The Conservation and Fisheries Department is hosting lectures at schools this week in observance of Thursday’s World Wetlands Day.

The event this year is being celebrated globally under a theme that has particular relevance to the territory: “Wetlands and Tourism.”

The day is designed in part to raise awareness about the Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty also known as the Ramsar Convention that obligates members to protect their wetlands in a sustainable manner.

“I urge the community to take a moment to appreciate the value of our local wetlands and take advantage of the benefits that they offer,” acting Chief Conversation and Fisheries Officer Kelvin Penn said in press release from Government Information Services.

Mr. Penn added that the Virgin Islands has one protected “Ramsar site,” which was designated on May 10, 1999 at the western end of Anegada. That island’s salt ponds, he said, support various endangered species, including the endemic Anegada rock iguana and a re-introduced colony of Caribbean flamingos.