Context: Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the establishment of a Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM), on the occasion of the World Wetland Day.

• It is India’s first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management and will be established in Chennai.
• It will be established as a part of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM).
• The year 2021 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, in Ramsar, Iran, celebrated annually as World Wetlands Day.

Importance of the management centre

• Wetland Conservation and Management (WCM) would serve as a knowledge hub and enable exchange between State/ UT Wetland Authorities, wetland users, managers, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners.
• The Centre will address specific research needs and knowledge gaps and will aid in the application of integrated approaches for conservation, management and wise use of the wetlands.
• The Centre will help in building partnership and networks with relevant national and international agencies.
• The Centre would also assist the national and State/ UT Governments in the design and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks, management planning, monitoring and targeted research for its conservation.

What are Wetlands?

• A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail.
• The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil.
• They include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs.
• Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions.

Wetlands in India

• Natural wetlands in India constitute the high-altitude Himalayan lakes, wetlands in the flood plains of the major river systems, saline and temporary wetlands, coastal wetlands, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, marine wetlands etc.
• The man-made wetlands include those resulting from the needs of irrigation, water supply, electricity, fisheries and flood control, etc., contributing substantially to the faunal and floral diversity.
• It has been estimated that freshwater wetlands support 20 percent of the known range of biodiversity in India.
• Gujarat ranks first with a total wetland area of about 23 percent.
• Followed by Gujarat is Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
• Lakshadweep ranks first in terms of percentage extent of the total state geographic area.

Wetland types

• The major area of India is occupied by the river and stream wetlands (34.46%), followed by the reservoirs (16.26%), tanks/ponds (8.6%) and lakes/ponds (4.78%).
• Inland natural wetlands accounted for 43.4% of the total area, while Coastal-Natural wetlands account for 24.27 percent.
• Under the National Conservation Programme (NWCP), a total of 115 wetlands has been identified in 24 States and 2 Union territories of the country for conservation and management.

Significance of Wetlands

• Wetlands are vital for human survival.
• They provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.
• They are indispensable for the countless benefits or “ecosystem services” such as water for irrigation, fisheries, non-timber forest products, water supply and recreation.
• The major services include carbon sequestration, flood control, groundwater recharge, nutrient removal, toxics retention and biodiversity maintenance.
• Agriculture and allied sectors: Wetlands such as tanks, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs have long been providing multiple-use water services which include water for irrigation, domestic needs, ground-water recharge, etc.
• Around 61 percent of fish production in the country is from inland water bodies and it is also the second largest aquaculture farmed fish producer in the world.

Carbon sequestration: Swamps, mangroves, peat lands, mires and marshes play an important role in carbon cycle.

• Wetland soils may contain as much as 200 times more carbon than its vegetation.
• Mangroves are able to sequester about 1.5 metric tonne of carbon per hectare per year.
• Pollution abatement: Wetlands act as a sink for contaminants in many agricultural and urban landscapes.

Flood control: Wetlands help to lessen the impacts of flooding by absorbing water and reducing the speed at which flood water flows.

• Further, during periods of flooding, they trap suspended solids and nutrient load.

Tourism: Wetlands such as coral reefs, beaches, reservoirs, lakes and rivers are considered to be a significant part of the tourism experience in the country.

• Cultural significance: Wetlands especially lakes and ponds (e.g., Pushkar lake in Rajasthan and Ramappa lake in Telangana) are intrinsically linked to the local culture.

Threat to Wetlands

• The global assessment of IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) identified wetlands as the most threatened ecosystem. 

Possible Impacts
On Biodiversity and Climate Change

• As per UNESCO, any threat to wetlands  impacts 40% of the world’s plant and animal species that are dependent on wetlands. 
• 30% of land-based carbon finds its storage in peatlands. So it poses a high degree of vulnerability.

On Livelihoods

• Close to a billion people are dependent upon wetlands for their livelihoods purpose.
• Wetlands provide $47 trillion in essential services annually.

Ramsar Convention

• Ramsar convention is a global treaty focusing on management and protection of important wetlands.
• Signed in 1971.
• India is among 170 signatory countries that agreed to pay attention and initiate needful actions towards conservation of wetlands.
• Globally, so far over 2300 wetlands have been identified as Ramsar sites.

Montreux Record

• It is maintained as a part of the Ramsar List.
• It 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.
• Two wetlands from India, namely Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) feature in the Montreux record.