Wetland
Wetlands are habitat types halfway between deep-water and terrestrial habitats in terms of character. They are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. In addition to coral reefs, they also include mangroves, marshes, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice fields, and more.
These habitats regularly experience flooding from nearby deep-water habitats. As a result, they sustain various plants and animals that have evolved to survive such shallow flooding or substrate water logging.
What Sorts of Wetlands Are There?
- Coastal Wetlands: Areas between land and the ocean that are not influenced by rivers, such as shorelines, beaches, mangroves, and coral reefs, are home to coastal wetlands.
- The mangrove swamps found in protected tropical coastal areas are a good example.
- Shallow lakes and ponds: These wetlands have little flow and permanent or semi-permanent water. They consist of volcanic crater lakes, salt lakes, spring pools, and vernal ponds.
- Marshes: Herbaceous (non-woody) vegetation adapted to moist soil conditions can be found in these areas, which are periodically saturated, flooded, or ponded with water. Tidal marshes and non-tidal marshes are additional classifications for marshes.
- Swamps: Trees and shrubs predominate over these, primarily nourished by surface water inputs. Both freshwater and saltwater floodplains can have swamps.
- Bogs: In old lake basins or other natural depressions, bogs are wet peatlands. Rainfall provides the majority of the water in bogs.
- Estuaries: A diverse range of biodiversity can be found in the region where rivers meet the sea and the water changes from fresh to salt. Salt marshes, tidal mudflats, and deltas are some of these wetlands.
What are the Wetlands' conditions?
- India has the largest network of Ramsar sites in South Asia as of February 2022, with 49 sites totalling 10,93,636 hectares.
- India has 15.26 million hectares of wetlands or about 4.6% of its total land area.
- Under the strict rules of the Convention, wetlands designated as Ramsar sites are protected.
- Over 2400 Ramsar sites currently exist worldwide, totalling 2.5 million square kilometres.
The "wise use" concept from Ramsar
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands states that "wise use" of wetlands refers to preserving their ecological character through the application of ecosystem approaches and in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
- Guidelines for "Wise Use" exhort Contracting Parties to:
- Enact laws and institutional arrangements to deal with wetlands, along with national wetland policies;
- Create initiatives for wetland monitoring, research, training, education, and public awareness;
- Develop integrated management plans that address every aspect of the wetlands and their interactions with their catchments.
- Thus, wise use entails conserving and sustainably utilizing wetlands and all the benefits they provide for people and the environment.
- Wetlands of International Importance are found at 26 Ramsar Sites in India. The important Ramsar sites include the Ashtamudi Wetland in Kerala, the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, the Loktak Lake in Manipur, and the Chilika Lake in Odisha.
India-based Ramsar sites
- Due to ecological issues like pollution, hyacinth infestation, and deforestation in the catchment area, Loktak Lake in Manipur was added to the Montreux Record of the Ramsar Convention in 1993.
- Due to a lack of water and an unbalanced grazing system nearby, Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan was added to the Montreux Record in 1990.
Wetlands are among the world's most productive environments, serving as cradles of biological diversity and water sources and productivity for countless plant and animal species essential to human survival.
Ramsar Convention's importance in protecting wetlands:
- Listing essential sites: The List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) is a list of wetlands that the Convention encourages member nations to nominate as crucial for ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological, or hydrological significance.
- Conservation obligations for listed sites: In addition to working to ensure that Ramsar sites are managed in a way that preserves their ecological character, member nations are required to promote the conservation of Ramsar wetlands and the wise use of all wetlands.
- Methods: To dispel the myth that wetlands are wasteland-like expanses, they involve limiting access to the vast majority of wetland areas and educating the public.
- Support for conservation: The Ramsar Convention collaborates closely with International Organization Partners (IOPs), who assist the Convention's work by offering professional technical guidance, assisting with the execution of field studies, and providing financial support.
- Awareness: It promotes wetlands'conservation and responsible use of wetlands while raising public awareness of them.
Ramsar sites from India
- Karikili Bird Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
- Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest – Tamil Nadu
- Pichavaram Mangrove – Tamil Nadu
What is a wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of 'wise use' in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India. (2018)
