INDIA'S FIRST CENTRE FOR WETLAND CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

• Be N By IAS, Delhi
• 03, Feb 2021

For : GS-3: Environment

CONTEXT:

On the occasion of the World Wetland Day and as a part of its commitment towards conservation, restoration and management of India’s wetlands, the Government announced the establishment of a Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM).

CENTRE FOR WETLAND CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

• It is India’s first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management.
• It has been established at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, an institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

KEY FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTRE:

• It will help in building partnerships and networks with relevant national and international agencies.
• Center will serve as a knowledge hub. It enables exchange between State/ UT Wetland Authorities, wetland users, managers, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners.
• Moreover, it will assist the national and State/ UT Governments in the design and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks for conservation.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• India has nearly 4.6% of its land as wetlands, covering an area of 15.26 million hectares and has 42 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1.08 million hectares.
• The year 2021 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, celebrated annually as World Wetlands Day.

WORLD WETLAND DAY:

It is celebrated on 2 February.

On 2 February 1971, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Iran.

Theme 2021: ‘Wetlands and Water’.