On the 2nd of February 2022 “World Wetlands Day” is being recognised by the United Nations as an International day for the very first time!.  

We’ve created a free Wetlands activity for you to colour and count how many different animals you can find living in the Wetland. The different animal types & answer are written around the edge of the picture.

Click the link to download this colouring activity from Planet Designs Kids Planet Designs Kids Free Downloads on our website or on our Pinterest account.

A Wetland is an area of land where freshwater, saltwater or brackish water covers the surface for some or all of the year. 

They are an important part of the environment because they:

• provide unique habitats for fish, plants and wildlife, helping to maintain biodiversity.
  
• act as a carbon sink by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere which then helps keep the earth cool and climate change.
• reduce the impact from floods by soaking up the water, refilling underground water stores and then slowly releasing the water over time.
• protect coastlines from storm surges
• help control erosion
• absorb pollutants and filter the water 

Many Wetland’s are currently under threat from:

• Human pressures - pollution, land development - drainage / infilling / damming / diverting water flow / logging, over fishing. 
• Climate change, global warming, fire, floods, drought, cyclones, hurricanes.
• Introduction of non-native species, pests & weeds.

How can we help our Wetlands?

• conserve water use
• reduce chemicals used around our homes or where possible find environmentally friendly alternatives.
• reduce, reuse and recycle to decrease our amounts of rubbish.

• get involved in a local wetland conservation group.
• volunteer in clean up days in your area as trash often washes its way into our waterways and wetland environments.
• visit a wetland in your area, enjoy exploring this wonderful habitat, keep an eye on it’s health and let an official know if you notice a problem eg pollutant spill, trash dumped, erosion, injured or decreased wildlife.

To download or print using the above links: 

* Planet Designs Kids Free Downloads (on our website) - click the “Planet Designs Kids Free Downloads” link and it will take you to the free downloads page on our website. Put in your email address and you’ll have free access to all of our free colouring activities. Click “Continue”, then on the page you want click “Download”, and it will then be saved in your downloads folder where you can print it.

* Pinterest - click the “Pinterest” link and it will take you to the Planet Designs Kids Pinterest account where you can find the above colouring activity, click the menu button at top of picture (3 dots … ), and select “Download Image”, it will then be saved in your downloads folder where you can print it.