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‘Destruction of wetlands will lead to water, food and climate insecurity’

Feb 02, 2020 03:30 PM IST

India has witnessed a rapid degradation of its wetlands. In the last three decades alone, nearly one-third of natural wetlands have been lost to urbanisation, agriculture expansion and pollution.

Today is World Wetlands Day, which marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The 2020 theme Wetlands and Biodiversity is an opportunity to highlight wetland biodiversity, its status, why it matters and to promote actions to reverse its loss.

Dr Ritesh Kumar, director, Wetlands International South Asia, speaks to Hindustan Times, on why wetlands are important and the state of wetlands in India.

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KumKum Dasgupta: Ten more Indian wetlands have been declared Ramsar sites. What is the importance of such a declaration?

Ritesh Kumar: The designation of these 10 wetlands highlights their importance for conserving global biological diversity. As a global mega-diverse country, this is India’s contribution to conserving the global good. By designating wetlands to the Ramsar List, India commits to their wise use through the maintenance of ecological character.

KD: Why it is important to save wetlands? What kinds of challenges do they face?

RK: India has witnessed a rapid degradation of its wetlands. In the last three decades alone, nearly one-third of natural wetlands have been lost to urbanisation, agriculture expansion and pollution. The loss of wetlands in urban areas has been more rapid. Data from 26 cities and towns show that since 1970s, for every one square kilometre increase in built up area, 25 ha of wetlands has been lost.

An ecosystem health assessment of wetlands under the 100 days programme of the Government of India indicated that one in every four wetlands had low to very low ecosystem health and faced high to very high threat. As wetlands degrade, so does their ability to make societies water, food and climate secure, and conserve the diversity of life.

Wetlands loss needs to be seen not just as a biodiversity crisis, but as a development crisis, which could lead to more water, food and climate insecurity for society. A transformed response to address rapid wetlands degradation and loss would be to pursue the integration of wetlands, and their wide-ranging values, within developmental programming at various levels.

KD: The environment ministry notified new wetland rules in 2017. But draft rules don’t mention anything about a national regulator and don’t list specific activities prohibited in these ecologically sensitive areas. Your comments?

RK: The revision of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, is to bring the role of state wetlands authorities to the fore for wetlands conservation. As the Rules have been framed under the Environment Protection Act, the ultimate responsibility rests with the ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

KD: How important is community involvement to save wetlands?

RK: Communities engage with wetlands in various ways – from seeking livelihoods to spiritual fulfilment. The values community hold for wetlands are expressed in diverse ways. It is important to integrate community linkages in wetlands management planning, and incentivise community stewardship. This is crucial as over 85% of wetlands in India are in the form of village ponds and tanks.

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