February 03, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 24, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 2: US Consul General Ms Kay Anske has stressed the need for renewing public pledge to conserve wetlands.

She was speaking at a programme organised by the World Wildlife Fund’s Wetland Centre at Sandspit here on Saturday to commemorate the World Wetlands Day.

“It is important that people renew the pledge to conserve these unique and threatened ecosystems,” she said.

She congratulated the young participants of the art and speech competitions held to mark the day, and said that awareness of the critical issues of conservation of ecosystems was vital for survival of the mankind.

Ms Anske noted that The Convention on Wetlands drafted in 1971 was an intergovernmental treaty which provided the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

“WWF makes effective use of US technology with items ranging from ultra light inflatable boats for use on high altitude wetlands to sophisticated Geographic Information Systems designed to process satellite energy,” she said.

The programme, organised to highlight importance of wetlands and their conservation for the world’s ecological health, was attended by environmentalists, scientists and students of various city schools.

Later, the consul general distributed certificates among the winners and participants of the art and speech competitions.

Dr Ghulam Akber, Director of the Indus for All Programme, WWF, presented the welcome address.—APP