Experts dwell on importance of wetlands, call for their protection

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Jalandhar, February 2

Pushpa Gujral Science City celebrated World Wetlands Day by organising a webinar to highlight the importance of actions to conserve and sustain wetlands. The day is observed on February 2 every year which marks the anniversary of Ramsar convention adopted in 1971. As many as 100 students from all over Punjab participated in the webinar. The theme for this year’s event was “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”.

Prof CK Varshney, Prof Emeritus and former Dean School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, was the key speaker on the occasion. He delivered a special talk on “Importance of Wetlands for Human Welfare”.

He said wetlands are highly prized ecosystems of the world, however, they are also among the most polluted, abused and degraded systems. He informed that wetlands are an integral part of the global water cycle possessing unique ecological features. They support a very rich aquatic biodiversity, including many rare and endemic species. He expressed his concern that wetlands have been misunderstood and grossly undervalued throughout history and were earlier considered as wastelands, without realising their role as groundwater rechargers and surface water purifiers.

For this reason, wetlands have been thoughtlessly drained and reclaimed for other uses. It is estimated that between 1970 and 2015, they have shrunk by 30 per cent, which is three times the rate of deforestation. He emphasised that a concerted wetland conservation campaign is the need of the hour to conserve aquatic biodiversity and create additional carbon sink, as envisaged under the Paris Climate Agreement, to ensure climate stability and long-term human wellbeing.

Dr Neelima Jerath, Director General, Science City, said wetlands provide an important habitat for the conservation of biodiversity. Hence, it is very essential that these are well-protected. Punjab has several natural and man-made wetlands and six of its sites namely Harike, Kanjli, Ropar, Keshopur Maini, Nangal and the Beas are Ramsar sites or wetlands of international importance. These wetlands are home to Indus River dolphin, smooth Indian otter and more than 400 species of birds, including several rare, endangered and threatened species. However, these wetlands are facing serious threats from point and non-point sources of pollution. She informed that greatest ornithologists and naturalists Dr. Salim Ali had visited Harike in 1984 and the state has been working for the wetland restoration since 1987 which has led to habitat improvement and stability in population of migratory birds.

Dr Rajesh Grover, Director, Science City, said anthropogenic activities were one of the major reasons behind draining and transformation of wetlands. He expressed the dire need to invest financial and human resources and political will to restore and save the world’s wetlands from disappearing.