The World Wetlands Day is being observed every 2 February since 1997. This annual event aimed to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits and promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It also marks the signing of theRamsar Convention on Wetlands on the same day in 1971 at the Iranian city of Ramsar. The Ramsar Convention on Wetland is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, to which, the Philippines is the 119th contracting party.

For this year’s World Wetlands Day celebration with the theme “Wetlands for Our Future” we are enticing youth to experience wetlands for themselves through Wetland Youth Photo Contest. In line with this we are calling the participation of anyone aged 15-24 to snap and upload a picture taken in a wetland location in the country between 2 February and 2 March 2015 to the World Wetlands Day website. The participants for this contest will have a chance to win a free flight to a famous wetland of their choice.

This photographic challenge will highlight one of the many ways wetlands ensure our future. For the details of this contest, please visit http://www.worldwetlandsday.org/en/