Editorial: Safeguarding wetlands
Due to the Centre’s policy push, the number of Ramsar sites has increased from 26 to 80 in the last 10 years, of which 38 have been added to the last three years alone
The Longwood Shola Reserve Forest in The Nilgiris
CHENNAI: In the backdrop of World Wetlands Day celebrated last week, five more wetlands in India were added to the global list of wetlands of importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the total number of such highly-recognised waterlogged ecosystems in the country to 80. Of the five wetlands added to the Ramsar list, the Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve, Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve and the Aghanashini Estuary are in Karnataka while the Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary and the Longwood Shola Reserve Forest are in Tamil Nadu.
Wetlands are a source of freshwater and contribute to global food production — wetland-grown rice feeds 3 bn people. They also mitigate climate change by providing protection from extreme weather events (flooding, drought). The Ramsar Convention is a global treaty for conservation and informed use of wetlands, named after the city of Ramsar, Iran where the treaty was signed on Feb 2, 1971. India ratified the convention a year later. Initially, we had only two Ramsar sites notified: Keoladeo (National Park) Rajasthan, Chilika Lake of Odisha.
Due to the Centre’s policy push, the number of Ramsar sites has increased from 26 to 80 in the last 10 years, of which 38 have been added to the last three years alone. Today, the 80 Indian wetlands on the Ramsar list span more than 1.33 million hectares. The emphasis on eco-protection, has prompted a shift in how India treats its wetlands, seen in the Amrit Dharohar initiative.
It is a matter of pride that Tamil Nadu has the most number of Ramsar sites (16), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10). The Longwood Shola site in the fragile Nilgiris is biodiversity-rich sanctuary for over 700 species of flora and fauna. Out of the 177 bird species found in the site, 14 species are endemic to the Western Ghats. It also supplies water to 18 villages downstream in Kotagiri.
In a critical ruling, the Madras High Court set aside the allotment of 8 acres of Kazhuveli (backwater land) to Indian Statistical Institute. The HC bench was upset over the state’s alienation of water bodies and wetlands, in spite of Chennai and adjoining districts repeatedly facing inundation after monsoons. Concurrently, the National Green Tribunal has asked the state to take steps to evict IT parks, National Institute of Ocean Technology and private apartments that encroached upon Pallikaranai marshland, a Ramsar designated site spread over 1,206 hectares.
Positively, for the first time, integrated management plans are being prepared for all of Tamil Nadu’s Ramsar sites in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India. Sources from the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority have informed that the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History has been assigned the works pertaining to the 14 Ramsar wetlands after the tenders were finalised, and the plans will be ready in six months. With regard to the Pichavaram Forest, the second largest mangrove forest in India, a sum of Rs 5.25 cr has been earmarked for setting up a mangrove conservation centre.
As it stands, urbanisation, population growth, and economic/infrastructural development pose the biggest challenges to conserving blue and green spaces in Tamil Nadu, and more specifically Chennai. Stakeholders believe that city master plans should now begin incorporating and institutionalising such regions with an aim to safeguarding them over the long-term.