By Shubhashree Chakraborty and Oindrila Basu, IUCN CEM SA, on 07 February 2022.
The IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, South Asia Regional Network observed the World Wetlands Day under the theme ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’ on 01 February 2022, with a webinar highlighting the conservation priorities of wetlands for the socio-cultural and scientific values with a discussion centred on ‘Pulicat Lagoon’, the second largest brackish water lagoon in India. Mr Xavier Benedict, Architect and Wetlands Enthusiast, and Dr Harini Santhanam, Environmental Scientist, both having a long history of studying and being associated with the wetlands from diverse perspectives, shared their valuable knowledge and learnings from the field.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on 02 February, which aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 02 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Under the Ramsar international wetland conservation treaty, wetlands are defined as ‘areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres’. A call to take action for wetlands is the focus of this years’ campaign under the theme ‘Wetlands – Action for People and Nature’. It is an appeal to invest financial, human, and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and restore those we have degraded. 02 February 2022 is the first year that World Wetlands Day will be observed as a United Nations international day, following its adoption by the General Assembly on 30 August 2021, in a resolution co-sponsored by 75 member states (UNEP).
Dr Madhav Karki, Vice-Chair, IUCN CEM and South Asia Focal Point, addressed the issues of current governance trends, climate change in South Asia, the population and demographic changes and its impacts on wetlands in his opening remarks for the event. He mentioned how India has lost one-third of its natural wetlands in the last decade and called for a multidimensional approach to and recommended six actions for conserving the fragile wetland ecosystems in South Asia:
- Minimizing tradeoffs with alternate economic, social and environmental objectives and between existing potential future demands on wetland resources, especially water, fish products and nature-based tourism services.
- Developing viable nature and science-based approaches that recognize sustainably usable wetland ecosystem goods and services to meet the genuine needs of wetland-dependent communities and fix the use regime that maintains the wetland ecosystem integrity both in its structures and functions.
- Enhancing proper understanding of dynamic interaction among fish and other food products derived from wetlands, water, recreation, and biodiversity elements in the wetlands and developing synergistic action to harness wetlands for multiple benefits.
- Researchers and Scientists should carry out a periodic assessment of wetlands to develop a scenario-based analysis that can address uncertainty in future climate scenarios and develop flexible, sustainable, and resilient wetland management scenarios accordingly.
- Making a strategic prioritization of management actions to identify the many demands on wetland resources are the key needs for livelihood improvement, economic development, social and gender justice, and environmental protection.
- Enhancing access of benefits acquired from wetlands by capacity building and empowering wetland-dependent communities, especially women, poor and disadvantaged households.
As the first Keynote speaker, Mr Xavier Benedict, Architect and Wetlands Enthusiast, delivered an amazing presentation on the Pulicat lagoon of India and beautifully drew strings from history and culture to geography, nature, conservation strategies, governance, economic valuation, and awareness of the mass. He started from the two worlds nurtured by the lagoon, the first being India’s launching pad for space technology and advancements, the island of Sriharikota, and the other comprising communities that live around the lagoon and are dependent on the wetland’s ecosystem services for their sustenance. He shared how the Pulicat lagoon becomes the resting and nesting ground for migratory birds during winters, including the Flamingo, as they fly through the Central Asian Flyway that passes through the lagoon. He highlighted the impact of North-East trade winds, the transboundary issues between the states, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the direct connection of culture and nature sighting examples of ‘Palikot’ cotton, ‘PADU’ system of alternative fishing for sustainability, and palmyra leaf handicrafts boosting inclusivity and diversity with sustainable economy generation. The huge annual value of Pulicat’s ecosystem services was an emphasizing point of the presentation. He closed with a beautiful quote, “Nature will have Similarity, Man-made will have Uniformity”, and urged for a nature-based economy for a resilient world.
Dr Harini Santhanam, Environmental Scientist, the second keynote speaker, presented a crisp scientific analogy of Pulicat starting from a timeline on its changes post-Holocene to the present-day scenario. She mentioned the bird sanctuaries that Pulicat harbours and variations in salinity with changing seasons, human-induced oyster cultivation practices, and their impacts on socio-ecology. She pointed out the role of the Ennore thermal power station in increasing the salinity of the lagoon. She also shared how the Chennai floods of 2015 that though desalinated Pulicat was succeeded by an exorbitant diatom bloom affecting the wetland ecosystem adversely. She highlighted a tripartite problem of ecological-environmental and social challenges of Pulicat and viable mitigation strategies. She ended with a melodious ode to Pulicat in her voice.
The sessions were followed by a brief interaction between the participants and the speakers. Sriharikota’s rocket launches from the lagoon and its impacts were addressed. Mangrove afforestation drives by the government and the synergy between nature-based solution and physical structure of Pulicat for its conservation were also discussed. The webinar was attended by some well-known scientists from South Asia. Dr Shalini Dhyani, Regional Chair, IUCN CEM SA regional network, delivered the closing remarks, with special thanks to Angela Andrade, the IUCN CEM Chair, for extending the encouragement for the CEM Dialogue, followed by an official vote of thanks by Dr Deepu Sivadas, Lead IUCN CEM Young Professionals Network.
The recording of the session can be viewed through IUCN CEM SA Youtube Channel.
