Wetlands
Environmental management strategies & action programme for conservation of wetlands in cooperation with appropriate international environment treaties is being mandatory for wetland conservation programmes. After signing by the contracting parties in Ramsar convention, Iran during 1971, as an intergovernmental treaty, the conservation of wetland provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation & wise use of wetlands with their resources. Article 2.1 & 2.2 of the Ramsar convention emphasized on account of their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology with a vision of an international wetlands network for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the ecological functions they perform.
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Loktak Lake |
Wetlands in Manipur are having various challenges in the form of inherent problems on its natural ecosystem as well as other human induced ecological health. Restoration, conservation, protection & improvement of the wetland ecosystem is being considered to be on the top most priority in the state. Interestingly, inspite of all these efforts, the ecological criteria of Loktak Lake, the largest fresh water lake in North East India and a Ramsar Site of International Importance, happens to show no sign of remarkable improvement and recovery from the actual ailment. The ecosystem assessment of most of the wetlands in Manipur reveals to have been stressed by many environmental factors like
- Internal & external natural factors;
- Internal & external human induced factors;
- Legislative & traditional factors;
- Physico chemical & microbiological considerations; etc.
The theme for World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2008 “Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People”, clearly interprets the direct positive implications for healthy wetlands & negative effects for mismanaging it, to the wetland community. The direct positive ones on human health for maintaining healthy wetlands includes provision for food, clean water, pharmaceutical products, etc. Whereas, the negative effects of mismanaging wetlands result mainly the impairment of human health and even loss of life due to water-born diseases, burning peatlands, floods, water pollution, etc. Moreover, the theme also emphasizes about the strong relationship between healthy functioning wetland ecosystem and human health indicating the importance of management strategies that support both. The poor management of wetlands may cost dearly as there are data for wetland related diseases claiming lives of more than 3 million people every year and suffering to many more. In Manipur also, frequent outbreaks of water born diseases like Typhoid, P-typhoid, Acute gastro - enteritis (AGE), v-hepatitis, etc. during rainy seasons at the direct catchments may corelate with the observation of increasing bacterial population in the wetlands mostly during this season revealing the fact that maximum of them to be in polluted condition. Moreover, besides pollution, wetlands of the state are under severe threats from drainage / inlets and its conversion to agricultural purposes and human settlements thereby making wetland people a compelling situation for changing their way of socio-economy strategies from wetland resources to other alternative wetland wise use practices. Though most of the wetland people could drive little income from the existing wetlands due to loss of biodiversity and degraded ecosystem, the environmental services provided by it cannot be completely neglected as it significantly exceeds the value from the alternative use. Therefore, a holistic view and approach for wetlands are necessary in terms of its linkages with other natural entities, human needs and its own attributes.
It may be too late for this state to have an integrated environmental management planning (EMP) for wetlands of Manipur emphasizing on conservation, restoration & sustainable development. The ultimate aim of the EMP may be targeted to reach a situation where the wetlands of Manipur may exist with the concept of sustainable development and eco-restoration.
International Strategies on Wetland Protection & its Management :
On the ongoing processes of Ramsar Convention, the 1COP7 (San José, Costa Rica, 10-18 May 1999), the objective 1 & 4 reflects about the networking & representative amongst the Contracting Parties as
Objective 1: To establish national networks of Ramsar sites in each Contracting Party which fully represent the diversity of wetlands & their key ecological & hydrological functions.
Objective 4: To use the Ramsar site network as a tool to promote national, supranational / regional, & international cooperation in relation to complementary environment treaties. 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971)
The objectives were concentrated to implement conservation & sustainability of the wetlands in cooperation with appropriate international environment treaties. Their sustainable utilisation is in a way that is compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem.
Again, as an intergovernmental treaty, the conservation of wetland provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation & wise use of wetlands with their resources. During COP8 & 9 it were discussed seriously about the appropriate terminologies and develop guidance for conservation of wetlands. The term wise use and ecological character of wetland were reviewed during COP9. If we look into the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment's (MA) conceptual framework, ecosystem are described as the complex of living communities (including human communities) and non-living environment as ecosystem components interacting through ecological processes as a functional unit which provides inter alia a variety of benefits to people. Whereas, in the context of wetland ecosystem, both the material & non-material cultural values, benefits & functions or cultural aspects of wetlands has to be defined well.
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Loktak Lake |
The Ramsar Strategic Plan 2003 - 2008 for wetland conservation focuses on 21 operational objectives, of which integration of wetland wise use into sustainable development, restoration, rehabilitation, consciousness of cultural values, etc. may be worthwhile to mention.
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