World Wetlands Day 2026

World Wetlands Day 2026 (February 2)

Theme: “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage”

Indian context is significant due to centuries-old community-managed wetland systems.

Flood buffering and groundwater recharge

Water purification and nutrient cycling

Biodiversity habitats (fish, birds, mangroves, wetland flora)

Livelihoods: agriculture, fishing, livestock, salt pans

Cultural heritage: rituals, festivals, traditional water governance

Act as ecology + economy, habitat + heritage

Tamil Nadu:

• Human-made tanks (kulams)

• Cascading irrigation networks for paddy cultivation

Kerala (Wayanad):

• Shallow wells (kenis) over 200 years old

• Used for drinking water, rituals and festivals

Andhra Pradesh (Srikakulam):

• Wetlands sustaining traditional fishing systems

Traditional practices inherently:

Nearly 40% of India’s wetlands lost in the last three decades

About 50% of remaining wetlands degraded

Among the most threatened ecosystems due to overlap with:

• Land

• Water

• Development pressures

Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017

• Identification, notification and regulation of activities

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA)

• Structured planning, monitoring, outcome-based management

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) framework

• Protection of coastal wetlands

Ramsar Convention

• India has 98 Ramsar sites

• Represents global responsibility, not symbolic recognition

Problem is not lack of laws, but weak implementation

Poor coordination across freshwater, coastal, urban, riparian and high-altitude wetlands

Urbanisation, infrastructure, real estate, roads

Around 40% natural wetlands erased

Old cadastral maps do not match ground realities

Dams, embankments, channelisation

Sand mining and groundwater over-extraction

Loss of natural flow timing and connectivity

Untreated sewage

Industrial effluents

Agricultural runoff and solid waste

Leads to:

• Biodiversity collapse

• Loss of flood-buffering capacity

• Reduced water purification

Expected to:

• Store floodwater

• Receive sewage

• Remain clean and biodiverse

Often lack legal buffers and protection

Sea-level rise, cyclones, shoreline erosion

Mangroves and lagoons trapped between:

• Development pressure (landward)

• Rising seas (seaward)

State wetland authorities:

• Understaffed

• Underfunded

Skill gaps in:

• Hydrology

• Ecology

• GIS and remote sensing

• Environmental law

• Community engagement

From projects → programmes

From beautification → ecological functionality

From departmental silos → watershed-scale governance

Effective notification under 2017 Rules

Publicly accessible maps

Grievance redress mechanisms

Participatory ground-truthing with communities

Wetlands cannot replace sewage treatment plants

Constructed wetlands may complement, not substitute, treatment

Restore feeder channels

Prevent blockages by roads and embankments

Regulate extraction affecting hydrology

Mangroves, floodplains, mudflats as nature-based solutions

Integrate wetlands into climate adaptation planning

CRZ enforcement with livelihood-sensitive approaches

National capacity mission for wetland managers

Training in:

• Hydrology

• Restoration ecology

• GIS and remote sensing

• Environmental law

• Community-led governance

NPCA funding linked with:

• Performance indicators

• Livelihood outcomes

Satellite remote sensing, drones, time-series analytics

Monitoring:

• Encroachment

• Inundation

• Vegetation change

Science-based, outcome-oriented management plans

Statements 1 and 2 are explicitly mentioned in the article.

Statement 3 is incorrect: wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems, lying at the intersection of land, water and development.