World Wetlands Day & PSC at the International Green Week in Berlin

Since 1997, World Wetlands Day has been celebrated annually on 2 February to commemorate the 1971 Ramsar Convention (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as habitat for waterfowl and wading birds). This day of remembrance aims to improve public awareness of the value of wetlands (bogs, lakes, mangroves and marshes). The Peatland Science Centre (PSC) at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf (HSWT) continuously provides scientifically sound information and findings on peatlands through its intensive knowledge transfer beyond this commemoration day.

For example, the PSC team demonstrated the peatland columns developed by the PSC at this year's recently concluded International Green Week in Berlin. These visualise the climate-relevant processes behind the drainage and rewetting of peatland soils. The underlying research experiment shows a CO₂ measurement on a small scale. The three columns are real soil profiles that have been exposed to different water levels, as would happen in the event of drainage or rewetting. The different light conditions and water levels cause differences in the CO₂ fluxes, which could be followed live on a screen at the stand of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Federal Environment Minister Lemke was also impressed by this impressive demonstration during a visit to the stand.

Background to the Ramsar Convention

On 2 February 1971, the "Convention on the Protection of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl and Wading Bird Habitat" (Ramsar Convention) was concluded in the Iranian city of Ramsar. In recent decades, the focus of the Convention has evolved from the predominant protection of waterfowl and waders to the holistic protection and sustainable use of habitats and their species. Germany joined the Ramsar Convention in 1976. The Convention currently has 172 signatory states worldwide, which have declared a total of 2503 wetlands of international importance with a total area of more than 2.6 million square kilometres. (Source: BMUV, retrieved on 01/02/2024)

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