On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, WWF-India Dehradun organised a full-day event at Asan Conservation Reserve, Dehradun, in collaboration with the Chakrata Forest Division of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. The event was organised keeping in mind this year’s theme of ‘Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth’, which emphasises the symbiotic relationship between wetlands and agricultural and the need to work together with a unified vision for the best shared outcomes.
A bird watching event and an on-the-spot painting competition on the theme of wetlands and agriculture was organised on the occasion with about 200 students participating. During the bird watching session, students were taught how to identify different birds and to understand their dependence on wetlands for survival. About 45 species were identified by the five bird watching groups at Asan. From WWF-India, Dr Anil Singh, team leader of Terai Arc landscape, Dehradun, and Dr Jatinder Kaur spoke about the significance of the theme and the critical need to save wetlands for agriculture.
In the painting competition, Aastha Nagpal, Kanishka Singh and Shrohiti Rawal secured the first three positions respectively in the senior category while in the junior category Shagun Gupta, Rupali Choudhary and Anshika Kamboj secured the first three positions respectively.