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Protect Our Wetlands : A Call to Action

By Prateeksha Asati, Subarna Seth and Shubhda Sharma


WHAT ARE WETLANDS?

Source: The World Economic Forum


Wetlands are regions of land that have been saturated by water and do not drain well. They are neither completely dry terrain nor any type of lake or river, yet they share traits of both, making them a diverse habitat. Water saturation can be permanent (lasting years or decades) or transitory (lasting weeks or months). They are important in the world because they are home to some of the world's most endangered flora and fauna. The sources of wetlands include :

  • Groundwater seeping up from aquifers.

  • Nearby rivers, lakes.

  • Seawater can also serve in the creation of a wetland, in coastal areas that are used to strong tides.


TYPES OF WETLANDS


Wetlands surprise us in 4 different avatars, they are :


SWAMPS:

These are permanent wetlands where woody plants, or better still, trees, predominate. Waterways, streams, and river runoff provide moisture to swamps. Swamps are home to a variety of bird species as well as small animals such as bees. In the drier parts of wetlands, palms and grasses thrive. Swamps are of two types: Freshwater Swamps and Saltwater Swamps.


MARSHES:

Instead of being immersed underwater only during the summer, marshes are wetlands that are flooded with water all year, though there may be a slight fluctuation in the volume of water as the seasons change. Waterways, streams, and river runoff provide them with moisture. Marshes are home to a diverse range of plants that have evolved to thrive in saturated soil. These are distinct from swamps in that they are often dominated by soft- stemmed plants rather than trees. Freshwater, saltwater, inland, and coastal marshes are the four types of marshes.


BOGS:

Bogs are wetland areas that are saturated with water, have an acidic pH, and spongy peat deposits. They have a sphagnum moss cover and get their moisture from precipitation, unlike swamps and marshes, which get their moisture from waterways. Bogs are excellent at preventing downstream floods because they absorb rainwater as it falls and prevent rivers and other waterways from expanding. Northern bogs and Pocosin bogs are the two types of bogs.


FENS:

Fens and Bogs are similar in many ways (they are both peat-forming wetlands), but their supply of moisture is different. Fens, unlike Bogs, obtain their moisture from ground water rather than precipitation or streams, implying that they are less acidic. Fens, like Bogs, are useful for preventing floods. They absorb water from the earth and prevent it from seeping elsewhere since they derive their moisture from groundwater. Sloping fens, Basin fens, and Spring fens are the three types of fens.



IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS


Because there are so many various types of wetlands, each one has its own set of advantages. They don't all provide the same benefits to animals, plants, and even humans as others, but they're all necessary.

Source: NAMEPA


Wetlands keep the ecosystem's food web in balance by moving nutrients from one medium to another and providing food for a variety of aquatic species such as shellfish, amphibians, and insects. They take part in a variety of ecosystem cycles, including the water, sulphur, and nitrogen cycles. They store carbon in their plant communities instead of releasing it as carbon dioxide.

Wetlands trap and retain precipitated water, water from the mountains in streams, and groundwater, preventing floods in other regions, possibly further downhill. This can have a favourable impact not just on the ecosystem as a whole, but it can also be highly beneficial to those who live near rivers or waterways that are prone to floods.


Wetlands are excellent at preventing flooding because they discharge water back into streams and adjacent areas. After passing through places rich in diverse types of plant life, this water is packed with vegetative matter, which then finds its way into rivers and streams. This vegetative matter is absolutely essential for sustaining the fishes living in these waterways. The release of vegetative waste also helps to reduce the amount of nutrients, seeds, and other matter that enters streams and rivers, as well as other animals. This can aid in the stabilization, rejuvenation, and enrichment of ecosystems in and surrounding wetlands.


Wetlands are home to a variety of creatures. These types of habitats are home to birds like herons, fish, and amphibians. They provide a safe haven for animals to hide from predators – potentially even from the air – while also providing a variety of food sources such as grasses, mosses, and other plant life. Amphibians may hunt and scavenge away from the wetlands, but they always return to find a good place to mate and breed, because wetlands offer a lot more safety than other places.


Source: Two Oceans Aquarium


Sediment is a natural occurrence that typically begins in rivers. Water will sometimes whisk silt away as it runs across dry ground. This material will eventually end up in the sea, which isn't a big deal, but erosion could be a concern. Animals may find themselves with less place to hunt, mate, or survive as the earth disappears. Wetlands are useful for erosion control. Emergent - plants that are securely rooted in the ground but have stalks that come up out of the water into the air – grow almost exclusively in wetlands, which slows the flow of water and causes erosion to be less severe in these locations, as well as in lakes and rivers with slower water.



STATUS OF WETLANDS IN INDIA


India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems distributed in different geographical regions. There are 27,403 wetlands in total, with 23,444 inland wetlands and 3,959 coastal wetlands. In India, 1.5 million hectares (excluding irrigated agricultural areas, rivers, and streams) of wetlands are natural, while 2.6 million hectares (excluding irrigated agricultural lands, rivers, and streams) are human-made.


Source: Times of India


The majority of the wetlands in southern peninsular India are human-made and are referred to as "Yeris" which means "tanks". They are built in every hamlet and offer water for a multitude of human purposes as well as functioning as nesting, feeding, and breeding areas for a wide range of bird species. Natural wetland locations in South India include Point Calimere in Tamilnadu, Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta, and Vembanad Kol lakes in Kerala, and Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh. The mangrove vegetation dominates the coastal wetlands, which cover an estimated 6,750 square kilometers. The Sundarbans of West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands account

for over 80% of all mangroves.


The Sundarbans, a saltwater swamp in India and Bangladesh, has the largest mangrove forest in the world! Located on mud flats near the delta of the Ganges River, the area is saturated in freshwater. The Sundarbans also experience strong tides from the Indian Ocean. The biodiversity of the Sundarbans stretches from tiny algae and moss to Bengal tigers! Hundreds of different species of mangrove trees thrive in the Sundarbans! The large reptiles of the Sundarbans regularly prey on mammals such as deer, boar, mongooses, and monkeys. However, the most famous predator of the Sundarbans is the Bengal tiger, an endangered species!


In India, wetlands make up 4.7 percent of the country's total land area! These wetlands provide a wide range of ecological products and services, but they are under danger! According to a survey conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, 70-80 percent of individual freshwater marshes and lakes in the Gangetic floodplains have vanished in the last five decades. Only half of India's wetlands are still present. They are rapidly disappearing at a rate of 2% to 3% per year.


Reasons for wetlands loss in India are:

There are several factors that contribute to the degradation of wetlands, including urbanization, climate change, drainage, agriculture, and others. Water bodies are becoming contaminated by pollution. Wetlands can filter agricultural fertilizer and pesticides, but they can't clean water bodies of mercury and other heavy metals released by industrial waste. Sometimes wetlands come under risk due to exotic introduced species like in India, water hyacinths which drain out the oxygen from the water have led to death of many aquatic organisms. There is no effective regulatory framework for conservation of wetlands in India.



WORLD WETLANDS DAY AND WETLANDS CONSERVATION


The annual World Wetlands Day, held on February 2nd, strives to promote global awareness of the importance of wetlands to people and the environment. This day also commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on February 2, 1971. Since 1997, World Wetlands Day has been used to:

  • Raise public awareness of wetland values and advantages, and bring communities together for Mother Nature's benefit.

  • Encourage wetlands protection and wise use. On this day, environmentalists and community guardians gather together to celebrate their passion for nature.

In recent years, the government and numerous international organisations have taken significant steps to protect wetlands. The Ramsar Convention and the Montreux Record, for example. On February 2, 1971, Ramsar, a convention treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, was signed. Its name is derived from the Iranian city of Ramsar. The convention has 170 signatories (COP). 64 percent of wetlands vanished in the last century. Wetlands have a vital role in the environment. They provide freshwater, food, and habitat for aquatic organisms, as well as protecting areas around wetlands from flooding and soil erosion. Because of all of this, a convention was required. By establishing rules and accepting resolutions and suggestions from many organisations, the COP plays a vital role in the Ramsar Convention. Representatives of the Contracting Parties gather every three years at the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP). In 2015, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP12) was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay.


In 2018, COP13 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Each Contracting Party agrees to identify at least one wetland site for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance when they join the Convention. The government's commitment to take the necessary efforts to ensure that the ecological character of a "Ramsar Site" is preserved is embodied in its inclusion on the List. On the borders of 170 Ramsar Contracting Parties around the world, there are over 2,300 Ramsar Sites.


The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where ecological changes have occurred, are occurring, or are anticipated to occur as a result of technological innovations, pollution, or other human involvement. The Ramsar Convention works closely with six organizations known as International Organization Partners, these

are:


1. Bird Life International

2. International Union for Conservation of Nature

3. Wetlands International

4. WWF

5. International Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

6. International Water Management Institute


In India, the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) and two Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) (115 Wetlands) and the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), are managed by the NRCD of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) (63 Lakes). The NWCP was established in 1987 and was initially limited to the Ramsar Wetlands.

Source: ENVIS Centre on Wildlife & Protected Areas


It published Guidelines for Wetland Conservation and Management in 2009 and has designated 122 wetlands for protection. Funds have been provided to state governments for operations such as survey and delineation, catchment area remediation, biodiversity conservation, and fisheries in order to conserve identified wetlands.

There are a few other measures that can aid in the preservation of our wetlands. One of them is keeping a native plant buffer strip around streams and wetlands. This strategy aids in the preservation of plant diversity in that specific area. There are a few additional steps to take:

  • Use insecticides and fertilisers only when absolutely necessary.

  • Avoid non-native and invasive plant species, as well as rainwater run-off and pollution.


WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2022

Source: International Coral Reef Initiative


2 February 2022 is the first year that World Wetlands Day will be marked as a United Nations International Day, following its adoption by the General Assembly on 30 August 2021 in a resolution co-sponsored by 75 member states. The theme for 2022 is "Wetlands Action for People and Nature", emphasizing the need of taking steps to secure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for human and planetary health. This year's campaign is focused on an urgent call to action. It's a call to action to rescue the world's wetlands from extinction — and to restore those that have already been lost — by investing financial, human, and political capital.



REFERENCES

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