The City of Johannesburg has announced that they will be supporting the Flufftail Festival, which will take place on 8 and 9 February and plans to take hundreds of scholars to the Johannesburg Zoo to learn more about conservation.

The trip comes after World Wetlands Day, an important global environmental day, which is celebrated on 2 February every year, and has been earmarked to be a educational awareness vehicle in the conservation and restoration efforts of wetlands.

One of the wetlands birds set to take centre stage is the white-winged flufftail which is one of the rarest and most threatened wetland birds in Africa. The population is dwindling rapidly, facing a significant risk of extinction.

Climate change is one of the major factors that has impacted the wetlands. With soaring temperatures, the wetlands are being sucked dry and with less rainfall, water levels are diminishing, affecting birdlife and biodiversity.

The purpose of the Flufftail Festival is to educate children on how to use water sparingly and be green conscious.

Grade 6 learners from across Johannesburg will be hosted by the City as part of the programme.

MMC for Community Development in the City of Joburg, councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba said, “As we continue with efforts to combat the negative effects of climate change, we are mindful that it will only take a collective effort to preserve these precious water bodies. Residents are urged to refrain from dumping illegally, limit the use of plastic, repair equipment instead of disposing items and become part of the A Re Sebetseng campaign to keep our water bodies pollution-free.”

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