Wetlands Just not Lands

Do you know wetlands are not just lands? Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems and serving many important benefits to the natural environment and as well as daily life of human being. They also serve as a climate regulator, carbon sink and habitat of wild life and biological diversity, source of quality log, firewood and protein. The world posses enormous of wetland areas itself, out of which the principle ones are rivers and streams, lakes and marshes, water reservoirs, fish pond, flooded cultivated fields and coastal estuarine systems with extensive mangrove swamps, seagrass and seaweed beds and coral reefs.

In the past, the significant of wetlands for natural balance has been grossly underestimated and has even been denied. But in recent years, it has become apparent that wetlands contribute significantly to the maintenance of the natural ecosystems of the world and numerous ways. Therefore, nowadays the conviction has grown that common land with most productive in the world, as wetlands must be immense ecological importance. Consequently, wetlands ecosystem have become a popular focus for education, research and conserve. We can help various ways to conserve our wetlands and do contribute to create a beautiful biosphere in this universe. In order to protect and conserve these resources, periodic mapping and monitoring of wetlands and its habitats must be initiated globally. We also need a better understanding of wetland ecosystems and its frailties and strengths in the face of rapidly deteriorating global environment. Besides the gathering of information, there must be a commitment on the part of general and wetland dependent populations, resources managers and politicians to preserve and restore the wetlands and its habitats.

To stop the assault on the wetland ecosystems, strong protection and conservation policies must be developed and incorporated into a management plan. Some of these are follows:

• Identification and understanding the functions and importance of wetlands,
• Develop public awareness about the values of wetland resources and promotion of local participation in managing and conserve this resource,
• Save the wetland areas from dumping and straight discharge of domestic and farm waste,
• Reduce the use of harmful chemical (i.e. pesticide, herbicide, fertiliser and fungicide etc.) in any agriculture systems that directly or indirectly effects on wetland ecosystems,
• Improved management of existing reserves to correspond with their multipurpose usefulness,
• Co-ordinate research projects on conservation science and ecology of wetland,
• Strengthening and providing the required expertise on wetland ecology,
• Participation by public bodies (NGO or trade organisation) in the planning of conservation strategies, and
• Finally, conduct the research on natural and human induced stresses to the wetland resources and implementation of national wetlands management programs.

Source: The Independent, 10 June 2000