Wet Lands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface and land is covered by shallow water.

 The UN Ramsar convention define wetland as areas of marsh or fen, peat-land or water, whether artificial or natural, permanent or temporary, with water i.e. static or flowing, a fresh brackish or salt including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tides does not exceed six meters. Mangroves, corals, estuaries, bays, creaks, flood plains, lakes etc. are covered under this definition.  

Uses

• They are life support systems for people living around and are effective in flood control, wastewater treatment, reducing sediment, recharging of aquifers and also winter resort for a variety of birds for shelter and breeding and provides a suitable habitat for fish and other flora and fauna.
• The wetlands are a carbon sink and they help also regulate the water, nitrogen, and sulphur cycles.
• They also acts as bulwark against the encroachment by the sea and check soil erosion. Also, these act as a buffer against cyclones.
• They are valuable for their use in educational and scientific purposes and provide durable timber, fuel wood, and protein rich fodder for cattle, edible fruits, and vegetable.
• Over the years, based on the recommendations of National Wetlands Committee, 115 Wetlands have been identified so far for conservation under the National Wetland Conservation Programme
• Wetlands are threatened due to reclamation for developmental activities, pollution, increasing water demand, change in hydrological regime, over exploitation of resources, etc.
• India is a signatory to the convention on wetlands of international importance, the Ramsar Convention of 1971. Ramsar is in Iran.

New Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017

• Seeking to protect over 2 lakh wetlands across the country, the Centre has come out with rules to identify and manage these ecologically fragile areas which play an important role in flood control, groundwater recharge, preserving plant varieties, supporting migratory birds and protecting coastlines.

• The new rules, decentralise wetland management by giving states powers to not only identify and notify wetlands within their jurisdiction but also keep a watch on prohibited activities

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• The wetlands shall be conserved and managed in accordance with the principle of 'wise use' as determined by the Wetlands Authority."

• The Centre's role under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, will be restricted to monitoring its implementation by states/UTs, recommending transboundary wetlands for notification and reviewing integrated management of selected wetlands under the Ramsar Convention — an international arrangement to preserve identified wetlands.

• The rules prohibit activities like conversion of wetland for non-wetland uses including encroachment of any kind, setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries, manufacture or handling or storage or disposal of hazardous substances and construction and demolition waste, solid waste dumping, discharge of untreated wastes and effluents from industries, cities, towns, villages and other human settlements.

• As per the 2010 version of the rules, there was a Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) which will now be replaced by a national committee.

• To oversee the work carried out by States, the rules stipulates for setting up of National Wetlands Committee, which will be headed by the MoEFCC Secretary, to monitor implementation of these rules.

What is Ramsar convention?

Ramsar is the oldest of the modern global intergovernmental environmental agreements. The treaty was negotiated through the 1960s by countries and non - governmental organizations concerned about the increasing loss and degradation of wetland habitat for migratory waterbirds. It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

Under the Convention, the countries commit to:

• Works towards the wise use of all their wetlands.
• Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance and ensure their effective management.
• Co-operate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland system, and shared species.

Ramsar sites in India

India currently has 26 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 689,131 hectares.

Montreux Record

Montreux Record under the Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List. Sites may be added to and removed from the Record only with the approval of the Contracting Parties in which they lie. As of September 2007, 59 Ramsar sites are present in the Montreux Record 23 sites which had been listed on the Montreux Record have since been removed from it.Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record viz. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan and Loktak Lake, Manipur. Further, Chilka lake was placed in the record but was later removed from it.

World Wetland Day

World Wetlands Day which is celebrated each year on 2 February, marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. World Wetlands Day was celebrated for the first time on February 2, 1997, on the 16th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.