The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through its Biodiversity Management Bureau, leads the Philippine celebration of the 2022 World Wetlands Day. World Wetlands Day is being celebrated every February 2 annually to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. The date marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971.

Presidential Proclamation no. 74 series of 1999 also declares February 2 of every year as National Wetlands Day in recognition of the immense importance of wetlands to the welfare of the Filipino people and the protection of global biodiversity.

This year’s celebration is especially significant because this is the first time that it will be celebrated as a United Nations International Day through a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on August 30, 2021.“Wetlands Action for People and Nature” is the theme for World Wetlands Day 2022. It highlights the importance of concerted actions in conserving and ensuring the sustainable use of wetlands for human beings, the environment, and all living creatures that depend on it.

This year’s theme is a call to take action for our wetlands. We need to invest financial, human, and political capital to save our wetlands from disappearing and restore those we have degraded. It is also an appeal to re-strategize and capitalize on nature-based solutions such as wetland conservation, which provides sound and sustainable benefits for human beings, the environment, and all creatures on the planet.

The “Wetlands of Boracay” and the conservation champions behind them will take center stage in this year’s celebration as they set a concrete example on how we can act for our wetlands through collaborative actions with other stakeholders such as the private sector, local government units, other national government agencies, non-government organizations, local communities, and the academe.

This year’s national celebration will be held at the Boracay Wetland Conservation Park, formerly Wetland No. 2, in Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. The event will showcase the partnership in wetland conservation with private companies such as the Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Incorporated, Boracay Tubi System Incorporated, Energy Development Corporation, and J.G. Summit Petrochemical Corporation.

The symbolic turn-over of management of Wetland No. 2 – a completed wetland project – from its adopter the Energy Development Corporation to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, after three and a half years of rehabilitation, will serve as the event’s highlight.

Likewise, all DENR Regional and Field Offices will celebrate World Wetlands Day in their respective localities.

We are inviting all national government agencies, local government units, the private sector, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, and the academe to join the DENR in celebrating World Wetlands Day to show your support in wetland conservation and inspire action for our wetlands.