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Context: The State Governments and Union Territory administrations celebrated World Wetlands Day (WWD) at all 75 Ramsar sites this year with over 200 events.

Details:

About World Wetlands Day:

• The World Wetlands Day is observed on 2^ndFebruary every year all over the world to commemorate the signing of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971.
• India is a party to the Convention since 1982 and has so far declared 75 wetlands as Ramsar sites covering 23 states and Union Territories.
• The 2023 theme for World Wetlands Day is ‘Wetland Restoration’ which highlights the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration.
• It is a call on an entire generation to take proactive action for wetlands, by investing financial, human and political capital to save the wetlands from disappearing and to revive and restore those that have been degraded.

Wetlands:

• Wetlands, according to the Environment Ministry, are an “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/ tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes.”

• Wetlands are locations where water plays a major role in regulating the environment and the plant and animal life that exists there.
• They happen where the water table is at or near the earth's surface, or where the land is flooded.
• "Lands transitioning between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water table is generally at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water," according to the definition of wetlands.

Types of wetlands

Coastal Wetlands:

• Coastal wetlands include shorelines, beaches, mangroves, and coral reefs, which are situated between land and open sea and are not impacted by rivers.
• Mangrove wetlands, which may be found in protected tropical coastal locations, are an excellent example.

Shallow Lakes and Ponds:

• Shallow lakes and ponds are wetlands with limited flow and are made up of permanent or semi-permanent bodies of water.
• Vernal ponds, spring pools, salt lakes, and volcanic crater lakes are among them.

Marshes:

• These are characterised by herbaceous (non-woody) flora suited to wet soil conditions and are occasionally saturated, flooded, or ponded with water.
• Tidal marshes and non-tidal marshes are the two types of wetlands.

Swamps:

• These are dominated by trees and shrubs and are predominantly nourished by surface water supplies.
• Swamps can be found in floodplains that are either freshwater or saltwater.

Bogs:

• Bogs are wet peatlands found in historic lake basins or landscape depressions. Rainfall provides almost all of the water in bogs.

Estuaries:

• The area where rivers meet the sea and the water transforms from fresh to salt may be home to a diverse range of wildlife.
• Deltas, tidal mudflats, and salt marshes are among the wetlands.

What is the importance of wetlands?

• Wetlands are extremely productive ecosystems that account for about two-thirds of the world's fish catch.
• Wetlands play a crucial part in the watershed's ecosystem. The combination of shallow water and high nutrient levels is perfect for the growth of creatures that serve as the foundation of the food web, feeding a variety of fish, amphibians, shellfish, and insects. Wetlands are extremely productive ecosystems that account for about two-thirds of the world's fish catch.
• Microbes, plants, and wildlife in wetlands play a role in world water, nitrogen, and sulphur cycles. Instead of releasing carbon dioxide into the sky, wetlands retain it in their plant communities and soil.
• Wetlands serve as natural barriers that capture and release surface water, rain, snowmelt, groundwater, and flood waters throughout time. Wetland vegetation also lowers soil erosion and slows the pace of flood flows, decreasing flood heights.
• Wetlands are essential for human and environmental survival. More than one billion people rely on them for a living, and wetlands are home to 40% of the world's biodiversity.
• Food, raw materials, genetic resources for pharmaceuticals, and electricity are all dependent on wetlands.
• They are vital in transportation, tourism, and people's cultural and spiritual well-being.
• They offer habitat for animals and plants, and many of them sustain a diverse range of life, including species and animals found nowhere else.
• Many wetlands are natural wonders that attract tourists, and many are significant to Aboriginal people.
• Wetlands also have a lot of advantages for industry. They are important to the commercial and recreational fishing sectors because they serve as nurseries for fish and other freshwater and marine species.

What are the threats to wetlands?

• Wetlands near metropolitan areas are increasingly being developed for residential, industrial, and commercial purposes. Urban wetlands are critical for the long-term sustainability of public water sources.
• Paddy fields have been planted across vast swaths of marshes. The hydrology of the adjoining wetlands was considerably affected by the construction of a vast number of reservoirs, canals, and dams to supply irrigation.
• Natural water filters are found in wetlands. They can only clean up fertilisers and pesticides from agricultural runoff; they can't clear up mercury from industrial sources or other forms of contamination.
• Increased air temperature, precipitation changes, higher storm, drought, and flood frequency, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and sea level rise might all have an impact on wetlands.
• Material is removed from a marsh or riverbed. Dredging of streams lowers the water table in the area and dries off nearby wetlands.
• Wetlands are drained by digging canals into the earth that collect and convey water away from the area. The water table is lowered, and the wetland is dried off.
• Exotic imported plant species such as water hyacinth and salvinia pose a threat to Indian wetlands. They block up rivers and crowd out native plants.

Facts:

• India has the largest network of Ramsar Sites in Asia, making these sites a critical ecological network for conservation of global biological diversity and supporting human well-being.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched Mission Sahbhagita in 2022 with a mission of ‘a healthy and effectively managed network of 75 wetlands of national and international significance which support water and food security; buffer from floods, droughts, cyclones and other extreme events; employment generation; conservation of species of local, national and international significance; climate change mitigation and adaptation actions; and recognition, conservation and celebration of cultural heritage.’

Ramsar Sites:

• India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq.km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.
• No other South Asian country has as many sites, though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.
• The U.K. (175) and Mexico (142) — smaller countries than India — have the most Ramsar sites, whereas Bolivia spans the largest area with 1,48,000 sq.km under the Convention protection.
• Being designated a Ramsar site does not necessarily invite extra international funds, but the States — and the Centre — must ensure that these tracts of land are conserved and spared from encroachment.
• Acquiring this label also helps with a locale’s tourism potential and its international visibility.
• Until 1981, India had 41 Ramsar sites, though the past decade has seen the sharpest rise —13 — in designating new sites.
• To be Ramsar site, however, it must meet at least one of nine criteria as defined by the Ramsar Convention of 1961, such as supporting vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities or, if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds or, is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks are dependent upon.
• The National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the ISRO estimates India’s wetlands to span around 1,52,600 square kilometres.

About:

• Any wetland site which has been listed under the Ramsar Convention that aims to conserve it and promote sustainable use of its natural resourcesis called a Ramsar Site.
• Ramsar Convention is known as the Convention of Wetlands. It was established in 1971 by UNESCO and came into force in 1975.
• India is a party to the Ramsar Convention. India signed under it on 1st February 1982.
• There are 75 Ramsar Sitesin India
• Sundarbans is the largestRamsar Site of India
• Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the firstRamsar Sites of India
• Uttar Pradesh has the most number of Ramsar Sites in India.
• Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallestwetland of India.

Must read:

 https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/ramsar-convention

https://indianwetlands.in/wp-content/uploads/library/1661237197.pdf

MAINS QUESTION:

1. What is wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of ‘wise use’ in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India. (150 words, 10 marks, asked in UPSC Mains-2018)

 

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1896499