Supriya Sharma
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year globally on 2nd of February and this day was adopted for the Convention of Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The aim of this day is to raise the awareness about the extremely important role played by wetlands for people and for our planet. Wetlands Action for People and Nature is the theme of World Wetlands Day in 2022 which highlights the importance of actions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for human beings and for mother earth.
Wetlands are a home for a wide range of flora and fauna diversity and also bless with a variety of biodiversity which is declining according to the researcher’s investigation. These are the land areas which are saturated or flooded with water either perennially or seasonally. Usually wetlands contain a much more shallow amount of water in comparison to an ocean or a river. Flooding and precipitation are two of the main ways through which wetlands are formed. Sometimes, overflowing of nearby bodies of water often causes soil to get saturate, which then leads to the formation of a wetland. In mountainous area, these are formed due to precipitation.
Although there are over thirty different types of wetlands, there are three main categories known as marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. Marsh is mostly grassy with shallow water that could be salt or freshwater and contain animals like alligators and turtles. Swamp usually has water that streams a bit deeper and include streams and rivers and found in coastal areas. Bogs and fens, are both freshwater wetlands.
Benefits of Wetlands
Wetlands are called ‘home for the species’, and also provide a large number of benefits to the society. Animals that call wetlands their homes include alligators, birds, fish, otters, bobcats and many more. It prevents flooding by absorbing water. Wetland ensures that the soil provides a unique breeding ground for vegetation that feeds fish and it give shelters to animals. It also purifies the water by removing sediment. Periodically inundated wetlands are very effective in storing rainwater and have innate capacity to recharge the ground waters. Ground water recharge occurs through mineral soils found primarily around the edges of wetlands. The extent of groundwater recharge depends on the type of soil and its permeability, vegetation, sediment accumulation in the lakebed, surface area to volume ratio and water table gradient.
Wetlands of J&K
Jammu and Kashmir has many wetlands of national importance with international recognition. These water bodies are critical source of livelihood and job opportunities for a large number of population in form of fishing, farming, tourism etc. From these, few of them fall under Central Asian Flyway Zone (CAF) and are visited by lakhs of migratory and endangered birds during their annual migration time. These wetlands areas also comprise of vegetation and wild animals. So their protection is very crucial to combat the dual impact of climate change, water scarcity and flooding.
J&K region has four wetlands: Surinsar-Mansar, Hokersar, Wular and Tsomoriri (presently in the UT of Ladakh) of international importance identified under Ramsar convention. Other wetlands include Gharana Wetland, Pargwal Wetland, Sangral Wetland, Nanga Wetland, Kukrian Wetland, Mirgund Wetland, Shallabugh Wetland, Hygam Wetland, Malgam Wetland, Pampur Wetland, Hanley Marshes.
Gharana Wetland present in Gharana village is situated along the border in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district about 30 kms away from Jammu. It is under the protection of Department of Wildlife. Gharana wetland is reported to have more than 170 resident and migratory species discovered by the researchers especially of the University of Jammu. Some of the flagship species are Shelduck, Bar headed Geese, Grey Lag Goose, Gadwill, Pochard, Pintail Duck, Mallard, Spoonbills, Common Cranes, Wooly necked Storks, Wigeon and Whistling Teals.
Surinsar-Mansar, a Hindu sacred site, is the freshwater composite lake of J&K are under Ramsar Convention in 2005. The lake supports CITES and IUCN Redlisted species of – Lissemys punctate and Aspideretes gangeticus of softshell turtles and Mansariella lacustris of cnidarian. These composite lakes are very high in nutrients for with attractive habitat, breeding and nursery ground for migratory waterfowls like Fulica atra, Gallinula chloropus, Podiceps nigricollis and Aythya fuligula. The site is socially and culturally very pious with many temples around owing to its mythical origin from the Mahabharata period.
Save our Wetlands
Our Wetlands are dying due to Biotic pressure. Growing population, unplanned development, absence of management structure, and lack of awareness about the vital role played by these are the important causes that have contributed to their decline and extinction of wetlands. With these, wetlands are permanently destroyed and lose any potential for rehabilitation. This has led to ecological disasters in some areas, in the form of large-scale devastations due to floods, etc.
It is urgent that we raise national and global awareness about wetlands in order to reverse their rapid loss and encourage actions to conserve and restore them. World Wetlands Day is the ideal time to increase understanding of these critically important ecosystems among the masses. Governments, community groups, and individuals around the world celebrate World Wetlands Day with special campaigns to promote the important value that the wetlands play in our lives. To mark this occasion, the Department of Wildlife Protection, UT of J&K, is organizing bird watching in Gharana Wetland on 2nd February 2022.
(The writer is a PhD research scholar in the Department of Zoology, University of Jammu. Jammu.)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
