WETLANDS are the planet’s most vital ecosystems and cradle for biodiversity—“A world without wetlands is a world without lives”.
The February 2 is the World Wetlands Day marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. It is the only global treaty to focus on one single ecosystem, the wetlands.
“Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage,” is the theme for World Wetlands Day 2026. It spotlights the timeless role of traditional knowledge in sustaining wetland ecosystems and preserving cultural identity and the vital connection between indigenous wisdom and sustainable management of wetlands, a crucial global resource. It also focuses on how ancestral knowledge can sustains these ecosystems and preserve cultural practices tied to them, emphasizing community stewardship and the unique role wetlands play for humanity and nature.
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Wetlands are the natural sponges for floods, purify, filter and recycle and replenish the water. They protect life on land from such a predicament. Although they cover only about six per cent of the Earth’s land surface, they host 40 per cent of all plant and animal species representing an incredible ecosystem. Unfortunately, wetlands are losing their pristine as one of the ecosystems with the highest rates of loss and degradation.
While the forests are called the lungs of earth, the wetlands are the kidney for nature. Wetlands are called “nature’s supermarket” for food, raw materials, genetic resources for medicines and hydro power. Wetlands are the primary sources of fresh water, natural buffers against floods and droughts. Wetlands minimize the impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation storing 30% of land-based carbon. Wetlands build community resilience to disasters and absorb pollutants. Interestingly, research shows that wetlands are effective mental health promoters.
Wetlands are the ecotones, providing a transition between land and water bodies and provide the wildlife habitats for the aquatic animals and the migratory birds. Wetlands are highly productive and bio-diverse Eco-systems that support a home to about one-third of all the threatened and endangered species. They play an important role in transport, tourism and the cultural and spiritual well-being.
Wetlands are the source of 95 per cent of the world’s drinking water. Wetlands purify and filter harmful wastes from pesticides, industry and mining, including heavy metals and toxins. Rice and fish from wetlands are the staple food for nearly three billion people and accounts for 20% of the world’s nutritional intake. Wetland stimulates plant recruitment from diverse seed bank and increases productivity by mobilizing nutrients.
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Wetlands act as nature’s shock absorbers. Peatlands alone store more than twice as much carbon as all the forests in the world. The role of forests to our wetland is vital and richness of our wetlands depend upon the luxurious of our forests.
Wetlands near urban centres are under pressure for residential, industrial and commercial facilities. Vast stretches of wetlands have been converted to paddy fields and fish farms. Construction of reservoirs, canals and dams have altered the wetland hydrology.
The removal of materials from lowlands and riverbeds lowered the surrounding water table and dries up the adjacent wetlands. Dying up or blocking of streams are the main causes for death of the wetlands. But now wetlands are the most threatened ecosystem. Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s and wetlands are disappearing 3 times faster than forests due to human activities and global warming. A small change in temperature and rainfall would be impacting on 40% of the world’s flora and fauna that live or breed in wetlands.
Unfortunately, wetlands are often viewed as wasteland. In reality, wetlands play a critical role in maintaining many natural cycles. Wetlands are aquatic islands in terrestrial sea harbouring a limited array of species populations that arrange themselves in a number of configurations.
India has recorded 757,000 wetlands and 96 Ramsar sites occupying 11.4% of country’s geographical area. Thus 10.2% of the earth’s total wetlands are found in India. Our wetlands support around 5100 species of flora and fauna. Wetlands in India support 20% of all the known range biodiversity in the country. But we have lost 30% of our wetlands due to urbanization, land use pattern and pollution.
Wetlands in Manipur
Manipur has 155 lakes and two ox-bow lakes occupying 2.37% of the geographical areas but majority of them are in dying state. About 134 waterlogged marshy and swampy wetlands are also found in the State. But more than 64% of our wetlands have disappeared during the last eight decades. The numbers of wetland flora so far identified are 86 species in which 13 are clear water and 73 are semi aquatic. The faunal richness of our wetlands represents 10.80% of the whole country though we have only 0.7% of the geographical area.
Loktak Lake with 287 sq. km area is the largest fresh water lake in Northeast India. Around 12 towns and 52 settlements with over 14% of the state’s population depend directly or indirectly on Loktak Lake. Other important wetlands are Kharungphat, Khoidumpat, Pumlenpat, Loukoipat, Sanapat, Yaralpat, Poiroupat, Ikopat, Lamphelpat, Waithoupat, and Loushipat.
These lakes remain threatened due to artificial eutrophication and large-scale encroachment. Soil erosion due to indiscriminate deforestation in the catchments followed by the change in the land use pattern inside the wetlands are the roots for the speedy dying of our wetlands. Change in waterways, excessive deposition of plastics and wastes are also another big challenges.
Enabling people for a decent living and ensuring the conservation and safety for wetlands is the primary objective of this day. The dreams of Manipur for being a world tourism hot spot will come true, only when we conserve our hills, forests, wildlife and the wetlands altogether. Therefore, let’s join hand today to save and secure our wetlands for a better tomorrow.
(The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ukhrul Times. The author is an Environmentalist, presently working as District Forest Officer, Chandel district, Manipur. The author can be reached at nmunall@yahoo.in.)