Wetland Conservation

Why is in news? NMCG organises the 11th edition of the monthly webinar series 'Igniting Young Minds, Rejuvenating Rivers', on the theme 'Wetland Conservation'

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organised the 11th edition of Monthly Webinar Series with Universities ‘Igniting Young Minds, Rejuvenating River’ on 8th October 2022 in collaboration with APAC News Network. This month’s webinar was themed ‘Wetland Conservation’.

Wetland Conservation:

Wetland conservation is aimed at protecting and preserving areas where water exists at or near the Earth's surface, such as swamps, marshes and bogs.

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 UK (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.

The National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the ISRO estimates India’s wetlands to span around 1,52,600 square kilometres.

Ramsar Convention:In 1971, a high-level intergovernmental multipurpose conference was held in a place called Ramsar (located in Iran on the coast of the Caspian Sea) as a global effort to conserve wetlands.

Under this, a framework of national action and international cooperation was set for conservation and rational use of wetlands and their resources.

This conference was organized on 2 February 1971, so wetland day is organized on 2 February every year.

This agreement entered into force in 1975.

It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.

Now, there are 171 parties to the agreement.

India joined this agreement in 1982.

There are 54 wetland sites from India in the Ramsar site.

Montreux record for wetland protection:

It lists the wetlands on which ecological hazard arises due to human encroachment and environmental pollution. It works only under Ramsar.

Currently, two sites in India are included in the Montreux record:

1. Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan)

2. Loktak Lake (Manipur)

Note - Chilka lake was also included in the Montreux record as a result of silt deposition, but in 2002, silt was cleared by government efforts. Thus Chilka Lake was removed from the Montreux Record.