Wetland conservation
- 2. early 1970s — initial development 1970s to 1980s — increasing scope mid to late 1980s — process strengthening and policy integration mid 1990s — towards sustainability (SEA, Biodiversity) Defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of potential impacts of proposed projects, plans or actions on physical, chemical, biological, cultural and socio-economic components of environment.
- 3. Aims and objectives of EIA modify and improve design ensure efficient resource use enhance social aspects identify key impacts and measures for mitigating them inform decision-making and condition- setting avoid serious and irreversible damage to the environment protect human health and safety
- 4. EIA—Three core values Integrity - the EIA process will conform to agreed standards Utility - the EIA process will provide balanced, credible information for decision- making Sustainability - the EIA process will result in environmental safeguards
- 5. purposive – meeting its aims and objectives focused – concentrating on the effects that matter adaptive – responding to issues and realities participative – fully involving the public transparent – clear and easily understood rigorous – employing ‘best practicable’ methodology practical – establishing mitigation measures that work credible – carried out with objectivity and professionalism efficient – imposing least cost burden on proponents
- 6. *Public involvement typically occurs at these points. Itmay also occur at any other stage of the EIA Process Information from thisprocess contributes to effective EIA in the future No EIA Initial environmental examination EIA required Approved Not approved Redesign Resubmit Proposal identification *Public involvement Screening Scoping Impact analysis Mitigation and impact management EIA report Review Decision-making Implementation and post-EIA monitoring
- 7. Benefits of EIA include: environmentally sound and sustainable design better compliance with standards savings in capital and operating costs reduced time and costs for approvals increased project acceptance better protection of the environment and human health
- 9. Wetlands is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas. “Wetland degradation” is a direct human induced impact resulting from wetland conversion to a specific sectoral or multi sectoral economic use, causing an increase in GHG emissions and loss of carbon stocks. Wetland creation - bringing a wetland into existence, whether by accident or intentional, where none existed previously; this includes creation of wetlands for mitigation, habitat, and water quality purposes Wetland enhancement - the modification of a natural or created wetland to enhance one or more functions. Enhancement of some wetland functions may negatively affect other functions. Wetland restoration - the reestablishment of a disturbed or altered wetland as one with greater function or acreage. This may involve reestablishing original vegetation, hydrology, or other parameters to reestablish original or closer-to- original wetland functions.
- 11. • Wetlands are ecotones between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They get periodically get inundated with water. They support a flourishing community of aquatic organisms including frogs and other amphibians. Swamps, marshes and mangroves are examples of wetlands. • Wetlands include a wide variety of habitats such as marshes, peatlands, floodplains, rivers and lakes, and coastal areas such as saltmarshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds, also coral reefs and other marine areas no deeper than six metres at low tide. Wetland also includes human-made wetlands such as waste-water treatment ponds and reservoirs.
- 12. Aims and objectives • Our primary objective in managing the reserve is to conserve and enhance it, to continually improve its habitats and increase our understanding of its wildlife. • To raise public awareness of existing wetlands in a specific area • To help government officials and other decision makers in finding ways to protect wetland environment and provide them with information that can help in the development of management programs that support the protection of these areas • To provide fundamental knowledge to assist in the design of monitoring programs in wetland areas • To provide landowners an understanding of the value of wetlands and the dangers of degrading these natural resources • To encourage landowners to carefully develop and control the activities that may cause the destruction and loss of our wetlands
- 14. Wetlands are disappearing fast Recent estimates show that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900. Some of the main causes of the degradation and loss of wetlands are: – • Major changes in land use and land degradation, • Especially increased agriculture and grazing • Water diversion through dams, dykes and canalization • Infrastructure development, particularly in urban areas, river valleys and coastal areas. • Urbanization, Industrialization, and increasing population, • Economic growth, • Wastes discharged into nature. • Pollution, Climate change, • Decrease biotic diversity, and invasive species.
- 16. Urbanization Wetlands near urban centres are under increasing developmental pressure for residential, industrial and commercial facilities. Urban wetlands are essential for preserving public water supplies. Anthropogenic activities Due to unplanned urban and agricultural development, industries, road construction, impoundment, resource extraction and dredge disposal, wetlands have been drained and transformed, causing substantial economic and ecological losses in the long term. Agricultural activities Following the Green Revolution of the 1970s, vast stretches of wetlands have been converted to paddy fields. Construction of a large number of reservoirs, canals and dams to provide for irrigation significantly altered the hydrology of the associated wetlands. Hydrologic activities Construction of canals and diversion of streams and rivers to transport water to lower arid regions for irrigation has altered the drainage pattern and significantly degraded the wetlands of the region. Deforestation Removal of vegetation in the catchment leads to soil erosion and siltation Pollution Unrestricted dumping of sewage and toxic chemicals from industries has polluted many freshwater wetlands Salinization Over withdrawal of groundwater has led to salinization Aquaculture Demand for shrimps and fishes has provided economic incentives to convert wetlands and mangrove forests to develop pisciculture and aquaculture ponds. Introduced species Indian wetlands are threatened by exotic introduced plant species such as water hyacinth and salvinia. They clog waterways and compete with native vegetation. Climate change Increased air temperature; shifts in precipitation; increased frequency of storms, droughts, and floods; increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration; and sea level rise could also affect wetlands. Threats to wetlands
- 17. Martha Rojas Urrego is the Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands.
- 18. The Ramsar Convention, signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, is the only global treaty that focuses specifically on wetlands. Today 171 nations are signatories to the Ramsar Convention. The Convention on Wetlands is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Day-to-day co-ordination is carried out by the Ramsar Secretariat, at the headquarters of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in Gland, Switzerland. The Ramsar Convention encourages the designation of sites containing representative, rare or unique wetlands, or wetlands that are important for conserving biological diversity. Once designated, these sites are added to the Convention's List of Wetlands of International Importance and become known as Ramsar sites.
- 19. • The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, more commonly known as the Ramsar Convention, is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem. • The definition of the word ‘wetland’, under the Convention, is any land area that is saturated or flooded with water, either seasonally or permanently. • Ramsar Convention or the Convention of Wetlands was established in 1971 and came into force in the year 1975, upon receipt by UNESCO. • There are 171 contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention. ,
- 20. 1- The Ramsar sites are one of the major protected areas in the world. 2- There are 2,414 Ramsar sites in the world, covering 254,543,971.597 hectares area. 3- In 1974, the world's first Ramsar site was identified (Cobourg Peninsula; Australia). 4- With 175 Ramsar sites, the United Kingdom has the largest number of such sites in the world. 5- February 2 is celebrated as the International Wetlands Day. 6- These sites are maintained in Montreux Record to track any major ecological changes that might affect any of the wetland sites positively or negatively. 1-
- 21. • On January 28, 2020 in an effort to improve the conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of wetlands, the Ramsar Convention has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of national importance • Chilika Lake is called a lagoon because it is a shallow body of brackish water separated from a larger body of water. It is the largest coastal lagoon in India covering almost 1100 kms. • The countries with the most Sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. Bolivia has the largest area with 148,000 square km under the Convention protection; Canada, • Harike Wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the head works across the Sutlej river, in 1953. • the Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland and one of the most pristine in the world. It sprawls across three South American countries—Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay • Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India.
- 22. Timeline of Ramsar Convention: 1962: MAR Conference called for an International Treaty for Wetlands which was held from 12-16 November 1962. 1963-1970: Text was negotiated. 1971: Ramsar Conference was held (2-3 February 1971) where 18 nations agreed to Convention on Wetlands of International importance. The treaty was signed on 3 February 1971. 1974: On 8 May 1974, the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia was declared the first Ramsar site in the world. 1975: Ramsar convention came into force on 1 December 1975. 1980: First meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP1) was held in Cagliari, Italy from 24-29 November 1980. The Convention had 28 member states. 1984: By COP2 was held in Groningen, the Netherlands from 7-12 May 1984. The Convention had 35 Contracting Parties. 1986: Paris Protocol came into effect on 1 October 1986, establishing a procedure for amending the Convention and the adoption of official versions of the treaty in Arabic, French, English, German, Russian and Spanish languages. 1987: COP3 was held in Regina, Canada from 27 May - June 5, 1987, 44 Parties joined the Convention. 1988: Ramsar Bureau was established with Mr Dan Navid (USA) as the first Secretary-General on 1 January 1988. 1990: 56 out of 59 Contracting Parties took part in COP4 held in Montreux, Switzerland from 26 June- 4 July 1990. 1993: COP5 was held in Kushiro, Japan from 9-16 June 1993. The Convention had 77 Contracting Parties. 1994: Regina Amendments entered into force after being ratified by two-thirds of the Contracting Parties on 1 May 1994. 1995: Delmar Blasco (Argentina) became the Convention's second Secretary-General on 26 August 1995. 1996: COP6 was held in Brisbane, Australia from 19-27 March 1996. 93 countries joined the Convention. 1997: The first World Wetlands Day was celebrated on 2 February 1997 in 50 nations, becoming an annual event. 1999: COP7 was held in San José, Costa Rica from 10-18 May 1999, the Convention had 114 member states. 1999: Honduras designated the Sistema de Humedales de la Zona Sur de Honduras, the Convention's 1000th Ramsar Site.
- 23. 2001: On 1 August 2001, First Transboundary Ramsar Site was agreed by Hungary (the Baradla Cave System) and Slovakia (Domica). 2002: COP8 was held in Valencia, Spain from 18-26 November 2002. The Convention had 133 Contracting Parties. 2003: Peter Bridgewater (Australia) became the Convention's third Secretary-General on 1 August 2003. 2005: COP9 which was held in Kampala, Uganda from 8-15 November 2005. 146 countries joined the Convention. 2007: Anada Tiéga (Niger) became the Convention's fourth Secretary-General on 1 August 2007. 2008: Gambia and Senegal agreed on the collaborative management of the Convention's 10th Transboundary Ramsar Site, called "Niumi-Saloum" on 1 October 2008. It is the first transboundary Ramsar Site outside of Europe. In addition to this, COP10 was held in Changwon, the Republic of Korea from 28 October - 4 November 2008. The Convention had 158 Contracting Parties. 2010: The Convention's official YouTube channel was launched on 1 March 2010. 2011: The Convention celebrated its 40 years of activities from 1 February- 1 December 2011. The 15th edition of World Wetlands Day is celebrated with the theme of "Forests for water and wetlands". In addition to this, Ramsar joined Facebook on 20 August 2011. 2012: The Convention's List of Wetlands of International Importance surpassed 2,000 Ramsar Sites worldwide. Also, COP11 was held in Bucharest, Romania from 6-3 July 2012. The Convention had 160 contracting parties. 2013: Christopher Briggs (United Kingdom) became the Convention's fifth Secretary-General on 20 August 2013. Also, Ramsar Chair for the "Wise Use of Wetlands" was established with UNESCO-IHE on 19 October 2013. 2015: COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 1-9 June 2015. The Convention had 168 Contracting Parties. 2016: Martha Rojas Urrego commenced her tenure as the sixth Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 22 August 2016. Her appointment was announced on 16 June 2016 during the 52nd meeting of the Standing Committee. 2018: The Convention's first report, Global Wetland Outlook was published on 22 September 2018.
- 24. There are 42 Ramsar sites in India with a surface area of 1,081,438 hectares (as of December 2020). 2- Chilika Lake is the largest Ramsar Site of India with a surface area of 1,16,500 hectares. 3- Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) were recognized as the first Ramsar Sites of India. 4- Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of Ramsar Sites in India with 8 Indian Wetlands. 5- Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh is the smallest wetland of India a surface area of 20 hectares.
- 25. India’s wetlands are generally differentiated into 8 categories depending on their regional presence (Scott, 1989): • The reservoirs of the Deccan Plateau in the south, together with the lagoons and other wetlands of the southwest coast • The vast saline expanses of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Gulf of Kutch • The freshwater lakes and reservoirs from Gujarat eastwards through Rajasthan (Keoladeo Ghana National Park) and Madhya Pradesh • The delta wetlands and lagoons of India’s east coast (Chilka Lake) • The freshwater marshes of the Gangetic Plains and the floodplains of the Brahmaputra • The marshes and swamps in the hills of northeast India and the Himalayan foothills • The lakes and rivers of the mountain region of Kashmir and Ladakh • The mangroves and other wetlands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- 26. • India, with its varying topography and climatic regimes, supports diverse and unique wetland habitats1. • As per the latest National Wetland Atlas, India has about 757,000 wetlands with a total area of around 15 million hectares, accounting for nearly 4.7% of the total geographical area of the country. • Out of this, the area under inland wetlands accounts for 69%, coastal wetlands 27%, and other wetlands (smaller than 2.25 hectares) 4%2. • Wetlands in India provide numerous ecological goods and services. • However, despite providing these important benefits, most of the wetlands in India are under threat due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and agricultural intensification. • This is manifested by a shrinkage in their areal extent as well as a decline in the hydrological, economic, and ecological functions they perform3.
- 30. • The primary goal of the National Wetlands Policy is to conserve and manage wetlands resources wisely and in a sustainable way with local people’s participation. • The policyalso aims to put the conservation and management aspects of wetlands conservation within the framework of broader environmental management. The objectives of this policy are; 4.1 to protect and conserve wetland ecosystems; 4.2 to prevent illegal utilization of wetlands; 4.3 to restore and maintain the biological diversity and productivity of wetlands; 4.4 to enhance ecosystem services from wetland habitats; 4.5 to assure sustainable use of wetlands and traditional practices by local communities; and 4.6 to meet national commitments as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
- 31. • There is no separate legal provision for wetland conservation in India although it is indirectly influenced by a number of other legal instruments including the Indian Forest Act 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, and Biodiversity Act 2002. • Provisions under these acts range from protection of water quality and notification of ecologically sensitive areas, to contributing towards conserving, maintaining, and augmenting the floral, faunal, and avifaunal biodiversity of the country’s aquatic bodies. • However, the term wetland was not used specifically in any of these acts. One of the major reasons for the absence of a proper legal instrument on wetlands could be a limited understanding among policy makers regarding the need for recognising wetlands as unique ecosystems and a failure to realize their key functions.
- 33. • Based on the directives of the 2006 National Environment Policy and the recommendations made by the National Forest Commission, the Central Government notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules in 2010. • As per the provision under Rule 5, a Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the Environment and Forests. The rules put restrictions on activities such as reclamation, setting up industries in the vicinity of wetlands, solid waste dumping, manufacture or storage of hazardous substances, discharge of untreated effluents, and any permanent construction etc. within the wetlands. • It also regulates activities such as hydraulic alterations, unsustainable grazing, harvesting of resources, releasing treated effluents, aquaculture, and agriculture.
- 34. • Despite the recent national legislation on wetland regulation, a majority of India’s wetlands continue to be ignored in the policy process. The main reason for this is that only a selected number of wetlands have received significant attention (by way of financial and technical assistance from the central government) under the wetland conservation programmes and the remaining ones continue to exist in a neglected state. • Given that only a small fraction of the total number of wetlands have been taken up for conservation, and the growing threat to wetland ecosystems in India, it is essential that other ecologically important wetlands are identified and protected. Further, it is important to regulate large scale land use changes in the catchment area of wetlands and also prevent them from getting polluted in order to maintain their hydrological and ecological integrity. • Moreover, water quality assessments are presently undertaken intermittently for a select number of major rivers and lakes. As a result the assessments do not cover small wetlands which play an important role in the hydrological cycle.
- 35. Wetlands, which area national heritage, need to be conserved, restored and sustainably managed for the benefit of present and future generations, recognizing that they are environmentally sensitive and ecologically important. 1.2 Wetlands provide important ecosystem services including flood retention and detention areas; sediment traps; source of water; aquatic habitats; source of groundwater replenishment; source of natural products and raw materials and sites for recreation and tourism. 1.3 Wetlands also, represent a unique biodiversity and they are green lungs of the cities, kidneys of the landscape, field laboratories of nature and provider for agriculture. Wetlands are considered valuable because they clean the water, recharge water supplies, reduce flood risks, and provide fish and wildlife habitat. In addition, wetlands provide recreational opportunities, aesthetic benefits, sites for research and education, and commercial fishery benefits. Wetlands filter sediments and nutrients from surface water and support all life forms through extensive food webs and biodiversity. They are fragile ecosystems that are susceptible to changes even with little change to the composition of their biotic and abiotic factors.
- 40. • Wildlife Nursery. Because of its unique location between water and land, salt and freshwater, wetlands shelter more than one-third of the country’s threatened and endangered species, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Without wetlands, a huge number of songbirds, waterfowl, shellfish, mammals just wouldn’t exist. • Flood Control. Wetlands function like a sponge, soaking up water that comes in with the tides, or from periodically flooding rivers. In fact, they control floods much more effectively and efficiently than any floodwall. • Pollution Filter.If trees are the lungs of the planet, then wetlands are its kidneys. On the Rouge River near Detroit, Michigan, a wetland demonstration project showed significant reductions in nitrates, phosphorus, and heavy metals. Clean and plentiful drinking water depends on healthy wetlands. • Storm Buffer. Scientists have estimated that every three miles of healthy wetlands could trim about one foot off a storm surge. For places like Louisiana, which have undergone tremendous erosion from oil and gas development and manmade levees, restoring and conserving wetlands is critical. In fact, wetlands provide $23.2 billion per year in storm protection services alone. • Wind Buffer. A study co-authored by EarthShare member The Nature Conservancy showed that mangrove forests, which grow in wetlands and coastal areas, can reduce wind and swell waves, significantly; almost 100%, in fact, with 500 meters of forest!
- 41. • Fertile Farm Land. The staple diet of half the world’s population is rice, which grows in wetlands in many parts of the world. Many commercially important fish species, reeds and papyrus are also harvested in wetlands. • Recreation and Tourism. Between bird watching, biking, hiking, and kayaking, wetlands provide people with many ways to enjoy nature. That’s why EarthShare California member Save the Bay is deploying thousands of volunteers to rehabilitate the wetlands around San Francisco. • Carbon Sink. Because the soils found in wetlands can store carbon for hundreds of years, they play an important role in fighting climate change. • Jobs Hub. US coastal regions provide 40% of the country’s employment: more than 69 million jobs in sectors like trade, hospitality, and commercial fishing. Restoring wetlands also provides many jobs. A study from the Center for American Progress found that for every $1 million invested in coastal restoration, 17.1 jobs were created. • Sea Level Rise Mitigation. By 2100, New York City could witness sea level rise of up to six feet. For those living within this rapidly expanding flood zone, wetlands will provide a critical buffer. That’s why the city is supporting programs like MARSHES, a 68-acre “wetland mitigation bank” on Staten Island.
- 42. • Important services include carbon sequestration, flood control, groundwater recharge, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity maintenance. • Some of the most important ecosystem goods include water for irrigation, fisheries, non- timber forest products, water supply, and recreation.
- 44. The wetland ecosystems have vital values and functions in the world. Human (controlling factor), as an ecosystem stakeholder, benefit from this. Rapidly developing technology enables us to better understand the planet we live in. Due to technological development and increasing human population, all ecosystems are inevitably deteriorated by domestic, agricultural, and industrial pollution; climate change; reducing biodiversity; invasive species; and change of land use. Sustainability includes a greater and more explicitly long-term situation and target than environmental quality increment. Sustainable environmental management depends mainly on ecosystem stability, ecologic tolerance, and biotic diversity. Sustainable environmental management plans need to be implemented and controlled. Therefore, the role of decision-maker authority is important. The fact that the research institutes and the sciences in different disciplines form a consortium and maintain their management plans with a holistic approach has a critical value in this respect.
Editor's Notes
- #2: Dr.Sangita P. Ingole