REPORT OF
WORLD WETLAND DAY 2025
By
BSI EIACP Programme Centre- Resource Partner on Biodiversity (Flora),
Howrah
at
Krishnagar Anglo Vernacular High School, Krishnagar, Nadia
On 30.01.2025
The World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February to raise awareness about wetlands. The World Wetlands Day awareness campaign is organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands. Contracting Parties of the Convention on Wetlands have been celebrating World Wetlands Day since 1997, when it was first established. Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies and more. It is urgent that we raise national and global awareness about wetlands in order to reverse their rapid loss and encourage actions to conserve and restore them. World Wetlands Day is the ideal time to increase people’s understanding of these critically important ecosystems. This year’s theme of ‘Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future’. This year’s theme underscores the need for collaboration and foresight, as it calls for valuing and protecting these richly biodiverse, productive ecosystems and taking inspiring action on their behalf – together, we can safeguard our common future and wellbeing. BSI EIACP PC-RP on Biodiversity (Flora) celebrated this year’s World Wetland Day at the Krishnagar A.V. High School on 30th January 2025. A total of 627 students of different classes and 15 teachers of Krishnagar A.V. High School and Akshay Vidyapith Girls’ High School of Krishnagar, Nadia participated in this programme.
The programme started with welcoming the delegates by the teachers of this school with flowers. The welcome address was delivered by Mr. Kajal Kanti Biswas, Head Master, Krishnagar A.V. High School followed by a brief introduction about the programme by Asok Basu, Teacher, Krishnagar A.V. High School, Nadia. After the inauguration programme a drawing competition was also organized in this awareness programme. The topics of the drawing competition was ‘Wetlands and its conservation’. 50 students of Krishnagar A.V. High School and 15 students of Akshay Vidyapith Girls’ High School of Krishnagar, Nadia were participated in this drawing competition. An awareness rally was organized on ‘Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future’ slogans around the school campus and surrounding area. 627 students and 15 teachers of Krishnagar A.V. High School and Akshay Vidyapith Girls’ High School of Krishnagar, Nadia participated in this rally. Mr. Arka Banerjee, Senior Preservation Assistant, Central National Herbarium (CNH), Botanical Survey of India delivered an interesting lecture on ‘Wetland and its importance’ in the local language (Bengali). The students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the lecture and actively participated in the discussion at the end of the lecture. After the lecture, the teachers of the school expressed their views on the programme and its relevance in the current scenario. After this lecture a Mission LiFE programme was also conducted among the students and teachers and Mission LiFE pledge is also taken. Mr. Duke Maitra, Asst. Head Master expressed his gratitude to the entire team members of BSI EIACP Programme Centre- Resource Partners on Biodiversity (Flora) for organising the awareness programme in the school. This one day programme concluded with the prize distribution to the winners of drawing competition and by giving vote of thanks by Dr. Susanta Kundu, Teacher, Krishnagar A.V. High School.
