PRESS RELEASE - January 28, 2004

World Wetlands Day (WWD) will be observed, internationally, on Monday, February 2 under the theme “ From the Mountains to the Sea, Wetlands at Work For Us ” and will focus on the beauty, diversity and utility of wetlands. Aimed at increasing awareness and preserving the use of the world's wetlands, WWD marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian City of Ramsar.

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in collaboration with the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT) and the Ridge to Reef Watershed Project (R2RW) have organized several activities to mark the day.

In Westmoreland, an Open Day comprising a display, poster competition, fire-drill, environmental story-telling and composting demonstration, has been planned by NEPT, at the Royal Palm Reserve. Activities start at 9:00 a.m. NEPA will also mount a display at the Black River public library in St. Elizabeth on the day.

Ridge to Reef Watershed Project (R2RW) has planned a World Wetlands Day ceremony at the Port Antonio Marina, at 10:00 a.m. The Action Boyz, of the Great River Watershed, will be the featured act. They will perform a skit entitled “ Wah Yuh Dash Wey Nuh Wash Wey ”. Peter Edwards of the University of West Indies (UWI), Mona Centre for Marine Sciences will also present a lecture on natural and constructed wetlands and their importance. A World Wetlands' Day quiz will round out the days' activities.

The Action Boyz will also perform later in the afternoon at the Windsor Primary School and at St. Margaret's Bay All Age School , on Wednesday, February 3, at 4:30 p.m. They will be joined by the Portland Theatre Group with a presentation of their own.

The Natural History Division of the Institute of Jamaica will stage a Wetlands Day Exhibition at the Natural History Division Exhibition Gallery, at 11:00 a.m. under the localized theme “From the Mountain to the Sea”. Guest Speaker will be Dr. Eric Hyslop of the Department of Life Sciences, UWI, Mona. Schools and organizations around Kingston and St. Andrew have been invited to the opening.

Wetlands are areas of land covered with water either all or only part of the time.
The Ramsar Conventions definition of wetlands is broad and includes a wide variety of habitat types such as rivers and lakes, coastal lagoons, mangroves, and even coral reefs.

The Black River Lower Morass was listed as a wetland of international importance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar) in 1998. It supports approximately ninety-four species of flowering plants, including twenty-seven rare species and seven endemic species (found only in Jamaica). The variety of habitats - including mangrove forests, sedge marshes, swamp and riparian forests, peat lands and limestone islands-contribute to the uniqueness of the site.

WWD was first celebrated in 1997. Members of the public are invited to come out and support these activities.