GEPOMAY celebrates World Wetlands Day

Organized on February 2 in Tsimkoura city by the EEDD 976 Network, World Wetlands Day was an opportunity for GEPOMAY to talk about the Madagascar pond heron and the Life BIODIV’OM program to the general public.

Wetlands in the spotlight
Several presentations were made during this event to highlight the different wetlands of Mayotte. In total, around ten presenters and around thirty spectators (families with children included) were present.
Thus, the Mangrove Environment Association (local association of Chirongui), for example, presented the mangroves, the Forest Resources Service of the Departmental Council, the rivers in the forest and the GEPOMAY, the wet meadows and the Madagascar pond heron as that emblematic bird of the Mayotte wetlands.

WYDD
Each year, World Wetlands Day (WYDD) is celebrated on February 2, to commemorate the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
This day is the occasion to organize a free public event, which opens the “month of wetlands” in Mayotte.
To liven up the day, a breakfast was offered and a 2-hour walk in the various settings was organized.

Wetlands in Mayotte
A wetland is a transition space between land and water. It is covered with shallow water, either permanently or temporarily. It is a very diverse ecosystem that forms on the fringes of rivers, ponds, lakes, estuaries, deltas, bays and even springs.
The wetlands of Mayotte cover a total of 1615 hectares. However, many of them are threatened.
A wetland is classified RAMSAR in Mayotte: the “Vasière des Badamiers”, on Petite-Terre. This mudflat is partially covered with mangroves and presents seagrass beds and different species of algae and serves as a refuge as well as a place of reproduction, feeding and wintering for many species of birds, fish and turtles such as the green turtle.