Celebrations of World Wetlands Day 2014 in Mauritius

2014 is the UN International Year of Family Farming – so the Ramsar Convention chose Wetlands & Agriculture as the World Wetlands Day theme for 2014. And what a great theme for Ramsar, given that wetlands are so often intimately linked with agriculture. Our slogan? Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth, placing a focus on the need for the wetland and agricultural sectors (and the water sector too of course) to work together for the best share outcomes.
Mauritius celebrated the World Wetlands Day at Basin Castel, Clemencia, a small village in the south-eastern part of the island, where watercress are grown in wetlands

A group of 15 students of the Faculty of Agriculture from BSc Agriculture Spp in land and water management, year 3 (below)attended the celebrations organised by the Ministry of Agroindustry and Food Security.

Final Year (Yr3) Students of the Faculty of Agriculture,

~In Mauritius, a wide range of agricultural crops are wetland dependent. Watercress, taro root and other wetland crops are cultivated on marshy areas across the island. The mangroves wetlands support fisheries.Agriculture and Food Security Minister Satish Faugoo asked the population to reflect on the importance of wetlands and to preserve and manage them judiciously and sustainably.He said wetlands are disappearing around the world and also in Mauritius where they are in competition with land development and concrete. However, three Ramsar sites of international importance have been designated in Mauritius. They are: 1) the Terre Rouge Estuary Bird Sanctuary for migrating birds, near Port-Louis, the Blue Bay Marine Park for its marine biodiversity and the Pointe d’Esny Wetlands for its mangroves.~


~ ~written by Naseem Auckbarally, 3 Feb 2014.