February 2 is World Wetlands Day. It was 45 years ago that the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was adopted as a framework for national action and international cooperation in managing wetlands. Wetlands are land areas that are saturated with water for all or part of the year, and they're important in local ecologies.

Earth observation satellites are key to monitoring and managing wetlands. This is promoted through ESA’s GlobWetland Africa project and the TIGER initiative ‘Looking After Water in Africa’.

Click here to see a collection of satellite images of wetlands. Gorgeous.