SC issues notice to Centre, states on wetland conservation

On 10^th September 2014, Supreme Court (SC) issued notice to Centre and all states on a plea to preserve wetland and ban any construction in and around it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha also sought response from the governments to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new constructions for residential and commercial purposes.

The bench passed the order on a plea filed by M K Balakrishnan seeking court's direction for preservation of wetland.

Petitioner in his had mentioned that one-third of India's wetland has already been wiped out, 38 per cent of which was depleted in the last 10 years.

The plea mentioned that:

1. In every state including Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala, massive development, dumping of waste and lack of conservation has threatened some of the finest wetlands of the country.
2. Wetlands cover 7 per cent of the earth surface and deliver 45 per cent of its natural ecosystem and productivity services.

Wetlands and their Role in Ecological Conservation in India

A wetland is an area of land whose soil has high water content either permanently or seasonally. 

Wetlands include swamps, marshes and bogs, among others.

The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, fresh water, shallow water or brackish water.

These accounts for 18.4% of India's total geographical area. Wetlands are one of the most productive eco-system, comparable to tropical evergreen forests in the biosphere and play a significant role in the ecological sustainability of a region.

Wetlands help in ecological conservation in following ways:

• Helps in conservation of endangered species.
• Provides nesting home to marine animals and fishes.
• Provides habitation to a large number of species of flora & fauna.
• Trees in such area are of hard-wood, so can be useful in making of furniture etc.
• Woods of trees in wetland are prone to saline water, so can be used in boat-making.
• Prevents spread of salty water and thus helps on conservation of fertile soil.
• Residues of ecosystem are useful manure for increasing soil productivity.
• Wetland act as carbon-sinks and thus climate stabilizers which are vital in the present context to combat mass extinction.

India is a signatory to the Ramsar convention which is an intergovernmental treaty providing for the national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use wetlands and their resources.

India has identified some wetlands for conservation under the National Wetlands conservation programme.

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention is formally, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat.

It is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

The convention was developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, on February 2, 1971. 
To commemorate its signing date, February 2 is observed as 

World Wetland Day every year.

The meeting was invited by Mr Eskander Firouz, Director of Iran's Game and Fish Department, and held in the Caspian seaside resort of Ramsar in Iran, the text of the Convention was agreed on 2 February 1971 and signed by the delegates of 18 nations the next day.

Currently there are 1916 wetlands of international importance under sites under the Ramsar Convention known as Ramsar Sites covering around 1,86,993, 435 hectares km².

• The maximum Ramsar sites are located in UK i.e. 168.
• The largest area covered by the Ramsar sites is in Canada.

The number of parties to the Ramsar Convention is 160. They meet every three years.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was developed as a means to call international attention to the rate at which wetland habitats were disappearing, in part due to a lack of understanding of their important functions, values, goods and services.

Governments that join the Convention are expressing their willingness to make a commitment to helping to reverse that history of wetland loss and degradation.

Many wetlands are international systems lying across the boundaries of two or more countries, or are part of river basins that include more than one State.

The health of these and other wetlands is dependent upon the quality and quantity of the transboundary water supply from rivers, streams, lakes, or underground aquifers.

The best intentions of countries on either side of those frontiers can be frustrated without a framework for international discussion and cooperation toward mutual benefits.

Ramsar Convention is not part of the United Nations and UNESCO system of environment conventions and agreements.

The Ramsar Secretariat is hosted by IUCN–The World Conservation Union in Gland, Switzerland

The Ramsar Convention includes following commitments that the contracting parties agree before joining:

Designation:

The first obligation under the Convention is for a Party to designate at least one wetland at the time of accession for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance.

This list is called Ramsar List. After that the country may continue to designate the suitable wetland subject to selection.

Selection:

Selection for the Ramsar List should be based on the wetland's significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology, or hydrology.

The Contracting Parties have developed specific criteria and guidelines for identifying sites that qualify for inclusion in the Ramsar List.

Information:

The Party has to commit itself "to arrange to be informed at the earliest possible time if the ecological character of any wetland in its territory and included in the List has changed, is changing or is likely to change as the result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.

Information on such changes shall be passed without delay" to the Ramsar Secretariat.

Wise Use:

There is a general obligation for the Contracting Parties to include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning.

They have committed themselves to formulate and implement this planning so as to promote, as far as possible, "the wise use of wetlands in their territory".

Reserves:

The contracting Parties undertake to establish nature reserves in wetlands, whether or not they are included in the Ramsar List, and they are expected to promote training in the fields of wetland research, management and wardening.

International cooperation:

The parties agree to consult with other Contracting Parties about implementation of the Convention, especially in regard to Transboundary wetlands, shared water systems, and shared species.

Three pillars of Ramsar Convention:

The 8th meeting of the parties to Ramsar Convention (COP8) was held in Valencia, Spain, 2002.

It came out with a Strategic Plan, for 2003-2008, whereby the Contracting Parties seek to deliver 

their commitments to wetland conservation and wise use through "three pillars" of action.

These are:

1. Working towards the wise use of their wetlands through a wide range of actions and processes contributing to human well-being.
2. Devoting particular attention to the further identification, designation and management of a coherent and comprehensive suite of sites for the List of Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar List) as a contribution to the establishment of a global ecological network.
3. Cooperating internationally in their delivery of wetland conservation.

Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.

For these sites, the Secretariat may send a technical mission, known as the "Ramsar Advisory Mission", to analyze the situation at one or more particular Montreux Record sites, provide advice on the measures to be taken, and assess the desirability of removing a site from the Montreux Record when measures have been implemented successfully.

Ramsar's International Organization Partners (IOPs)

The Ramsar Convention works especially closely with some global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which have been associated with the treaty since its beginnings. 

They have been given the formal status of International Organization Partners (IOPs) of the Convention. 

The five IOPs are:

• BirdLife International (formerly ICBP)
• IUCN – The International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• IWMI – The International Water Management Institute
• Wetlands International (formerly IWRB, the Asian Wetlands Bureau, and Wetlands for the Americas)
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) International