WETLAND CONSERVATION - ENVIRONMENT
News: Extensive
wetland losses of 21% between 1700 and 2020
What's in the news?
● The
world lost about 20% of its natural
wetlands between 1700 and 2020, says a new study (Nature).
● Researchers
reconstructed the timing and spatial distribution of wetland loss due to human intervention by combining
3,320 international and regional records of wetland drainage and land
conversion from 154 countries.
● They
estimate that 3.4 million square km of inland wetlands have been lost since
1700- a net loss of 21% of global wetlands.
Wetland:
● Wetlands
are areas 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.
● In
other words, wetlands are the areas
covered with water permanently or temporarily including all the coastlines of
up to six meters of depth during low tide. The water covering it may be
freshwater, brackish, or saline. It is a type of ecosystem that is flooded by
water and can be tidal and non-tidal.
● According
to the estimates, India has lost nearly
two of five wetlands in the last 30 years.
Significance of Wetlands:
1. Flood prevention:
● Peatlands
absorb heavy rainfall, providing protection against floods, and release water slowly, ensuring a supply
of clean water throughout the year.
2. Habitat:
● An
immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, fish and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem.
● Tropical
peat swamp forests are home to many rare and critically endangered species such
as the Orangutan and Sumatran tiger.
3. Erosion control:
● Wetlands
can limit the extent of erosion, predominantly through the protection provided
by vegetation, and through their ability to reduce stream flow velocity.
4. Productive ecosystems:
● Wetlands
are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain
forests and coral reefs.
5. Regulation of stream flow:
● Wetlands
are often compared to sponges, in
their ability to absorb water in wet periods, and release it during dry
periods.
6. Sediment trapping:
● Wetlands
reduce runoff velocity, and wetland vegetation is effective in trapping and
retaining sediment.
7. Carbon sequestration:
● All
types of wetlands are carbon sequestering systems (carbon sinks), from
temperate freshwater wetlands to boreal peatlands.
● Terrestrial
wetland soils also function as carbon
sinks and can store carbon produced by upland agriculture, forestry and
other land uses.
● Blue carbon
is the type of carbon that is stored by coastal wetland vegetation such as
mangroves, seagrasses and salt marsh grasses.
8. Natural water filters:
● Wetlands
are the world’s water filters which trap
pollutants such as phosphorus and heavy metals in their soils, transform
dissolved nitrogen into nitrogen gas, and break down suspended solids to
neutralize harmful bacteria.
9. Migratory birds:
● Wetlands
are also important to millions of waterbirds that breed in Europe and Asia, such as waders and herons.
10. Industry benefits:
● Wetlands
also provide important benefits for industry. For example, they form nurseries
for fish and other freshwater and marine life and are critical to commercial
and recreational fishing industries.
11. Tsunami prevention:
● Mangroves
absorb and disperse tidal surges associated with these events - a mangrove can
reduce the destructive force of a tsunami by up to 90%.
12. Phosphate and nitrate assimilation:
● Wetland
removes the phosphates and nitrates carried by runoff water through its
vegetation and the action of anaerobic bacteria (which would otherwise not
exist in fast-flowing, energised streams or rivers.
Threats to Wetlands:
1. Over exploitation of wetland resources:
● Increasing human
population and change from subsistence to commercial
exploitation of wetlands resources continue to exert pressure on limited
wetland resources resulting in its decline.
2. Climate change:
● Increase
in temperature is causing polar ice to melt
and sea level to rise.
● This
in turn is leading into shallow wetlands being submerged and some species of
mangrove trees being submerged and drowned.
3. Agricultural activities:
● These
are big threats to wetland since farmers convert the wetland into cultivable land due to its fertility and availability
of water. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of wetlands have been drained for
agriculture.
4. Unplanned urbanization and encroachments:
● Lack
of urban planning results in increasing pressure on urban wetlands due to
growing demands and widespread encroachment of these bodies.
5. Pollution:
● Drainage and runoff from
fertilized crops and pesticides used in agriculture
introduce nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients and other toxins like mercury to
water sources.
● These
chemicals can affect the health and reproduction of species posing a serious
threat to biological diversity.
6. River regulation and water diversion:
● These
refer to altering the natural flow of rivers, streams, floodplains and wetlands
by building dams, and other
structures on rivers and waterways which leads to wetland degradation by the
disturbance of natural catchment of river.
7. Industrial activities:
● This
threat comes from draining wetlands for establishing industrial sites.
● Also
industrial activities are threats to wetlands because of dumping of industrial wastes to wetlands.
8. Tourism:
● Many
tourist activities taking place in wetlands have led to draining of these
wetlands so as to establish tourist facilities like hotels or camping sites.
9. Introduction of invasive alien species:
● Bringing
Illegally or otherwise of nontraditional or alien species into wetlands such as
water hyacinths, Nile perch and clay
fish can disturb the natural ecosystem of wetlands, leading to their
degradation.
Conservation measures
1. Global Level:
A. Ramsar Convention:
● It
is also known as the ‘convention on
wetlands’, it was adopted in 1971 in the Iranian City Ramsar for protection
and preservation of national and international wetlands.
● It
is a treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
● Wetlands
declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines of the
convention.
● Presently,
India has 75 Ramsar wetland sites.
B. Montreux Record:
● It
is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International
Importance where changes in ecological
character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result
of technological developments, pollution, or other human interference.
● It
is maintained as a part of the Ramsar
List.
2. Measures by India:
Over
time, India has taken various conservation measures to protect the ecological
sanctity of the wetlands.
A. Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017:
It
prohibits the following events such as
● Conversion
wetlands for non-wetland uses.
● Setting
up or expansion of industries in wetland areas.
● Disposal
of construction and demolition waste within the wetlands.
B. National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic
Ecosystems (NPCA):
● It
was launched in 2015, aimed at holistic conservation and restoration of lakes
and wetlands.
C. Wetland Health Cards:
● In
2019, the government identified 130 wetlands in the country to be restored in
the next five years.
● Each
wetland will be issued a health card, which will denote its health.
● Wetland
Mitras to be selected for taking care of the 130 identified wetlands across
India.
D. Center for Wetland Conservation and Management
(CWCM):
● It
was established in 2021 as a part of the National Centre for Sustainable
Coastal Management (NCSCM).
● Aims
to address specific research needs and
knowledge gaps and will aid in the application of integrated approaches for
conservation, management, and wise use of the wetlands.
WAY FORWARD:
● The
conservation of wetlands needs management of environmental needs with a holistic approach.
● There
should be people’s participation and
developmental activities should consider the immediate stress on the biota
and the local community residing there.
● Legal
instruments will not merely help in serving the purpose rather we need to involve all the stakeholders to
conserve such ecosystems.
● The
management programs should include sustainable
measures so that those who are dependent on it do not suffer and
biodiversity is protected.
● There
is a need to adopt scientific,
technical, and socio-economic cooperation to conserve the wetlands.
● Integrated management
with a collaborative approach can pave the way for
attaining the goal.