Wetlands Day: A Call to Action for Wetland Conservation in India

Thirteenth February marked World Wetlands Day, a global celebration of the importance of wetlands and the need to conserve them. Wetlands play a crucial role in maintaining environmental balance, dealing with climate change, and protecting biodiversity.

India, as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention, is committed to conserving its wetland resources. The convention, adopted by 12 countries at a conference held in Iran in 1971, aims to conserve the world's wetlands for present and future generations. In India, the Ramsar Convention came into force on February 1, 1982.

As part of this agreement, several Indian wetlands have been recognized as part of the Montreux Record - a prestigious list of international importance wetland sites. Among these is Loktak Lake in Manipur, which shares its waters with India's Keoladeo National Park and Chilika Lake in Odisha, both of which were added to this record in 1989 and 1993 respectively.

The Indian government has endorsed the World Wetlands Day message - emphasizing on the need for wetland conservation to address the effects of climate change. The celebration comes ahead of a global conference scheduled for February end.