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Wetlands work for nature and people 24 hours a day

Areas in our surroundings that are permanently or occasionally under water, are most commonly known as bogs, marshes, saltpans, floodplain and wet meadows, floodplain forests, saltwater lagoons, floodplains along rivers, and so on.
This year's Wetlands Day events are taking place under the slogan "Wetlands Action for People and Nature"

This year's Wetlands Day events are taking place under the slogan "Wetlands Action for People and Nature" | Author MOP

This year's World Wetlands Day, celebrated on 2 February, is dedicated to raising public awareness of the wetlands in our surroundings, because only in this way can we understand their important role for people and nature. For the first time in the 25 years of its international observance, the Wetlands Day is being celebrated under the auspices of the United Nations International Days.

This year's Wetlands Day events are taking place under the slogan "Wetlands Action for People and Nature". With this slogan, the United Nations Organisation wishes to encourage greater investments in wetland conservation and restoration. Wetlands are one of the fastest disappearing ecosystems in the world – it is estimated that 90% of wetland areas have been lost in the past 300 years.

Many of Slovenia's wetlands are part of the European nature protection network Natura 2000 and belong to protected areas that are a magnet for nature lovers and tourism. Among them are the Zelenci Nature Reserve, one of the most visited wetlands in the Alpine region of Slovenia, the Lovrenško Barje marshland on Pohorje, Lake Cerknica, the Škocjan Caves, the Škocjanski Zatok and the Ormoške Lagune Nature Reserves, the Ljubljana Marshes, peatlands on Pokljuka in the Triglav National Park, the Pivka Intermittent Lakes, and the Sečovlje Saltpans. The latter are the only saltwater wetlands in Slovenia.

In Slovenia, wetlands cover less than 5% of the territory. They include, however, three Natura 2000 sites, listed on the List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance: the Sečovlje Saltpans (since 1993), the Škocjan Caves (since 1999), and Lake Cerknica with the Križna Cave and the Rakov Škocjan collapse doline (since 2006).