The world remembers the benefits of wetlands to humans and other living organisms on the 2nd of February every year, which has been christened, World Wetlands Day. The Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations all over the world take advantage of the day to initiate activities aimed at raising public awareness on the value of wetlands. The theme for this year’s celebration is: Wetlands and Tourism, which is linked to the theme for the next meeting of the Conference of the parties that signed the Ramsar convention. The meeting scheduled for July, in Bucharest, Romania will focus on Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation. The theme therefore focuses on wetlands and sustainable tourism, and how tourism can benefit Ramsar Sites and all wetlands. A report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization indicates that, at least 35% of Ramsar Sites around the world record some level of tourism activity and this percentage is consistent throughout all regions. It is important to consider tourism in all wetlands – not just those designated as Ramsar Sites – since the Contracting Parties to the Convention are committed to managing all wetlands.

In Ghana, uncontrolled human activities like pollution, encroachment and excessive fishing are fast destroying many wetlands, particularly Ramsar Sites and driving rare animal species into extinction. The Densu delta at Weija, the Ramsar at Sakumono, the Songhor lagoon in Ada, the Chemu lagoon in Tema and the Muni lagoon in Winneba are but a few of the essential wetlands that have been badly affected by human activities. The Kpeshie lagoon, the Korle Lagoon and the infamous Odaw river have all been made worse off by human activities, especially by squatters. At some of these Ramsar sites, developers have cleared the mangroves to make way for buildings and other structures. The lack of proper waste disposal facilities in the fast-growing settlements around these sites has also resulted in heavy pollution as residents dump solid and liquid waste directly into these water bodies. Uncontrollable stone quarrying activities at Weija has also resulted in the pollution of the Densu damaging ecological life in the process. At the Sakumono Ramsar site also, excessive fishing and the cutting of mangroves has been a major threat to the protection of ecological life. What happens finally is that the habitats of important animal species are being lost rapidly.

Wetlands constitute significant tourism resource, protecting them therefore could fetch the country substantial foreign exchange. The Amansuri wetland in the Western Region, which is the biggest stretch of wetlands in Ghana, is of national and international importance. As the only known swamp peat forest in Ghana, Amansuri wetlands is the best example of an intact swamp forest. It also has been selected as an Important Bird Area of global significance, which is based on Birdlife International criteria. There is also, the famous Nzulenzu, the village on silt, situated on the Amansuri wetlands including the canoe ride. The oral tradition of the settlers is enough tourist attraction on its own, not to talk of the lifestyle of the residents of the renowned village on water. Ensuring well-managed tourism practices in and around wetlands and educating tourists on the value of these water bodies will also contribute to the health of the world's wetlands and the long-term benefits that wetlands provide to people, wildlife, economics, and biodiversity.

BY: FANNY NANA AMPON, A JOURNALIST .