WORLD WETLAND DAYAn attempt to save

the saviour of life on

earth

ABHILASHA TRIPATHI

M.Tech. Environmental Engg. And

Mgmt. (II yr)

CPEE, P.U.

Historical overview

Celebrated as an anniversary of Ramsar convention held at

Ramsar, Iran on 2 Feb 1971.

Hosted by: Iranian Department of Environment

Came into force on December 21,1975

World Wetland Day was first celebrated in 1997.

Includes over 2,000 Sites all around the world.

Presently there are 168 contracting parties.

Organised in order to keep a check on the abrupt loss of

wetlands.

In twentieth century almost 50% of wetlands are already

lost.

What is a wetland??

A wetland is a land area that is saturated

with water, either permanently or

seasonally, such that it takes on the

characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.

Depth is generally not more than six

metres at low tide.

Ecotone between terrestrial and aquatic

eco-systems.

According to WWF-India, wetlands are

one of the most threatened of all

ecosystems in India.

What wetlands do to us?? Nutrient Retention: Wetlands cycle both sediments

and nutrients balancing terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Retain water during dry periods, thus keeping the water table high and relatively stable.

Vital role in water cycle: Capturing and holding rainfall and snowmelt, retaining sediments.

Water purification: The groundwater that humans depend on for drinking and other uses is cleaned and purified by wetlands – bogs, marshes, swamps, and other wetland areas actually make our water drinkable.

They trap 20% of all carbon emissions naturally.

A barrier to erosion: They slow down floodwaters,

they help stop erosion on beaches and riverbanks, and

they make local weather patterns less extreme.

Treasure of biodiversity: Wetlands host a variety of

habitats, diversity of life as well as some threatened

and endangered species.

Wetlands are vital to fish and the angler community

Wetlands also provide:

Fuel wood

Salt (produced by evaporating seawater)

Animal fodder

Traditional medicines (e.g. from mangrove bark)

What's going wrong ??

Over fishing

Dam formation

Introduction of invasive alien species

Drowning of mangrove species due to rise

of sea level.

Inflow of agricultural fertilizers and

pesticides

Dumping of industrial wastes

Exploitation of mangrove forest for food

, fuel, etc.

In Vietnam and other parts of the Mekong region, many wetlands have been

converted to rice paddies

How can we save the dwindling of wetlands??

The foremost tool EDUCATION:

Educating and mobilising local communities.

Report illegal activity such as filling,

clearing, or dumping in wetlands to

government authorities.

Plant native species of trees, shrubs, and

flowers to preserve the ecological balance of

local wetlands.

Avoid wetlands for residential expansion.

Avoid spraying chemicals on plantation on rainy days.

Use phosphate-free laundry and dishwasher detergents.

Pick up all litter and dispose in appropriate trash containers.

Use paper and recycled products made from unbleached paper.

Reduce, reuse and recycle household items and waste.

Treasures of our nation

There are 26 Ramsar sites in India.

Chilika lake and Keoladeo National

park are the oldest recognised

Ramsar sites back in 1981.

Chilika lake is the largest wetland

by area 1165 Km2.

CHILIKA LAKE

VEMBANAD

WETLAND

SAMBHAR

WETLAND

POINT CALIMERE WETLAND

KALIVELI WETLAND

OUSTERI LAKE

LLANOS DE MOXOS WETLAND

• Largest protected wetland

was announced by the

Ramsar Convention on

Wetlands

• World’s largest tropical wetland .

• Lying mostly in Western Brazil

but extending into Bolivia and

Paraguay.

• Famous for its wildlife.

• Brazil’s major tourist draw

PANTANAL WETLAND

WETLANDS FOR OUR FUTURE

Efforts to save and boost them in 2015 Raising awareness to know the wetland values.

Sustainable management for future generations.

Development of downloadable study material for the wetland day 2015,

such as lucrative hand-outs, posters, factsheets, etc. by Ramsar

Convention Secretariat’s World Wetlands Day 2015 website.

Ramsar Convention Secretariat is also conducting a photographic

competition for the 15 to 24 year olds. Winner will get a chance to win a

flight to the famous wetland of there choice.

CONFERENCE OF PARTIES

12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12)

that will take place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 1 to 9 June

2015