Today is World Wetlands Day. Why?

Wetlands are of great ecological importance, for their ability to improve water quality, capture carbon from the atmosphere, mitigate flooding effects and maintain biodiversity, among many others.

However, increasing human pressure in terms of changes in land use, salinization, presence of invasive species, overexploitation, among other factors, has contributed to the degradation of these ecosystems, causing negative impacts on ecosystem services, biodiversity and human health.

BioRia (Estarreja)

Since the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, the importance of wetlands has been celebrated on 2 February.

This year, the theme is “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”, with the aim of calling for action for wetlands through financial investment, policy measures and social initiatives to prevent its disappearance and to restore those that are already degraded.

In Portugal, there are 31 sites considered “Wetlands of International Importance” (Ramsar Sites), including Pateira de Fermentelos, in Águeda. This area represents one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Iberian Peninsula, with different types of habitats that harbor endangered migratory bird species and bring together ecological conditions that favor the refuge and spawning of fish.

Ria de Aveiro and all areas of the Vouga basin and its tributaries, such as Pateira de Frossos, close to where the BioLiving Association is located, are ecologically important wetlands, some protected by the Natura 2000 Network, whose conservation and management deserves all the care and attention.

Pateira de Frossos (Albergaria-a-Velha)

Among many of BioLiving's works of nature management and conservation carried out along the Ria de Aveiro, the annual volunteer program stands out, in collaboration with the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth (IPDJ), the Municipality of Estarreja and the Center of Environmental Interpretation - BioRia, which intends to control the populations of invasive exotic species present, such as the pampas grass, but also to collaborate in the maintenance of pedestrian trails, in the construction of shelters for fauna and in the cleaning of the river Antuã, among other tasks.

At Pateira de Frossos, we collaborate in the monitoring and characterization of fauna and flora and we regularly carry out awareness-raising and interpretation activities, contributing to their valorization and safeguarding.

In relation to our integrated and sustainable land management project, Lusitanica houses several habitats associated with wetlands, such as permanent or temporary streams and ponds built by us, to increase the availability of water on the land, in Canelas (Estarreja).

Pond in "Lusitanica" (Estarreja)

It is predicted that human pressure and climate change lead to the degradation of more and more wetlands, so it is our duty to contribute to their conservation, starting today. The path can be made through Nature and Education for all.

To find out more about World Wetlands Day, you can visit the website and discover the 31 Portuguese sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites).