Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere is a nationally significant wetland and February 2 each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date when the Convention on Wetlands was adopted 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Visit the lake and check it out for yourself – our lake brochure includes a map showing the key points of access around the lake. Download it here.

The DOC website has more information about World Wetlands Day plus links. They note:

“In recognition of the important interrelationship between farming and wetlands, the theme for World Wetlands Day 2014 is Wetlands and agriculture: partners for growth.

Wetlands have often been seen as a barrier to agriculture, being drained and reclaimed to make more farming land available.

But the essential role of wetlands in providing valuable ecosystem services such as water purification of farm runoff, recycling nutrients, protecting land from flood damage and recharging groundwater aquifers (as well as offering recreation opportunities and supporting a rich diversity of wildlife) is now being acknowledged.

These days, there are successful agricultural practices that support healthy wetlands and World Wetlands Day is a chance to showcase farming families who are clearly demonstrating that protection of wetlands goes hand in hand with production from the land.”