Policy Update
Dipankar Mazumder
Every year on February 2nd, the world observes World Wetlands Day. This day marks a pivotal moment for the international community as on this day in 1971, the “Ramsar Convention on Wetlands” was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar providing a worldwide forum on emphasizing and spreading awareness on the significant role that wetlands play in maintaining the ecosystem, biodiversity, controlling the circulation of water, acting as reservoirs, and helping civilizations to flourish. This has necessitated the international community to highlight the importance of wetlands and calls for their protection and restoration.
This year’s theme titled “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future” underscores the need for collaboration and joint efforts to protect and restore these richly valued ecosystems aligning with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Understanding Wetlands
At its core, wetlands refer to land areas that are either covered by water or saturated with water, permanently or seasonally. The Ramsar Convention on wetlands further categorizes wetlands broadly into 3 types –
Source: https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/
Significance of Wetlands
Wetlands form an integral aspect of the environment and are central to solving interconnected climate, biodiversity and water crises. They are among the most productive ecosystems in the world that provide a wide range of environmental, economic and social benefits.
- Wetlands are the answer to the climate crisis: Lakes, deltas, peatlands, river floodplains, and other forms of wetlands are essential elements of our ecosystem which helps in mitigating climate crisis. They act as sponges and reservoirs during extreme climate events thereby controlling floods to a great extent. Additionally, wetlands regulate climate through carbon sequestration thereby regulating the world climate patterns.
- Wetlands are productive engines of biodiversity: Wetlands are spaces of biodiversity hotspots. It provides habitats for a diverse range of species including birds, amphibians, mammals, fish and plants. Wetlands are home to up to 40% of all plant and animal species, thus restoration initiatives also aids in the recovery of endangered species and increases biodiversity.
- Wetland ensures water security: On the social realm, wetlands offer water security. As estimated, around 95% of the wetlands are freshwater. By acting as natural water purifiers, they provide safe drinking water, store excess water, and recharge groundwater ultimately ensuring stable water supply for humans and ecology.
- Wetlands boost a country’s economy: Wetlands are economically significant. They are well-liked locations for outdoor recreational pursuits including bird viewing, hiking, canoeing, hunting, fishing, and boating thereby contributing significantly to tourism earnings.
Challenges Faced by Wetlands
Although significant efforts are being made with respect to wetland protection and restoration, yet, their degradation continues at an alarming pace. Wetlands encounter several risks such as habitat destruction from urbanization and development, agriculture, pollution from diverse sources, and effects of climate change. Approximately, around 65% to 70% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900. The following are the main threats:
1. Urbanization and Development: Urbanization and growth of infrastructure results in direct demolition of wetlands so as to make way for construction, roadways, and several projects. According to a report by Down To Earth, nearly 30% of the wetlands in India have been lost in the last 30 years. This has been true in cities like Chennai and Mumbai where wetlands have dried up due to massive infrastructural development, expansion of houses, roadways, etc.
2. Pollution through industries and agriculture: The discharge of untreated factory effluents, municipal waste, industrial waste, agricultural runoff has affected wetlands ecosystem. Several reports have suggested the increasing contamination of India’s largest Ramsar site present in Kerala, Vembanad-Kol wetland. In Assam, Deepor Beel, the only wetland of the state, has been encroached for habitation thereby deteriorating its natural ecosystem. Similarly, fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, and sediments from farms tend to contaminate the wetlands leading to biodiversity depletion.
3. Effects of Climate Change: Increasing global warming caused a surge in atmospheric temperature and heat waves across the globe. This has shifted the precipitation and rainfall patterns resulting in frequent droughts potentially leading to drying out of the wetlands. Sea level rise on the other hand, has inundated coastal wetlands, which has the potential to exacerbate saltwater contents thus making the ecosystem unfit for survival of marine species.
Major Initiatives for Wetlands Rejuvenation
Initiatives at the national and international levels have been put into place to protect and restore the wetlands. In India, The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, oversees these rejuvenation projects, providing assistance to states and union territories for effective wetland restoration and protection.
The Central government on February 5th 2025 added 4 more wetlands to the Ramsar site list thereby increasing the tally count to 89 Ramsar sites. As of 25th March 2025, there are a total 89 designated Ramsar sites in India covering a surface area of 1.359.434 hectare highlighting government’s commitment to promote Green India initiative. Designations of these sites are crucial that will not only foster better conservation and management of these wetlands, but also ensure their wise usages.
Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Source: https://www.ramsar.org/country-profile/india
In India, during the budget session 2023-24, the MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Income) Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change which envisages the mission to restore mangroves and increase the mangrove cover along the coastal areas of the Indian subcontinent. This is of paramount significance as restoration of mangroves and wetlands will indeed help the country to combat climate change, coastal erosion, and sustaining local livelihoods.
Additionally, the Amrit Dharohar Scheme was launched which proved to be a crucial step in encouraging the best possible utilization of the wetlands. In line with the government strategy for environment sustainability, this project seeks to improve biodiversity, carbon stock, promoting ecotourism, and increasing employment opportunities.
Source: Ministry of Finance (Annual Budget FY 2023-24)
Wetland Protection & Restoration: A Way Forward
Despite the ongoing efforts, further interventions are expected to guarantee long-term and successful restoration of the wetlands. In order to improve water quality, increase climate resilience, and reverse the loss of biodiversity, damaged wetlands must be healed.
Restoring lost or damaged wetlands offers society a significant and affordable chance to bounce back and improve the advantages for people’s health and welfare. These efforts can expand the geographical expanse of wetlands, recover lost ecosystem services, boost biodiversity and wetland functional variety. It can be an affordable, long-term plan for accomplishing both economic and environmental goals at the same time. In many situations, preserving and restoring wetlands also results in financial savings when compared to artificial infrastructure options.
Notable examples of wetland restoration include Boracay Island in Philippines, Everglades National Park in Florida, U.S.A, and Djegbadji Lagoon Ramsar Site in Benin. All of these initiatives were effective in saving the environment from imminent extinction. For instance, several fish species have recovered in Benin as a result of the restoration initiative. Similar to this, the rehabilitation effort in the Philippines resulted in the beaches and coastal areas being cleaned up, preventing the direct release of untreated effluent. The initiative also improved the quality of the water in Florida.
One of the successful case studies of India is the restoration of urban wetland in Tamil Nadu. This initiative highlights the significance of how scientific interventions and community involvement helps in restoring lost biodiversity and promote environmental sustainability.
In conclusion, wetlands are essential for reducing the effects of natural catastrophies including floods, droughts, and cyclones. Increasing climate crisis highlights how crucial it is to protect wetlands for community resilience. Wetlands are also essential for preserving ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity.
References
- Press Information Bureau. (2024, August 14). India’s Wetland Wonder. [Press Release].https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=152029&ModuleId=3®=3&lang=1
- Press Information Bureau. (2024, February 1). India Dominates South Asia on World Wetlands Day. [Press Release].
- https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=151805&ModuleId=3®=3&lang=1
- Press Information Bureau. (2023, April 6). MISHTI Scheme promotes development of 540 sq. kms Mangrove across 11 States and 2 UT. [Press Release]. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1914421
- Press Information Bureau. (2023, February 1). India is moving forward for ‘panchamrit’ and ‘net zero emission’. [Press Release].https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1895291
- Barton, C. (2024, June 20). The Ecological Significance of Wetlands: A Call for Conservation. Humans of the Globe. https://humansofglobe.com/ecological-importance-of-wetlands/
- Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. (2021). Wetlands restoration: unlocking the untapped potential of the Earth’s most valuable ecosystem. [Fact sheet]. https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/factsheet_wetland_restoration_general_e_0.pdf
- Agarwal, K. & Rai, S. (2023, Jan 9). India lost 2 out of 5 wetlands in last 3 decades. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/india-lost-2-out-of-5-wetlands-in-last-3-decades-say-experts/articleshow/96839492.cms
- Jain, A. (2021, August, 13). The state of India’s urban wetlands and why they need to be protected urgently. Down to Earth.
- https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/the-state-of-india-s-urban-wetlands-and-why-they-need-to-be-protected-urgently-78456
- M, S.K. (2024, November 15). Restoring Urban Wetlands: A case study from Tamil Nadu. IDR. https://idronline.org/article/environment/a-step-by-step-guide-to-wetland-restoration-in-urban-india/
- Evers, Jeannie. (2023, October 19). Wetlands. National Geographic Environment. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/wetland/
About the Contributor: Dipankar Mazumder is a Research Intern at Impact and Policy Research Institute. He holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati. His passion for social issues and governance continues to guide his career aspirations.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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