World Wetlands Day 2022: Importance of wetlands at the time of climate change.

Just as forests are called the ‘lungs of the earth’, wetlands are the ‘kidneys’ that regulate water and filter waste from the landscape. Wetlands include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs.
Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions. In India, around 4.63% of the geographical area is wetlands. A total of 757,060 wetlands have been mapped in the country.
But, why are wetlands important? What are its benefits?
Wetland ecosystems support a host of animal and plant life and they are critically important for the survival of humans too, from the mitigation of Climate Change to the protection of human settlements from floods. If we protect wetlands, we also protect our planet and ourselves. But sadly, 50% of the world’s wetlands have been destroyed. Without suitable wetland habitat, many species could soon be homeless. Let us explore the benefits of wetlands in detail:
1. Wetlands purify our water
Wetlands are great filters! They trap sediments and remove pollutants, which helps to purify water. This certainly beats expensive, human-made filtration systems.
2. Wetlands store our water to ensure supply during dry periods
Wetlands work like giant sponges. They store water and then slowly release it, and this helps to deal with dry seasons with little rainfall.
3. Wetlands can prevent floods
When rivers burst their banks, wetlands can store the excess water, and slow it down so it distributes more evenly over a floodplain. The roots of trees and other vegetation also help slow the speed of flood waters.
4. Wetlands recharge groundwater
In the past, city planners either filled in wetlands areas or dammed them, adding pipes that would lead the water to the ocean as fast as possible. But now we know that wetlands allow water to soak into the ground, and to replenish the natural ground-water supply.
5. Wetlands help to control erosion
Sediments are also trapped by wetlands. In a semi-arid country like South Africa, the role of wetlands in trapping sediments, before the sediment-laden water joins a river course and just washes away, is really useful.
6. Wetlands provide shelter for juvenile fish
Fish larvae and fish fry (juveniles) use the calm, shallow waters of wetlands as a nursery.
7. Wetlands provide homes for animals and plants
Biodiversity is high around wetlands habitats. These areas provide food and shelter for many animals, in particular bird species such as herons, spoonbills and flamingos, and amphibians such as frogs.
8. Wetlands provide food for livestock
Wetlands provide good areas for grazing, and the variety of grasses, along with a supply of running water, can be beneficial to farming livestock.
9. Wetlands protect biodiversity
Many different kinds of creatures depend on wetlands - and on each other. The insects that are attracted to the plants provide food for other animals like fish, frogs and birds, who in turn attract other predators. The biodiversity of wetlands has produced some incredible specialist species that are only found in these habitats.
10. Wetlands provide locations for recreation
Wetlands provide people a place to visit, where they can enjoy nature walks, picnics, birding, fishing or even sailing. As more people flock to cities, these recreational spaces in nature become even more valuable.
During COP13 the Ramsar Convention introduced the Wetland City Accreditation, which recognizes 18 cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands. These pioneer cities will serve as examples and inspire deliberate actions for other cities towards sustainable urbanization.
Currently in India, 47 wetlands, with a surface area of over a million hectares are designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. One of the most important ones in this list is the 55 acre East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). It is the world’s only fully functional organic sewage management system. These wetlands are Kolkata’s free sewage remediation works, a fertile aquatic garden and, most importantly, a natural flood defence for the low-lying city.
The capital, Delhi, has identified 1,043 water bodies but none are notified. This, however, could soon change, with the Capital expected to notify 10 major lakes and water bodies as wetlands by the end of March. The Delhi State Wetland Authority (DSWA) is expected to release a draft notification for each water body under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules of 2017.
Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.

[@KomalSaini_16]

1:38 direct question of UPSC CSE prelims... amazing.. please countinue these such informative videos

[@balamsk844]

Ya😂

[@Trendigthings]

Thanks DTE team. You guys are masterpiece. Thanks for providing us such elegant content.

[@shobanaraghuveeran]

The case of the Restoration of the wetland in Delhi reminded me of a similar wetland in Chennai that needs attention. It is called the pallikaranai marshland and is home to a variety of migratory bird species. The land is severely affected due to dumping of garbage and the usage of the wetland as a landfill site. And yet it might be just one among the many wetlands affected due to human encroachment and intervention. I hope this video reaches the right kind of people and higher authorities and urge them to act immediately to save these precious gifts of mother nature. Great video!!

[@manaspal8752]

Our blind government trying to encroach with the greedy public. The best example is the new Law college near Taramani Railway station encroached the birds habitat in front of my eye.

[@Karan-wz7pt]

49 in INDIA now , 2 were just added one in GUJRAT and another in UP. Beautiful Video btw.

[@bulu9214]

Please make such documentaries in local languages too to reach the common audiences which will help to spread the awareness rapidly about all these important issues.

[@simply-meenal]

You can set up closed caption to auto translate in many languages. I tried this specific video in Gujarati. This is a feature of KZbin, meaning Down To Earth doesn't need to do anything extra. Do give it a try.

[@sudhir4025]

Indeed they are making videos in Hindi as well, as far as I know.

[@somnathparamanik]

Thanks for a nice presentation. This video will really be helpful for awareness about wetlands. Thanx for giving importance to this area.

[@johansilva4450]

I am from Colombo. It's really nice and kind of breezy.

[@kesavanperumalgk7924]

HEARTY WELCOME FOR WHOLE TEAM OF UNOFFICIAL.FOR RISING OBSERVATION FOR PROTECT WETLANDS OF GLOBAL & FLOOD MANAGEMENT

[@shiprapaul2688]

Please make a video on the difference between wetland and waterlogged area..

[@musiimeserwano1824]

VERY EDUCATIVE, WISHING IT TO ALL POLICY MAKERS

[@kaushalpatel585]

Best video for wetland explanation thanks DTE kindly cover these things in fortnight magazines as well

[@Beinghumane1]

Informative and calming 👌

[@milapchand4648]

Ur videos r very informative….. 👏👏👏👏

[@apnaknowledge9654]

Informative knowledge for ias

[@vishal50860]

DTE thanks for spreading awareness

[@ujjwalathukral398]

very nicely explained. Thanks

[@sentilongs6773]

Informative and educational, thank you

[@mirmuzamil609]

correction now there are 49 ramsar sites in india as 2 more added on world wetland day by india viz khijadia gujrat and bakhira wls yn up

[@munilalkepskills7884]

Beautiful explanation 😊👏

[@chongejama5757]

Please, mam, bring more videos about climatic.🙏

[@zed_plus]

Amazing quality.

[@dishadwivedi8790]

Awesome presentation!

[@natraj7037]

Simple explanation👌👌👌

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

Another awesome video

[@pranavnair2616]

Very nice information 👏

[@AuthorBooksReader]

Very Informative!!!

[@anupamverma7749]

Great video. Do you have a Hindi version that we could show to underprivileged children in our area?

[@simply-meenal]

Use auto translate to show subtitles in HIndi.

[@sindhuyadavxiia]

very informative😊😊

[@asmakhatoon3018]

Thank you so much

[@haravardhan8078]

1:30 UPSC 2022 prelims question

[@neetakhurma1907]

Informative. Please make in hindi also so that young children can also understand fully

[@rolaE4449]

Keep up the good work

[@vthilton]

Save Our Planet

[@kprafullakumargautam7165]

Thanks a lot

[@MuthulakshmiS94]

As forests are lungs of the world Wetlands are kidneys that regulate water and filter waste 👏==) surprisingly it's present in every climatic zones

[@ayyangarssr6070]

Wetlands occupied by political scoundrals are one of the big problem for Nature and Fauna Kolleru a lake between west and Krishna districts in A.P is famous .60 years back we used to see big birds called kongalu . It was heard they travel through out world in season as per Birds Research Institute.

[@mcqplanet1972]

East Kolkata Wetland is half an hour away from my home ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@mohdshareefkhan5401]

49 ma'am

[@maydreams1911]

Are wetlands and ramsar sites same

[@deWiAnNaEnEcBi3857]

Wetlands are more important than a tropical, sub tropical and normal forest. But sadly World's 67% wetlands are already destroyed by human. People need to proper education and proper awareness about what is wetlands, pitland and why they're so much important for many many things... 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@saltnatnaseem5738]

❤

[@zizi3878]

👍🏻

[@divyanshsingh2661]

Depth of any waterbody in low tide not more than 6 mts is a wetland. It can be the pond behind your house or the ground you play in ..

[@user-cv1jb9xv2p]

🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@alokgupta7239]

Now 49 wetlands ...

[@vision-thesuccess6996]

Now 49 ramsar site in india

[@ignorantmohit]

More than 7 lakh has been mapped but how many are being protected from encroachment???

[@avonmangalrav5331]

As of today 28 July 2022 India has 54 ramser wetlands

[@manvibanker222]

49 wetlands now in India..

[@inspiro137]

this is something serious

[@kannanbhadran7114]

77K views , that's sad for a video like this .

[@Thefutureofspace]

Rt The higher the temperature, the more the oceans will evaporate, then there will be more humidity and more precipitation, the desert will decrease plants regarding moisture and carbon dioxide will grow faster, the history of the earth is such that if global warming was antiquity, then it was a paradise for the biosphere,. .and when global cooling was then the evaporation of the oceans would decrease and precipitation would decrease, the desert would increase, this would collapse for the biosphere, the largest desert Antarctica, the hottest place the rainforests.

[@arunkumars3902]

it's seeeeeeewaaage for gadsake

[@---h..----]

Recently rice fields has been deleted as wetlands

[@user-dostiBaniRaheBus]

in my locality land mafia is encroaching upon d wetlands bcoz of silent approval of local administration

[@mansihada8548]

UPSC CSE aspirnt🤫

[@suepowell1979]

South Carolina has destroyed much of it's wetlands

[@scarryworld2.028]

please piin me

[@66652]

Love you❤ all💜ᗷTS⟭⟬💜 from Andhra💜ᗷTS⟭⟬💜 Pradesh Guntur India🇮🇳❤🙏🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@anonymou771]

❤