The government has identified 130 wetlands for restoration as a top priority for the next five years and requested that states submit their separate integrated management plans. Each of these wetlands will be rehabilitated as part of the National Plan for the Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) comprehensive plan for wetlands and lake conservation and restoration. This decision was made on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Desertification (COP14) now taking place in Greater Noida. 

Aside from that, the government has proposed introducing the notion of a “Wetland Health Card” to monitor the entire ecosystem using different parameters. The government announced the formation of ‘Wetland Mitras’ (a group of self-motivated individuals) to take care of the recognized wetlands across the country in order to boost community engagement.

Wetlands: 

Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil all year or only during particular seasons. These include marshes and swamps, billabongs, lakes, lagoons, salt marshes, mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, bogs, fens, and peatlands, all examples of natural habitats.

Wetlands can be either natural or man-made, and the water within them can be either static or flowing, fresh, brackish, or saline. There are even wetlands beneath the ground. Wetlands offer a variety of environmental, social, and economic benefits. Many wetlands are natural wonders, and many are significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Importance: 

• Wetland biodiversity is important for maintaining good health, food security, scenic views that promote tourism, and hence related jobs.
• Wetlands are often referred to as the “Kidneys of the Earth” because of their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, hence reducing global warming and pollution.
• They have an important part in the hydrological cycle and flood control, as well as water supply, food production, and raw material production.
• They are a significant water source, with the majority of freshwater coming from a variety of wetlands that help soak up rainfall and recharge groundwater.

Threats faced: 

• The enormity of urbanization put immense pressure on wetlands and floodplain areas in order to meet the rising population’s water and food demands.
• 10–15 percent of the nutrients given to soils through fertilizers eventually find their way into wetlands due to increased agricultural activity.
• Untreated industrial effluents have become a serious hazard to wetlands’ survival.
• High-altitude wetlands, as well as coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs, are among the most vulnerable types that will be impacted by climate change.
• Immersion of idols and religious ceremonial waste, exotic species introduction, encroachments, and unregulated aquaculture are all other examples.

Ramsar Convention: 

The Ramsar Convention is a pact that protects wetlands around the world. It was created to safeguard wetlands more than 40 years ago. More than 2,400 wetlands have been recognized as Wetlands of International Importance, encompassing 630,000,000 acres. It was signed on February 2, 1971, by 171 countries totaling 253.6 million hectares.

As it mandates contracting parties to adopt National Wetland Policies, produce wetland inventories, conduct wetland monitoring and research, raise public awareness of wetlands, and develop integrated management plans for wetlands sites, it is a significant way to conserve endangered wetlands to the Ramsar Convention which is expected to help in protecting it. 

Wetlands in India: 

In India, there are 19 different types of wetlands covering 4.63 percent of the country’s total land area. Gujarat is the state with the most wetlands, accounting for 17.56 percent of the state’s entire geographical area and 22.7 percent of the country’s total wetlands areas, attributable to its lengthy coastline. 

Additionally, there are 42 Ramsar Sites with a total surface area of 1.08 million hectares. The wetland ecology of the Sundarbans National Park, which includes tidal rivers, streams, and canals, is home to numerous rare animal species, including endangered aquatic mammals like the Irrawaddy, Ganges-river dolphins, and the world’s single largest population of tigers.

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Conservation: 

The NPCA is a wetland and lake protection organization. It is a government-sponsored scheme that was created by combining the National Lake Conservation Plan and the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.

Through an integrated and interdisciplinary strategy with a shared regulatory framework, it strives to achieve comprehensive conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands in order to achieve desired water quality enhancements as well as improvements in biodiversity and ecology.

National efforts to conserve wetlands: 

1. Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 advises against and regulates activities within wetlands and their zones of influence. The Central Wetland Regulatory Authority (CWRA) enforces the Central Government’s wetlands regulations.
2. Since 1986, the National Wetland Protection Program (NWCP) has selected 115 wetlands in 24 states and two UTs for conservation and management.
3. The draft revised Wetlands Rules, 2016, intended to regulate wetlands in protected areas, notified forests, and coastal zones in accordance with applicable laws and rules.

Conclusion: 

According to research published by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests, with 35 percent of wetlands destroyed between 1970 and 2015. It’s a worrying condition that requires immediate care, as 40% of the world’s plant and animal species reproduce in wetlands. Hence it is a right step taken by the Government of India to identify the wetlands in order of priority and conserve them as soon as possible.