February 2nd is the World Day of swamplands

On February 2, 1971 the Convention on swamplands of international importance was adopted and it is known as the Ramsar Convention (it was adopted in Ramsar, Iran).  The World Day of swamplands is celebrated annually in honor of this day.

In compliance with the Convention, swamplands are areas of quaking bogs, swamps, dam ponds, peat bogs and bodies of water both natural and artificial‚ permanent or temporary‚ slack or streaming‚ fresh‚ brackish or salty‚ including sea water areas‚ whereof the depth doesn’t exceed 6 m. According to the Federal Real Estate Cadaster Agency, only 0.7 percent of the territory of Tatarstan is covered in swamps. Despite relatively small area of swamplands, our Republic has those areas of the water area that play an extremely important ecological role especially during migration of birds.  

        In 2001, the state nature complex reserve of regional importance “Spassky” was created on the area of 17.9 thousand ha by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan in order to preserve unique landscaping complexes of the insular system, swamplands of the Kuybyshev reservoir, population of Orsini's viper, biological diversity, rare elements of flora and fauna dwelling and growing on its territory. “Spassky Insular Archipellago” consisting of 60 islands was included in 2000 into the list of the Key ornithological territories of Russia and into the projected list of especially valuable swamplands of international importance.

In September 2007, the Presidium of the International Coordination Board of the UNESCO'S Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) decided to include State Nature Public Reserve “Spassky” and State Nature Public Reserve “Sviyazhsky” (“Sviazhsky Wetland Area” and “Spassky Insular Archipellago”) into the Great Volga-Kama Biosphere Wildlife Reserve as cluster areas.

Every year experts of the nature reserve carry out ecological and educational events at schools of Spasskoe municipal district in the framework of the Day of swamplands. This year was no exception. On February 3, 2014 experts of the nature reserve held talks and quizzes with pupils of Trekhozerskaya Secondary School. Experts of the nature reserve told the children about swamplands, their role and importance in natural processes and human life, as well as about the nature reserve and importance of protection of special protected natural areas. At the end of the meeting, quizzes were held, and pupils willingly answered the questions.