Wetland
Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"
Meaning
A wetland is land covered by shallow water, either all year or for part of the year. Marshes, lakes, lagoons, mangroves and river floodplains are all wetlands. Wetlands store water, support fish and birds, and many of them store carbon. NCERT gives India 3.9 million ha of wetlands, with about 70% under paddy (verify current). In Indian law, wetlands are managed under the Wetlands Rules 2017.
Example
Chilika Lake is a coastal lagoon in Odisha. In 1981 it became one of India's first two Ramsar sites, together with Keoladeo in Rajasthan. Chilika was added to the Montreux Record because its condition was getting worse. It was removed in 2002 after it was restored.
Don't confuse with
- Ramsar site: every Ramsar site is a wetland, but only wetlands listed as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention (1971) are Ramsar sites. India had 100 such sites by June 2026 (verify current).
Related concepts
- Ramsar Convention
- Ramsar sites of India
- Montreux Record
- Blue carbon
- Coral bleaching
- Great Barrier Reef
- Dugong
- Olive ridley turtle