MoEFCC organized World Wetlands Day 2025 celebrations at Parvati Arga Ramsar Site, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh on 2nd February 2025.
World Wetlands Day 2025
- Observed Annually: Marks the adoption of the Ramsar Convention (1971, Iran) to raise awareness about wetlands.
- Theme for 2025: “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future.”
- New Ramsar Sites in India:
- Udhwa Lake (Jharkhand), Theerthangal & Sakkarakottai (Tamil Nadu), Khecheopalri (Sikkim)
- First Ramsar sites in Jharkhand & Sikkim.
- India now has 89 Ramsar Sites.
- Tamil Nadu (20 sites) & Uttar Pradesh (10 sites) have the most Ramsar sites.
- New Tourism Corridor: A nature-culture tourism corridor announced between Ayodhya and Devi Patan, UP.
Parvati Arga Ramsar Site
- Permanent freshwater wetland with two oxbow lakes (Parvati & Arga) in Gangetic plains (Terai region).
- Nearby Tikri Forest is being developed for eco-tourism.
- Oxbow lakes: Formed when a river meander is cut off, creating U-shaped lakes.
- Ecological Importance:
- Habitat for critically endangered white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, and endangered Egyptian vulture.
- Migratory birds (Eurasian coots, mallards, greylag geese, northern pintails, red-crested pochards) visit in winters.
- Threats:
- Invasive species like common water hyacinth.
- Cultural Significance:
- Birthplaces of Maharishi Patanjali & Goswami Tulsidas, promoting religious tourism.
What are Wetlands?
- Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor influencing the environment and biodiversity.
- Defined as transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with shallow water or high water tables.
Types of Wetlands
- Coastal Wetlands – Found between land and open sea (e.g., mangroves, coral reefs).
- Shallow Lakes & Ponds – Permanent/semi-permanent water bodies (e.g., salt lakes, crater lakes).
- Marshes – Herbaceous vegetation with periodic flooding (e.g., tidal & non-tidal marshes).
- Swamps – Tree/shrub-dominated wetlands (freshwater or saltwater).
- Bogs – Waterlogged peatlands fed mainly by rainfall.
- Estuaries – Where rivers meet the sea, supporting high biodiversity (e.g., deltas, tidal mudflats).
Importance of Wetlands
- Provide two-thirds of the world’s fish harvest.
- Act as natural barriers for flood control and soil erosion prevention.
- Store carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Support 40% of global species and serve as biodiversity hotspots.
- Source of food, medicine, hydropower, and tourism
- Support commercial and recreational fisheries.
Threats to Wetlands
- Urbanization – Encroachment for housing and industry.
- Agriculture – Conversion to paddy fields, altering hydrology.
- Pollution – Industrial and agricultural runoff contaminating water.
- Climate Change – Rising temperatures, extreme weather events.
- Dredging & Draining – Alters water tables, drying wetlands.
- Invasive Species – Water hyacinth, salvinia threatening native flora.
- Salinization – Over-extraction of groundwater.
Conservation Efforts
- Ramsar Convention (1975) – International treaty for wetland conservation.
- Focuses on wise use, designation, and international cooperation.
- Montreux Record – List of Ramsar sites facing ecological threats.
- India’s Sites: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), Loktak Lake (Manipur).
- Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules, 2017 –
- Replaced Central Regulatory Authority with State-Level Wetland Committees.
- Excludes backwaters, lagoons, and estuaries from “wetlands” definition.
Way Forward
- Integrated wetland management involving planners, ecologists, and policymakers.
- Stronger regulations and sustainable urban planning.
- Community awareness programs to protect wetlands.
- Continuous monitoring of water quality and biodiversity health.
