Which of the following is known as "World Wetlands Day"?
- (a)1 February
- (b)2 February
- (c)10 January
- (d)15 January
Correct — B, 2 February. World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2 February to mark the day the Convention on Wetlands was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971. The day raises global awareness of the role wetlands play in water, biodiversity and climate resilience. India is a Party to the Ramsar Convention and marks the day through its growing network of Ramsar-listed wetlands.
- (a)1 February — Off by one day — the Ramsar Convention was signed on 2 February 1971, so World Wetlands Day is the 2nd, not the 1st, of February.
- (c)10 January — 10 January is not associated with wetlands or the Ramsar Convention.
- (d)15 January — 15 January is observed as Army Day in India; it has nothing to do with World Wetlands Day.
World Wetlands Day commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the 'Ramsar Convention') on 2 February 1971 at Ramsar, Iran. The Convention promotes the 'wise use' and conservation of wetlands, and member countries designate wetlands of international importance as 'Ramsar Sites'.
Important-days questions are easy to lose to an off-by-one error. Anchoring the date to the fact that the Ramsar Convention was signed on 2 February 1971 fixes the day as 2 February and rules out 1 February and the two unrelated January dates.
- World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February each year.
- It marks the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 at Ramsar, Iran.
- India acceded to the Ramsar Convention in 1982.
- Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were among India's first Ramsar Sites, designated in 1981.
- Choosing 1 February instead of 2 February
- Confusing World Wetlands Day (2 Feb) with World Water Day (22 March)
UPPSC/UPSC pair 'important day/convention' with its date or its subject (wetlands, Ramsar Convention).
India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar Sites. Which of the following statements best describes how we should maintain these sites in the context of this Convention?
- (a) Keep all the sites completely inaccessible to man so that they will not be exploited.
- (b) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and permit tourism and recreation only.
- (c) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach for a period without any exploitation, with specific criteria and specific period for each site, and then allow sustainable use of them by future generations.
- (d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Answer(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Same concept — the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, whose 1971 signing World Wetlands Day (2 February) commemorates.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Ramsar Convention (1971) is primarily concerned with the conservation of which of the following?
- (a)Deserts
- (b)Wetlands
- (c)Coral reefs
- (d)Grasslands
Answer(b) Wetlands — the Convention on Wetlands, signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following was among India's first Ramsar Sites, designated in 1981?
- (a)Chilika Lake
- (b)Wular Lake
- (c)Loktak Lake
- (d)Sambhar Lake
Answer(a) Chilika Lake, Odisha — designated (with Keoladeo) as one of India's first Ramsar Sites in 1981.