Image related to website content

Young learners celebrate World Wetlands Day with interactive conservation education

12 Feb 2025

World Wetlands Day is observed annually on 2 February in commemoration of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The 2025 theme, "Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future", highlights the urgent need to safeguard these ecosystems through collaboration on policies, regulations, and community initiatives that drive conservation and sustainable use.

This year, CapeNature, in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, celebrated World Wetlands Day at Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve on 7 February. Grade Six learners from Rietenbosch Primary School participated in an educational event designed to deepen appreciation and understanding of wetlands, inspire positive environmental action, and promote overall wellbeing.

Life and biodiversity thrive in wetlands. Wetlands provide the home or breeding ground of many endangered and threatened species, and a multitude of endemic plants and animals can only survive in certain wetland locations. Beyond the clean water and food that wetlands provide, they help protect against natural disasters by mitigating the impact of storm surges, floods, and droughts.

Healthy wetlands are critical for climate mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity, and human health; yet unsustainable development, pollution, and climate change continue to threaten these essential ecosystems.

Wetlands are vital ecological infrastructure that support biodiversity, safeguard water resources, and other essential services to communities. Our department continues to prioritise wetland protection and rehabilitation in the province through strategic partnerships with CapeNature and other organisations. Education is key to fostering an appreciation for wetlands, and initiatives like this contribute to future generations understanding their value in making our planet more liveable and the important role they play in our delicate ecosystem.

Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

World Wetlands Day 2025 holds particular significance this year as it shares the same theme with the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (COP15), scheduled for 23-31 July 2025 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Every three years, representatives from governments worldwide convene to discuss, assess and implement decisions on wetland conservation and sustainable use.

Providing outdoor learning experiences is at the heart of CapeNature’s awareness programmes. This collaboration offers learners a hands-on opportunity to discover the wonders of wetlands, understand their conservation importance, and recognise the benefits they provide to both nature and people. Through interactive activities, we want to inspire a lifelong connection with the environment.

Dr Ashley Naidoo, CapeNature CEO

Throughout February, CapeNature will offer facilitated, curriculum-aligned wetland education programmes. Teachers and parents interested in these opportunities can contact learning@capenature.co.za. Educational resources are also available in the learning library.

Image related to website content
Image related to website content
Share:

Related News

Dont Be Trashy campaign fights waste on land and sea in Western Cape Blog Image
4 Sep 2025
Don’t Be Trashy campaign fights waste on land and sea in Western Cape

CapeNature, in partnership with Soapbox and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP), is working on the “Don’t Be Trashy” Drive to address the growing threat of waste to ecosystems across the province.

CN Access Week Mobile Blog Post
1 Sep 2025
Celebrate the 11th annual Access Week and grab your chance to experience nature for free!

Rediscover the beauty of the Western Cape’s protected areas during the 11th annual Access Week, taking place from 20 to 26 September 2025. CapeNature is celebrating over a decade of breaking down barriers to the Western Cape’s natural spaces, with free day visitor entry to selected reserves across the province. 

Caucasian male fishing in a pond surrounded by tall green water reeds Med
26 Aug 2025
Catch and release helps to conserve the Western Cape’s indigenous fish

Freshwater ecosystems across the Western Cape are rich in biodiversity, supporting a variety of indigenous fish. However, these species are increasingly threatened by the spread of invasive alien fish species, that prey on indigenous species and compete with them for food, space, and breeding grounds.

Cape Nature Green Noise Blog Image with Julia Louw from Wesgro Tourism and Itumeleng Pooe
19 Aug 2025
Celebrating innovative, resilient women in tourism

Women are thriving in tourism and wielding influence from the boardroom to hiking trails, where they beat a pathway for others to follow. They occupy 70% of the tourism workforce in South Africa, and their voices are being amplified in the sector now more than ever. A powerful yet often overlooked statistic that underscores their vital role in the sector.

Klein Estuary Image 1
15 Aug 2025 by Pierre de Villiers
Rivers, Watersheds, and the Klein Estuary: A 2025 Natural Breach Event

Over millions of years, South Africa’s rivers and watersheds have evolved through the forces of erosion, rainfall, and shifting geology. A river catchment, or watershed, is an area of land where all surface water flows toward a single river, stream, or channel, eventually reaching the sea.

Seagull image by taryn elliott
14 Aug 2025
Avian Influenza detected in Western Cape: Public urged to stay alert, not alarmed

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) is a viral disease of birds that can also, on rare occasions, infect humans and mammals. The virus spreads through bird faeces and droplets from the nose and mouth, and is present in other body fluids and tissues of dead birds. The disease can cause high mortality rates in domestic poultry.