The official launch of the Parys Wetland Park will take place over the weekend
of Saturday, February 28 , with a Fun Run and Walk, followed by a cycling event
on Sunday, March 1.

This afternoon already a lot of people were seen walking in the wetland area, and definitely a bird party on the newly cut grass.

What a fitting way to celebrate World Wetlands Day today. This year the focus is once again on protecting wetlands for our future with the theme, “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage”. 

Why celebrate World Wetlands Day?

Celebrating World Wetlands Day reminds us that wetlands are not only crucial for biodiversity, but also play an important role in our communities, industries, and cultural heritage. It also raises global awareness about the vital role of wetlands in biodiversity, water purification, and climate regulation.

Protecting our own wetland. What’s in it for you?

The Parys wetland area offers enormous tourism potential with cross-country and cycling routes developed here, as well as for bird watching, those who want to have picnics and outings in a beautiful natural setting, to participate in creative and conservation projects, and for learners as a conservation and educational site.

The wetland area stretches from Tumahole down to the bottom of the Mimosa Gardens and starts at a natural fountain behind the Viva Filling Station in Parys’ industrial area.

This area has been polluted over the years by people dumping household waste and building rubble here, as well as invasive plants and sewage pollution.

Some sadly even harvest protected plants in the wetland area.

An initiative to rehabilitate the neglected natural wetland area in the center of Parys, to transform the underutilised area into a sustainable wetland ecosystem that is accessible and safe for all communities, started more than a year ago.

Parys Wetland Park

Since then the Parys Wetland Park is being developed by the Parys Wetland Park team, with funding support from Sasol and Damlaagte Solar. Their support enables local job creation,
environmental education, and safe recreational space for walkers, runners and
cyclists.

Schools, students and researchers already use the wetland to learn about
water, species and ecosystems. Over time, the Park will include trails, learning
spaces and areas for rest and observation.

This wetland is the town’s green heart — a place where people and nature can
coexist, if it is cared for properly. When the wetland is healthy, the community is
healthier too.

So if you see activity around End Street, it’s not disruption — it’s renewal.
Bring your walking and running shoes. Bring your bicycle. Or bring your willingness
to help.

Wetlands in South Africa
Wetlands make up only 2.4% of the country’s area. South Africa has lost approximately 50% of the original wetland area. Approximately 300 000 wetlands remain. Of the 791 wetland ecosystem types in South Africa, 48% are critically endangered, 12% are endangered, 5% are vulnerable and 35% are least threatened, making wetlands the most threatened ecosystems of all in South Africa.

Over 70% of South Africa’s wetland ecosystem types have no protection and only 11% are well-protected.
An alarming fact is that 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies, and more.

It is therefore urgent that we raise national and global awareness about wetlands, and how fortunate Parys is  to have a wetland with a natural spring at its source.