On February 2, the World Wetlands Day is commemorated: a date that reminds us of the vital importance of these ecosystems. Wetlands, lakes, marshes, and peat bogs are home to 40% of all known plant and animal species, despite covering only 6% of the Earth’s surface. These natural spaces provide us with numerous benefits. They are, among other things, biodiversity reservoirs, water purifiers, and climate regulators.
Despite their importance, wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. Since 1970, approximately 35% of these ecosystems have been lost worldwide, primarily due to human activity, such as drainage for agriculture or urbanization, pollution of various types, or the introduction of invasive exotic species.
In this context, World Wetlands Day seeks to raise awareness and advocate for their conservation. Each year, a theme is chosen to focus on a specific aspect. This year’s theme is “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future,” which emphasizes the importance of collective action to preserve these areas as key ecosystems for a sustainable planet. The campaign highlights three main messages:
- Let’s value wetlands. They are essential for water security, biodiversity, and climate resilience, offering countless benefits for humanity.
- Let’s protect wetlands. Safeguarding them ensures the continuity of their critical ecological and social roles.
- Let’s inspire actions. Wetland restoration and conservation require collaborative efforts from all sectors of society.
It emphasizes the need for involvement from all sectors of the population to reverse the trend and ensure the future of these essential ecosystems.
High Mountain Wetlands
Among the aquatic spaces to be preserved are high mountain wetlands, which are true natural treasures, both for their rarity and fragility, and for the species that live there (many of which are severely threatened, such as amphibians).
These spaces have been included in the Natura 2000 Network, an initiative by the European Commission aimed at protecting and improving the conservation status of habitats and species with the highest natural value across the continent.
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The LIFE program, also supported by the European Commission, funds projects aimed at improving these environments. A notable example of this initiative is the LIFE RESQUE ALPYR project, coordinated by CEAB-CSIC, which specifically works on the conservation and restoration of high mountain aquatic ecosystems in the Pyrenees and the species that are native to them.
The project seeks not only to preserve natural habitats but also to reverse the impacts caused by human activity and climate change. Through concrete actions, it contributes to improving lakes, rivers, and marshes, ensuring their ecological functionality and preserving their native biodiversity.
Much More Than Natural Spaces
Wetlands are essential for many reasons:
- They regulate the climate (storing large amounts of carbon, acting as allies against global warming)
- They contribute to flood and drought control (receiving part of the precipitation and gradually releasing water)
- They purify water and provide us with high-quality water resources (vegetation and microorganisms filter water, significantly reducing contaminants)
- They are home, refuge, and source of water and food for many species (they host 40% of known fauna and flora; among them, almost all amphibians, half of fish species, and more than a third of vertebrates)
- They are connector ecosystems, facilitating the movement of species and maintaining genetic diversity and the health of populations.
Commemoration of World Wetlands Day 2025
Raising awareness of these benefits among the entire population is one of the objectives of World Wetlands Day, which also focuses on the need to work together, from all sectors, to preserve them and involve the valuable knowledge and engagement of local communities, of the people who live closer to them. In this regard, actions aimed at awareness-raising and public education are promoted around this date.
In 2025, the team from LIFE RESQUE ALPYR co-organized an activity: a walk through the Mollera de Escalarre with a local guide and a researcher from the project. The event, open to everyone who wanted to participate, served to learn about this space, the benefits (ecosystem services) it provides, and the actions that can be taken to preserve this and other wetlands.
Additional information: LIFE RESQUE ALPYR
L'entrada World Wetlands Day 2025 ha aparegut primer a CEAB.