4 February 2013
SPREP Director General Highlights Importance of Wetlands
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In commemoration of World Wetlands Day, David Sheppard, Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), has highlighted the role of wetlands in the Pacific.

In his address, he describes wetlands as the natural infrastructure for managing water, as they store and provide the water for human consumption and production needs.

1 February 2013: In commemoration of World Wetlands Day, David Sheppard, Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), has highlighted the role of wetlands in the Pacific. In his address, he describes wetlands as the natural infrastructure for managing water, as they store and provide the water for human consumption and production needs.

World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February each year.

Sheppard cites Lake Lanoto’o in Samoa, which is a designated Wetland of International Importance, and its ecological role in maintaining the health of the water supply of the capital city, Apia. He also laments that unsustainable land use practices in and around wetlands of some highlands have led to decreased water quality and runoff, which adversely affects important coastal marine ecosystems and species that are important for both commercial and subsistence purposes. He notes that the Pacific Islands are implementing the Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific Islands 2011-2013, which aims to protect and conserve wetlands. [SPREP Press Release]


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