Environment Minister’s Message on World Wetlands Day

“The World Wetlands Day”, being celebrated on 2nd February every year around the world to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971. Its a day to promote, create awareness and ensure positive & affirmative action for conservation of wetlands.

Water is life, and wetlands are the life support systems that ensure functioning of the water cycle. Wetlands help recharge groundwater aquifers, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and act as sponges to mitigate floods. The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands make them ‘biological supermarkets’.

In addition, wetlands have special attributes as cultural heritage of humanity, and have deep connections with our beliefs and practices. They are indeed an important part of our natural wealth and “liquid assets”.

The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is ‘WETLANDS FOR OUR FUTURE – SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS’. The theme highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism, and water provision. Ever since civilizations began, wetlands have played an important role in development of human society.

The National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) provides the policy framework and support to State Governments for integrated management of wetlands.

This year the World Wetlands Day is being celebrated by the Ministry, in collaboration with the Government of West Bengal at Sunderbans, one of the largest single block of estuarine mangrove forests in the world, which provides habitat to numerous plant and animal species, including the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Background

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.

The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants,adapted to the unique hydric soil.

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