Lesotho becomes part of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

 World Wetlands Day was celebrated for the first time in Lesotho at the beginning of the month, on February 2, as the country prepares to accede to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands committing to the promotion and wise use of wetlands in the country.   The commemoration was marked with a seminar held at the National Convention Centre on the 2^nd February 2004.

 The Ministry has tentatively designated the Lets’eng-la-Letsie in the Quthing district as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site) as part of its accession to the Convention. In joining the Convention, the country stands to benefit in that the profile of wetlands in the country will be raised and will also have access to information and a global pool of experts on related issues.

The Wetlands Unit of the Department of Water Affairs of the Ministry of Natural Resources said in a press statement that the Convention also enables international cooperation on matters concerning wetlands and will also open a doorway to grants and other opportunities for joint fund-raising in support of wetlands conservation.

The Ramsar Convention (after the city in Iran where it originated), is a treaty that was established in 1971 in recognition of the importance of wetlands as regulators of water regimes and as habitats supporting significant species of plants and animals, especially waterbirds which provide a reliable indicator of the health of wetlands. 

The Convention recognises the economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value of wetlands. It aims at stemming the progressive encroachment on, and resultant loss of wetland habitats. Because wetland birds migrate across international borders, and even between continents, their conservation and the protection of their habitat is seen as an international issue.

09 February 2004