budhathoki added. Speaking on the same occasion, Mr. Shyam Bajimaya, Director General, DNPWC, lauded the role of all organisations active in wetland conservation in Nepal and expressed government’s commitment in the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in Nepal as envisaged in the National Wetlands Policy, 2003. Other speakers included Country Representative of WWF Nepal Mr. Anil Manandhar, Deputy Director General of ICIMOD Dr. Madhav Karki, and Member Secretary of NTNC Dr. Siddhartha Bajracharya. Meanwhile, earlier today, secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation Dr. Uday Raj Sharma unveiled the 2007 wetland billboard installed at the major thoroughfare of Kathmandu, Nepal. The landscape size billboard depicting the theme “Fish for Tomorrow?” has been developed in Nepali and printed in flex that depicts the role of fisheries in the sustainable and wise use management of wetlands in Nepal. This life size print is intended to instill the many ways that wetlands can and should play a role in poverty alleviation, especially in the eyes of the Kathmanduites. For more information, please contact:
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Fish for Tomorrow? | Print |