It’s World Wetlands Day at the Zoo, Jan.31!
Join Toronto Zoo’s Adopt-A-Pond Programme to celebrate World Wetlands Day with our friends from EcoSpark on Sunday, January 31st!
EcoSpark has teamed up with youth around the Greater Toronto Area to develop the Greenbelt Youth Charter. The Charter represents the voices of concerned youth who care about the Greenbelt and its future, and whose livelihoods will be impacted by the decisions made through the 2015 Coordinated Land Use Planning Review. It is a testimony to the power of concerned youth in stewarding our environment and a reminder to decision makers to think and act selflessly about future generations.
The charter will be making its way through schools and community centres over the next few months as youth spread the word about the Greenbelt, sharing important messages about how Ontario’s Greenbelt helps to protect our wetlands, clean our water, and provide essential habitat for a wide variety of Ontario’s native species. The Toronto Zoo will be hosting some of these amazing youth as they encourage others to sign the charter and learn more about Ontario’s Greenbelt as part of our World Wetlands Day celebrations. Alongside Toronto Zoo and EcoSpark staff, the students will run hands-on activities to help Toronto Zoo visitors take action to protect wetlands and wildlife in their own communities. Join us on Sunday, January 31st and learn how to create non-toxic household cleaners, build a frog habitat for your own backyard, or sign up to become a member of Toronto Zoo’s Frog Watch or Turtle Tally teams! It all takes place in the Americas Pavilion from 10 AM to2 PM; come on out and lend your voice to the conservation of our local natural spaces!
To learn more about the Greenbelt Youth Charter and to sign it online, visit the EcoSpark website.
You can hear what one of the Greenbelt youth ambassadors had to say about his experience learning about and visiting the Greenbelt, HERE.
Why do we celebrate wetlands in winter?
February 2nd each year is World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2nd, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Check out their website HERE.
Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world!
Did you know that up to 70 per cent of Canada’s wetlands have disappeared in settled areas of the country? And every day we lose another 80 acres of precious habitat, which is equivalent to 45 soccer fields. Even so, it is estimated that Canada has roughly 25 per cent of the world’s remaining wetlands!
Canada has 37 Ramsar protected wetlands overall. There are 6 in Southern Ontario and 2 in Northern Ontario, including some well-known places like the Long Point Biosphere Reserve, Point Pelee National Park and Polar Bear Provincial Park.
Come out and make a commitment to protect our precious natural areas! Join us Sunday January 31st from 10 AM to 2 PM in the Toronto Zoo’s Americas Pavilion!
Funding and Support for the Adopt-A-Pond Programme Has Been Provided By:
For more information about Toronto Zoo’s conservation programs, visit:
http://www.torontozoo.com/conservation/ and http://www.torontozoo.com/FightingExtinction/
Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods as the theme for World Wetlands Day in 2016