Why in the News?
India marked World Wetlands Day under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge”, and on the occasion added two new Ramsar sites—Patna Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh and Chhari-Dhand in Gujarat—taking the country’s total Ramsar sites to 98.
What are Wetlands?
Wetlands are areas of land saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. They include lakes, ponds, marshes, floodplains, mangroves, lagoons, peatlands and man made systems like tanks and kulams.
Key Facts and Significance
- India has lost nearly 40 percent of its wetlands in the last three decades
- Around 50 percent of remaining wetlands show ecological degradation
- Wetlands act as natural flood buffers, groundwater recharge zones and water purifiers
- They support biodiversity, fisheries, agriculture and local livelihoods
- Coastal wetlands like mangroves reduce cyclone and storm surge impacts
Policy and Institutional Framework
- Wetlands Conservation and Management Rules, 2017 provide legal framework for identification, notification and protection
- National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems focuses on planning, monitoring and outcome based restoration
- Coastal Regulation Zone framework protects coastal wetlands
- Ramsar designation under the Ramsar Convention gives global recognition and conservation responsibility
- India has 98 Ramsar sites, highest in South Asia
| [2022] If rainforests and tropical forests are the lungs of the Earth, then surely wetlands function as its kidneys.” Which one of the following functions of wetlands best reflects the above statement?
(a) The water cycle in wetlands involves surface runoff, subsoil percolation and evaporation. (b) Algae form the nutrient base upon which fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles and mammals thrive. (c) Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining sedimentation balance and soil stabilisation. (d) Aquatic plants absorb heavy metals and excess nutrients. |
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