PEOPLE AND THEIR PROBLEMS

New Delhi, 24 March 2006

Conserving Wetlands

INTEGRAL PART OF ECO-SYSTEM

Radhakrishna Rao

As part of its move to conserve the ecologically sensitive and biologically rich wetlands which constitute an important and integral part of the eco-system, the Government of India  is mulling setting up a national network of wetland protected areas along with the formulation of a comprehensive national policy for the conservation of the wetland resources .According to A.Raja, the Union Minister for Forests and Environment, India has made a modest but firm beginning  towards the conservation of the wetlands.  He  also highlighted the need for the optimal and ecologically sustainable use of Indian wetlands  with a view to address the issues of conservation and the needs of the country.

Because the health and productivity of wetlands hold the key to  conservation of all the species of water birds, including migratory  aves, Raja observed that effective measures are being taken to make Indian wetlands attractive to both the Indian and migratory birds.  India being a party to the Convention on Wetlands singed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, is committed to conserve all the wetlands in the country. In fact, the Millennium Eco-system Assessment report points out that wetlands are “the most threatened ecosystem on the planet”.

Significantly, a three-year-long study on the Indian wetlands completed by the Coimbatore-based Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) with the support of UNDP and India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests has highlighted the need for involving the local communities in the conservation of the Indian wetlands. This well-documented study which covered more than 500 wetlands in the country expressed its concern over the rapid disappearance of the wetlands and advocated strong measures to create a protected area network for the water bodies in the country. ”Wetlands need human intervention. Unlike forests, where minimum interference is desirable, the biodiversity of wetlands can be protected only by the local communities” quipped SACON Director.

Wetlands which are transitional areas between aquatic and terrestrial eco-systems, where the water table is usually at or near the surface of the land, serve as a drainage and sieve for pollutants besides being a rich repository of fish varieties and organic materials. Moreover, wetlands are also known to play a vital role in limiting the damaging effects  of waves along the coastal stretch. In fact, during the 2004 tsunami catastrophe coastal hamlets protected by thick mangrove forests, an important component of the wetland system, remained totally insulated from the killer waves.

Wetlands also help conserve and store flood water. As per the Ramsar Convention wetlands are defined as “areas of marshes, fens, peatlands or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, static or flowing, fresh or brackish including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tides does not exceed six metres”.

As it is, the Ramsar Convention has provided a basic guidelines for the international cooperation for the conservation of wetland habitats. Mangroves, ponds and estuaries  which are important parts of the wetland eco-system, account for nearly two-third of the global fish harvest.

India has substantially rich wetlands resources which exhibit a remarkable ecological diversity on account of the variability of the climatic conditions and changing topography. But then by all counts, Indian wetlands are facing a serious threat to their survival on account of pollution, developmental activities, eco disruption and increasing human interference into the domain of nature.

Today, Chilka Lake in Orissa, Dal and Wular lakes in the picturesque Kashmir valley, Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh, Vembanad lake in Kerala and Loktak lake in Manipur are all faced with the problems of pollution, siltation, encroachment, weed growth and overfishing.

The ecology  of both the Chilka and Kolleru lakes are jeopardized by aquacultural projects. The Keoladeo Ghana National sanctuary in Rajasthan has been  attracting a progressively dwindling population of migratory birds on account of the problem of pollution. Not long back it was a major wintering ground for migratory birds including Siberian cranes.

Significantly, the great Vedaranyam swamp on Tamil Nadu coast which includes the famous bird sanctuary at Point Calimere is getting polluted due to the effluents released by the industries located close to it. The Vedaranayma swamp is home to as many as 240 species of birds, 76 species mammals and a whole range of reptiles. A study by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) reveals that Vedaranyam swamps serve as spawning, rearing and nursery areas providing fin fish, shell fish, shrimps and lobsters and calms.

According to an ecologists, “if wetlands are properly managed, they can provide livelihood to millions of people in the developing world. Indeed, wetlands provide an enormous range of goods and services to men, fertile grazing ground, support  for  coastal and inland fisheries, flood control, breeding ground for water fowl and fuel for poor.

The BNHS has suggested a long term management action plan for the Indian wetlands which have tremendous potential for the conservation of biodiversity as well as their continuation of life support system. The BNHS in particular points out that siltation had accelerated due to deterioration in  land  use practices in the catchment areas of most of the wetlands .Uncontrolled growth of weeds and aquatic vegetation due to nutrient enrichment of small and large water bodies results in diminished ecological efficiency and could result in the premature disappearance of the country’s well-endowed wetland resources.---INFA

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