Convention Kicks Off for Wise Use of Wetlands

Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee, left, shakes hands with Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), ahead of the opening ceremony for the 10th Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

CHANGWON ― The 10th Ramsar Convention on wetlands kicked off Tuesday to discuss how wetlands are related to and can contribute to addressing various international issues such as human health, climate change, water shortage, poverty reduction and biodiversity.

The grand opening took place in the Changwon Exhibition Convention Center in the southeastern city of the peninsula and featured congratulatory messages from key figures from all around the world, including President Lee Myung-bak, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and UN Environment Program Executive Director Achim Steiner.

While Ban sent a video message encouraging public awareness toward wetlands as well as environmental issues on the whole, President Lee as well as Environment Minister Lee focused on the function of wetlands and their effect on human lives.

``Wetlands are indispensable natural resources on which human beings, animals and plants are heavily dependent for foods and places to live in,'' Lee said emphasizing the role of wetlands in promoting human health and well-being during the opening speech.

``The outcomes of our discussion will serve as the foundation for more effective environmental conservation efforts worldwide,'' he said.

Under the theme ``Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People,'' about 2,000 governmental delegates and environment experts from all over the world shared their own ideas about the preservation and wise use of wetlands.

At the ceremony, various cultural performances displaying Korean culture to the world were held. Children from 10 different countries joined hands to form the Junior Ramsar Convention, portraying a young vision of wetland preservation. Child performance group Little Angels danced and sang incorporating Korean traditional rhymes using drums and other musical instruments.

A Ramsar Award for those who sought protection and the wise use of wetland was given to David Pritchard, Dennis Landenbergue, Sansanee Choowaew and Jan Kvet.

Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee said that the convention would raise the status of Korea in terms of the protection of the global environment. ``It will open a new chapter in the history of the Convention,'' he said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

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