News: Member countries of the Ramsar convention have adopted India’s resolution on ‘Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles for the wise use of Wetlands’ at Ramsar COP15 in Zimbabwe.
About “Wise Use of Wetlands”
- The “wise use” of wetlands is the central philosophy of the Ramsar Convention.
- Definition: The Ramsar Convention defines wise use of wetlands as the maintenance of wetlands’ ecological character, achieved through the implementation of ecosystem approaches, within the context of sustainable development”.
- The wetland wise use concept focuses on ecological character; ecosystem approach and sustainable development.
- Decentralized approach: Wise use also recognises that management of wetlands should be decentralised.
- Party obligations: Contracting Parties commit to work towards the wise use of all the wetlands and water resources in their territory, through national plans, policies and legislation, management actions and public education.
- In 1990 the Contracting Parties adopted Guidelines for the implementation of the wise use concept. The Guidelines emphasized the importance of:
- adopting national wetland policies, either separately or as a component of wider initiatives such as national environmental action plans;
- developing programmes covering wetland inventory, monitoring, research, training, education and public awareness;
- developing integrated management plans at wetland sites.
- Prohibited activities: The concept of “wise use” also prohibits a number of activities in notified wetlands including:
- conversion for non-wetland uses including encroachment of any kind; setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries; disposal of construction and demolition waste; poaching; discharge of effluents among others.
- Recent Developments in Wetland Conservation in India
- National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA)
- The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017
- Wetlands of India Portal (2021): Launched on October 2, 2021, this portal provides comprehensive information on India’s wetlands.
- Wetlands Rejuvenation Programme: Initiated by MoEFCC in 2020, this program aims to rejuvenate over 500 wetlands across India.
- Amrit Dharohar Scheme:Launched with the Union Budget 2023-24, the Amrit Dharohar Scheme is a key initiative aimed at optimizing wetland utilization over the next three years.
- Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM): Established on World Wetland Day 2021, this center focuses on addressing research needs and knowledge gaps in wetland conservation.
About Ramsar Convention and India
- It is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
- It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
- India ratified the convention on February 1, 1982.
- India has 91 Ramsar Sites (1.36 million ha), which is the largest network in Asia and third largest globally.
