Ramsar Convention on Wetlands define wetlands as: “areas of marsh, fen, peat-land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”. It is one of the most ecologically productive zones on our planet.

Body:

Provisions for protection of Wetlands in India: Efforts to conserve wetlands in India began in 1987 and the main focus of governmental efforts was on biological methods of conservation rather than adopting engineering options.

Legal framework: Though there is no separate legal provision for wetland conservation in India, it is indirectly influenced by number of other legal instruments. These include

• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
• Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974
• Environmental (Protection) Act 1986
• Biodiversity Act 2002
• Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.

Policy framework:

The National Environment Policy (NEP) 2006 seeks to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for identified wetlands to prevent their degradation, enhance their conservation and wise-use by all the stakeholders.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change recognises the important role of wetlands in the context of climate change.

Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017:

• It will replace the earlier Rules of 2010. The 2010 and 2017 Rules for wetlands both emphasise that the ecological character of wetlands ought to be maintained for their conservation. The rules are notified under the Environmental Protection Act (1986) to identify and conserve wetlands and ensure that they are not degraded.
• Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) has been replaced by the National Wetland Committee, which has a merely advisory role. E.g. recommending transboundary wetlands for notification, reviewing the progress of integrated management of Ramsar Convention sites etc.
• Restrictions – As per the new rules, encroachments on wetlands have been banned.
• It also prohibits solid waste dumping, discharge of untreated waste and effluents from industries and human settlements.
• A comprehensive digital inventory of all wetlands is to be prepared within a year.

National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP):

Government of India operationalised National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP) in closed collaboration with concerned State Government during the year 1985/86. Under the programme 115 wetlands have been identified till now by the Ministry which requires urgent conservation and management initiatives. It aims at conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country so as to prevent their further degradation.

Ramsar Convention on Wetland:

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. India is a signatory to the convention and 27 water bodies are recognized under it.

Importance of coastal livelihood programmes and their significance in managing wetlands:

• Fishing: Over 660 million people depend on fishing and aquaculture for a living. The average human consumes 19 kg of fish every year. Most commercial fish breed and raise their young in coastal marshes and estuaries. In addition, about 40 % of fish production is now through aquaculture.
• Tourism and leisure: International tourists spent US $ 1.3 trillion worldwide in 2013, and an estimated half of them seek relaxation in wetland areas, especially coastal zones. The travel and tourism sectors support 266 million jobs, and account for 8.9 % of the world’s employment.
• Transport: Rivers and inland waterways play a vital role in transporting goods and people in many parts of the world. In the Amazon basin, rivers carry 12 million passengers and 50 million tons of freight each year, sustaining 41 shipping companies.
• Traditional wetland product-based livelihoods: Medicinal plants, dyes, fruits, reeds and grasses are just a few of the wetland products that provide jobs, especially in developing countries.
• Tsunami prevention: Mangroves absorb and disperse tidal surges associated with these events: a mangrove can reduce the destructive force of a tsunami by up to 90%.
• Flood prevention: Peatlands absorb heavy rainfall, providing protection against floods, and release water slowly, ensuring a supply of clean water throughout the year.
• Carbon sequestration: All types of wetlands are carbon sequestering systems (carbon sinks), from temperate freshwater wetlands to boreal peatlands. Blue carbon is the type of carbon that is stored by coastal wetland vegetation such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marsh grasses.

In this context, The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have joined together to map, validate and protect smaller wetlands in coastal region aimed at restoring them through coastal livelihood programmes.

Smaller wetlands cover an area of more than five lakh hectares across the country, with Kerala having as many as 2592 smaller wetlands. The two scientific institutes aim to identify and demarcate wetlands, and restore the degraded wetlands through suitable livelihood options like coastal aquaculture.

Conclusion:

Smaller wetlands across the country are highly in neglected state owing to multiple reasons. Climate variability induced rainfall drastically changes the physio-chemical characteristics of such wetlands which were evidently seen during the last year’s devastating flood in Kerala. The collaborative initiative will help develop a comprehensive wetland information system which could facilitate the village level wetland advisories to the local people by scientific communities.