Noja, Feb 2 (EFE).- Some 50 schoolchildren participated this Thursday in the Victoria and Joyel de Noja marshes in bird recognition activities on the occasion of World Wetlands Day, to make visible the importance of these species in the ecosystem conservation.
SEO/BirdLife volunteers have taught the children the tricks for sighting and the banding processes of captured birds, which are measured by wing, weight and other biometric data to establish a census that is disseminated at a European level .
The President of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla, and the Minister for the Environment, Guillermo Blanco, have been present at this informative activity, whose objective is to raise awareness of the importance of caring for nature.
In line, Revilla has highlighted the need for children to begin to appreciate what birds mean for the ecosystem and “protect” this “so wonderful” birdlife.
“This is what makes us a responsible society and we love nature and take care of it,” he added.
Cantabria has some 70 wetland areas where 36,000 birds of 68 different species visit each year to spend the winter.
70 percent of the territory of Noja belongs to the Marismas de Victoria y Joyel Natural Park, a protected wetland in which more than 1,600 birds of 39 different species from various European countries have been identified.
A favorable environment for nature lovers to learn to take care of these terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems formed by areas of land that are flooded.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on February 2, this year with the motto “Revitalize and Restore degraded wetlands”, to raise awareness about the value of these spaces and their importance for the planet’s subsistence.
It is celebrated on this date to commemorate the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty that serves as a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
VISITS TO THE LLAMAS
Santander has also joined Wetlands Day with guided tours of Parque de Las Llamas, led by SEO/Birdlife.
The Councilor for the Environment, Margarita Rojo, has accompanied secondary school students from the Jardín de África school, who have been able to meet the most outstanding inhabitants of this urban wetland such as the common coot or the mallard.
They have also learned about the dynamics of sensitive ecosystems that are very important for mitigating climate change and purifying water.
This year the activity has been carried out within the Santander Capital Natural project, led by the City Council to reinforce the role of the network of urban green areas in the conservation of biodiversity, including the restoration of degraded wetlands.
Margarita Rojo has also encouraged the residents to participate in the activity “Sunday in the park”, a free visit scheduled for this 5th.
The SEO/BirdLife ornithological guides will explain to the participants the natural and environmental values of the wetland and will introduce them to the knowledge of waterfowl.
