Save our wetlands
The Ramsar Convention, officially known as the ‘Convention on Wetlands of International Importance’ is a treaty that provides a framework for national action and international cooperation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty focussed on a single ecosystem (WOW!)
But first, what exactly ARE Wetlands? The clue is in the title. It means any land or area covered intermittently with shallow water. Think of it as a large area of slushy mud. Not exactly water and not exactly land. Some types of Wetlands include - marshes, swamps, bogs and of course Mangroves.
I think this is important because protecting the wetlands of our world is as necessary as protecting our savannahs and rainforests. Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that provide a range of benefits including flood control, water purification, and habitats for different species such as frogs.
Did you know that the first frog evolved 200 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs!! Frogs spend part of their lives near water because they must return to the water to lay their eggs. That’s what makes Wetlands such an important habitat for them.
So it is great that we are finally focussing on them. The convention encourages the designation of Wetlands as Ramsar sites which are recognised as being of international importance. Some other Ramsar sites include Chilka lake in Odisha and Keoladeo National park in Rajasthan.
Must Know Facts about Ramsar Sites
In 2022 - the 75th year of India’s independence - more sites were added to the list to make a total of 75 Ramsar sites in India. They included four in Tamil Nadu, 3 in Odisha and 2 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1 in MP and 1 in Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites in India (14!!) followed by MP which has 9.
Recently to make the Vesova-Dahisar Link Road 60,000 mangroves are going to be cut down. Mangroves are a wetland worth fighting for and are crucial to the environment. Though there is no news yet about what Ramsar is going to do but we as citizens can help by emailing government representatives. Already an environmentalist has objected and called for immediate reconsideration of the project through a letter addressed to the authorities.
Together we can save the mangroves!
