As part of observing World Wetlands Day, students of Panchayat Union Middle School in Kannanderi in Magudanchavadi Union have collected 10,000 neem seeds to create a seed bank in the school.

At a function organised by the Eco-Club of the school, headmaster K. Chandrasekar explained the importance of wetlands and the need to create an awareness among the people about its values and benefits.

Eco-Club coordinator R. Jeyakumar explained the signing of the convention on wetlands on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

The day was celebrated for the first time in 1997.

He said that the theme for the current year is ‘Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods.’ The European Space Agency has published satellite images of wetlands around the world.

As part of the celebrations, students collected neem seeds from various places and formed a seed bank.

They said that the seeds would be sowed in wetlands and more seeds would be added to the bank every year. Teachers too participated in the celebrations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Salem – February 05th, 2016