EVS PROJECT (Wetlands)

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EVS PROJECT

TITLE: WETLANDS

(1) Selection of project:

Wetlands are areas of land where the water level remains near or above the
surface of the ground for most of the year.

Wetlands cover about 6% of the earth’s land surface. There are several kinds of
wetlands such as marshes, swamps, lagoons, bogs, fens and mangroves. They are
home to some of the richest, most diverse and fragile of natural resources.

As they support a variety of plant and animal life, biologically they are one of the
most productive ecosystems.

Wetlands occur naturally on every continent, except for Antarctica. The water in
wetlands is either freshwater, brackish or saltwater. The main wetland types are
classified based on the dominant plants and/or the source of the water.

The world's largest wetlands include the Amazon River basin, the West Siberian
Plain, the Pantanal in South America, and the Sundarbans in the Ganges-
Brahmaputra delta. According to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,
wetlands are more affected by environmental degradation than any other
ecosystem on Earth.
(2) Importance of Project:

Wetland systems directly and indirectly support lakhs of people, providing


goods and services to them. They help check floods, prevent coastal erosion
and mitigate the effects of natural disasters like cyclones and tidal waves. They
store water for long periods.

Their capacity during heavy rainfall to retain excess floodwater that would
otherwise cause flooding results in maintaining a constant flow regime
downstream, preserving water quality and increasing biological productivity
for both aquatic life as well as human communities of the region. Inundated
wetlands are very effective in storing rainwater and are the primary source for
recharging ground water aquifers.

Wetlands retain nutrients by storing eutrophic parameters like nitrogen and


phosphorus and accumulating them in the sub-soil, thereby decreasing the
potential for eutrophication.

Many wading birds and waterfowl like egrets, herons and cranes nest in
wetlands. Wetlands also provide food and shelter for mammals. They act as
natural filters and help remove a wide range of pollutants from water,
including harmful viruses from sewage and heavy metals from industries.
(3) Aim or Objective:

The objective of the project in the management of the basic threat, stopping
the decrease of the wetland

Our principle aim is to Reserve the wetlands and to enhance the value of the
area for wildlife and to promote a diverse range of habitats.

By conserving wetlands we can reduce flooding by storing the rainwater run-


off this will provide opportunities for people to learn, experience and benefit
from the natural environment.

The main objective is to maintain the existing range of complementary


habitats to support a wide range of plants, insects, birds, mammals and other
fauna, in a way that minimizes on-going management and is resource efficient.
The following habitats will be maintained: ponds with open water and dense
marginal vegetation; wildflower-rich grasslands with a colorful array of plants,
and areas with both short and long turf; river banks with both open and low,
shrubby sections; and trees, shrubs, hedgerows and copses to provide
sheltering, breeding and feeding habitats.

Another objective is to organize a programme of events and survey projects to


encourage volunteers from both the campus and the local villages to
undertake surveying and monitoring of the habitats and key species. We can
maintain safe access to the Wetland Nature Reserve for local people.

In this study we can communicate the benefits of the Wetland Nature Reserve
to employees and local people in a way which increases their understanding of
the Reserve’s wildlife and ecological value within the local landscape as well as
the other benefits it provides for flood management.

Wetlands, the functions and services they provide as well as their flora and
fauna, can be affected by several types of disturbances. In this project study
we will be able to know how to conserve wetlands
(4) Methodology (Procedure):

Currently, wetlands suffer from a variety of combined threats, mostly


from human activity. Reaching proper management and protection of
these areas requires complex interventions but some actions are crucial
for a positive outcome. A partnership led by wetlands International
proposes a list of five concrete suggestions, drawn from experience in
different wetlands of the Mediterranean.

The first step to protect these areas is to raise awareness of their


characteristics, their importance, and their fragility. Despite their
importance, these areas are often undervalued by communities,
stakeholders, and decision-makers. Knowledge and public
awareness create greater responsiveness to introduce a management
approach. In addition, the variety of wetlands and their context requires
plans adapted to local specificities.

Local communities, institutions, NGOs, and private sector are


fundamental stakeholders. Inclusivity allows identifying criticalities and
needs, in order to establish a sustainable and long-lasting plan. Strong
involvement and participation support collective decision-making for
protecting wetlands and securing their sustainable management against
future threats.
Needless to say, conserving wetlands requires cooperation. It is a
complex process that demands a multidisciplinary approach, integrating
different processes and instruments, sharing knowledge and
information, strengthen institutional weaknesses, build capacity and
responsibility of all stakeholders to manage and conserve wetlands
sustainably. In summary, cooperation can foster better relationships
among stakeholders promoting sustainable use of wetlands.

Furthermore, it is necessary to identify the economic and social systems


surrounding these important areas to propose cost-effective and
sustainable alternatives and adjustments. Nature-based
Solutions (NbS) and sustainable development help social welfare and
stability, strengthening communities’ identity and independence. The
International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) defines NbS as “actions to protect, sustainably manage and
restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges
effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being
and biodiversity benefits”. Restoring and managing wetlands is the
perfect example of NbS, providing crucial help to mitigate climate
change.

Finally, rivers, lakes, wetlands, the sea, and more in general water, are
global assets, not properties of a single country. They are
interconnected. A forward-looking approach requires transnational
integrated water resources management. In this way, it is possible to
intervene collaboratively to decide common goals of water management
and coordinate the different resources to achieve them.
Although developing a global inventory of wetlands has proven to be a
large and difficult undertaking, many efforts at more local scales have
been successful. Current efforts are based on available data, but both
classification and spatial resolution have sometimes proven to be
inadequate for regional or site-specific environmental management
decision-making. It is difficult to identify small, long, and narrow
wetlands within the landscape. Many of today's remote sensing
satellites do not have sufficient spatial and spectral resolution to
monitor wetland conditions. Improved remote sensing information,
coupled with good knowledge domain on wetlands will facilitate
expanded efforts in wetland monitoring and mapping. This will also be
extremely important because we expect to see major shifts in species
composition due to both anthropogenic land use and natural changes in
the environment caused by climate change.

A wetland needs to be monitored over time to assess whether it is


functioning at an ecologically sustainable level or whether it is becoming
degraded. Degraded wetlands will suffer a loss in water quality, loss of
sensitive species, and aberrant functioning of soil geochemical
processes.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as


Waterfowl Habitat, or Ramsar Convention, is an
international treaty designed to address global concerns regarding
wetland loss and degradation. The primary purposes of the treaty are to
list wetlands of international importance and to promote their wise use,
with the ultimate goal of preserving the world's wetlands. Methods
include restricting access to the majority portion of wetland areas, as
well as educating the public to combat the misconception that wetlands
are wastelands.
(5) Observation:

Wetlands naturally produce an array of vegetation and other ecological products


that can be harvested for personal and commercial use. The most significant of
these is fish which have all or part of their life-cycle occurs within a wetland
system. Fresh and saltwater fish are the main source of protein for one billion
people and comprise 15% of an additional two billion people's diets. In addition,
fish generate a fishing industry that provides 80% of the income and employment
to residents in developing countries. Another food staple found in wetland
systems is rice, a popular grain that is consumed at the rate of one fifth of the
total global calorie count. In Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam, where rice
paddies are predominant on the landscape, rice consumption reach 70%. Some
native wetland plants in the Caribbean and Australia are harvested sustainably for
medicinal compounds; these include the red mangrove which possesses
antibacterial, wound-healing, anti-ulcer effects, and antioxidant properties.

Some types of wetlands can serve as fire breaks that help slow the spread of
minor wildfires. Larger wetland systems can influence local precipitation patterns.
Some boreal wetland systems in catchment headwaters may help extend the
period of flow and maintain water temperature in connected downstream waters.
Pollination services are supported by many wetlands which may provide the only
suitable habitat for pollinating insects, birds, and mammals in highly developed
areas. It is likely that wetlands have other functions whose benefits to society and
other ecosystems have yet to be discovered.
(6) Analysis:

The Wildlife Institute of India’s survey reveals that 70-80% of individual


freshwater marshes and lakes in the Gangetic flood plains have been lost in the
last five decades. At present, only 50 percent of India’s wetlands remain. They are
disappearing at a rate of 2% to 3% every year. Indian mangrove areas have been
halved almost from 700,000 hectares in 1987 to 453,000 hectares in 1995
(Sustainable Wetlands, Environmental Governance-2, 1999). A recent estimate
based on remote sensing shows only 4000 sq. km area of mangrove resource in
India.

The loss of wetlands leads to environmental and ecological problems, which have
a direct impact on the socio-economic benefits of the associated populace.
Serious consequences, including increased flooding, species decline, deformity, or
extinction and decline in water quality could result. Wetlands are also important
as a genetic reservoir for various species of plants including rice, which is a staple
food for 3/4th of the world’s population.
(7) Results/ Conclusion/ Finding:

Wetlands jurisdiction is diffused and falls under various departments like


agriculture, fisheries, irrigation, revenue, tourism, water resources and local
bodies. For instance, all mangroves in the country fall under the direct control of
forest department. The lack of a comprehensive wetland policy, with each
department having its own developmental priorities, works against the interests
of conservation of wetlands resulting in intended or unintended spill-over that
further aggravates the problem.

Wetland ecosystems are interconnected and interactive within a watershed. In


India, unplanned urbanization and a growing population have taken their toll on
wetlands. To counter these, management of wetlands has to be an integrated
approach in terms of planning, execution and monitoring. Effective tie-ups of
trained academicians and professionals, including ecologists, hydrologists,
economists, watershed management specialists, planners and decision makers
must be linked with local expertise for overall management of wetlands. All these
would increase knowledge and understanding of wetlands and evolve more
comprehensive and long-term conservation and management strategies.
Spreading awareness by initiating educational programs about the importance of
wetlands in local schools, colleges and among the general public in the vicinity of
the water bodies, besides constant monitoring of wetlands for their water quality,
would provide vital inputs to safeguard the wetlands from further deterioration.

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