Aghanashini Estuary in Uttara Kannada is one of the Ramsar sites.
| Photo Credit: file photo
Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Dr. Musonda Mumba, on Sunday said that India has more Ramsar sites compared to China.
Dr. Mumba, participating in the Sinhasi Social Impact Conference 2 – Wetland Conservation and Climate Change, said India now has 89 Ramsar sites surpassing China which has 82 sites.
“India now has 89 Ramsar sites, surpassing China, which has 82 Ramsar sites. The wetland sites range from mountains to the sea,” Dr. Mumba said.
Speaking on the importance of wetlands, she said that they have tremendous value almost all of the world’s fresh water is drawn from them.
“Wetlands are the world’s largest carbon shore, they purify and filter harmful water, our food supply depends on wetlands, extreme climatic events are mitigated by wetlands, wetlands provide jobs and sustainable livelihoods, almost half of all animal species live and breed in wetlands,” she said.
On the challenges faced by them and the importance of Ramsar Sites, she said there are 2,500 sites covering over 257 million hectares around the world.
“The challenge for wetlands is that they have been used historically as waste lands; as a result of this, they are being lost at an alarming rate. Around 87% of wetlands have been lost since 1700 AD. Around 35% of wetlands have been lost since 1970,” she added.
She further pointed out that wetlands are being lost at a rate of three times faster than tropical forests.
“Around 4,875 wetland-dependent species are threatened with extinction globally. Over 80% of wastewater is released into wetlands immediate action is required to stop this,” she said.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Karnataka Forest Department, Kumar Pushkar, speaking on the occasion, said that according to the National Wetlands Atlas 2021, Karnataka has 14,936 wetlands covering 0.79 million hectares, which is 4.1% of the State’s geographical area.
“With population rising in the State, especially urban Bengaluru and nearby periurban areas like Doddaballapur, the demand for water has increased manifold. This, together with the dried-up or polluted nature of water bodies, has put high pressure on the city’s underground water table, which is now found at depths of 1500 feet in many parts. The Karnataka Forest Department is undertaking various activities for conservation and management of wetlands under its jurisdiction in Karnataka,” he said.
He added that there has not been much change in the state’s wetland geographical area which is a good indicator.
Published – April 20, 2025 10:15 pm IST