COP14 on wetlands begins; draft resolution for international mangrove centre in China on agenda

COP14 on wetlands begins; draft resolution for international mangrove centre in China on agenda

Subject: Environment

Context-

• The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP14) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands began November 5, 2022, to discuss the state of wetlands globally.

More on the news-

• The event is being held in two different venues: Wuhan in China and Geneva in Switzerland from November 5-13.
• Items on the agenda include waterbird population estimates, Ramsar Convention criteria, lists of wetlands of international importance and conservation of small wetlands, and a draft resolution by China to host an international mangrove centre among others.
• The draft resolution on establishing the International Mangrove Center has been submitted by China and is cosponsored by Cambodia and Madagascar. 

Aims and objectives of the COP-

• The Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) invites Parties and relevant stakeholders to join this international mangrove cooperation mechanism for technical exchanges, collaborative research, education and training, and pilot projects on conservation and restoration, to protect mangrove biodiversity and coastal blue carbon ecosystems, enhance mangrove ecosystem services and resilience to climate change.

What is Ramsar Recognition?

• A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, which is also known as the ‘Convention on Wetlands’ — an intergovernmental environmental treaty established by UNESCO in 1971, and named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed that year.
• Ramsar recognition is the identification of wetlands around the world, which are of international importance, especially if they provide habitat to waterfowl (about 180 species of birds).
• There is international interest and cooperation in the conservation of such wetlands and the judicious use of their resources.
• India’s Ramsar wetlands are spread over 11,000 sq km — around 10% of the total wetland area in the country — across 18 States.
• No other South Asian country has as many sites though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.

Criteria: One of the nine criteria must be fulfilled to be the Ramsar Site.

• Criterion 1: If it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.
• Criterion 2: If it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
• Criterion 3: If it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.
• Criterion 4: If it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.
• Criterion 5: If it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.
• Criterion 6: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.
• Criterion 7: If it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.
• Criterion 8: If it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
• Criterion 9: If it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non avian animal species.

Significance:

• Ramsar Tag helps develop and maintain an international network of wetlands which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits.
• Sites are protected under strict guidelines of the convention.

Status of mangroves in China-

• Mangrove forests in China is growing on the northern edge of the global mangrove distribution.
• Limited by the low temperature, China has fewer mangrove species compared with other Southeast Asian countries, which are the centre of global mangrove distribution.
• Mangroves in China were distributed in the provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (which the People’s Republic claims as its province).
• All these areas are located in the extreme tropical south of the country.
• The Chinese government, along with three partner organisations, released Report on China Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Strategy Research Project in 2020.
• The document was China’s first research report to assess the state of mangroves in the country comprehensively.
• It is available on the website of the Global Mangrove Alliance.
• The report also noted that since the 1990s, the mangrove area in China had decreased sharply to 22,000 hectares in 2000, only 45 per cent of that of the early 1950s.

India’s stand on China’s proposal to establish an International mangrove centre-

• Mangroves is typically tropical in nature than temperate.
• There is a serious volume of experience that tropical countries such as India, Bangladesh and Indonesia have in terms of conservation, restoration and socio-economic aspects of mangroves.
• An international centre would probably benefit more if it was being hosted by these countries rather than a temperate country wherein the diversity and the issues related to mangroves are very different compared to a tropical one.

What are the Wetlands?

• Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently.
• They include mangroves, marshes, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, coral reefs, marine areas no deeper than 6 metres at low tide, as well as human-made wetlands such as waste-water treatment ponds and reservoirs.
• Though they cover only around 6% of the Earth’s land surface, 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.

Functions of wetland

About Mangrove-

• A Mangrove is a small tree or shrub that grows along coastlines, taking root in salty sediments, often underwater.
• The word ‘mangrove’ may refer to the habitat as a whole or to the trees and shrubs in the mangrove swamp.
• Mangroves are flowering trees, belonging to the families Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae, Lythraceae, Combretaceae, and Arecaceae.

Features of Mangroves:

• Saline environment: They can survive under extremely hostile environments such as high salt and low oxygen conditions, mangroves have special roots for this purpose called breathing roots or pneumatophores.
  • These roots have numerous pores through which oxygen enters the underground tissues.
• Survival in Extreme Conditions: With their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions that would quickly kill most plants.
• Succulent leaves: Mangroves, like desert plants, store fresh water in thick succulent leaves. A waxy coating on the leaves seals in the water and minimises evaporation.
• Viviparous: Their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows into a propagule.
• The mature propagule then drops into the water and gets transported to a different spot, eventually taking root in solid ground.

Geographical Location:

• Mangroves are found only along sheltered coastlines within tropical or subtropical latitudes because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures.
• They share the unique capability of growing within reach of the tides in salty soil.

Area Covered

• Global Mangrove Cover:
• The total mangrove cover in the world is 1,50,000 sq kms.
• Asia has the largest number of mangroves worldwide.
• South Asia comprises 8% of the world’s mangrove cover.
• India’s contribution is8% total mangrove cover in South Asia.

Mangroves in India:

• Coverage:

• According to the India State of Forest Report, 2019, the mangrove cover in India is 4,975 sq km, which is 15% of the country’s total geographical area.
• West Bengal has45% of India’s mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat 23.66% and A&N Islands 12.39%.

Largest Mangrove Forest:

• Sundarbans in West Bengal are the largest mangrove forest regions in the world. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • The forest is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, Gangetic dolphins and Estuarine crocodiles.
• Bhitarkanika Mangroves: The second largest mangrove forest in India is Bhitarkanika in Odisha created by the two river deltas of River Brahmani and Baitarani.
• It is one of the most significant Ramsar wetlands in India.
• Godavari-Krishna Mangroves, Andhra Pradesh: The Godavari-Krishna mangroves extend from Odisha to Tamil Nadu.
• The deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and Cauvery rivers contain mangrove forests.
• The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forests.
• Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forests. It is home to many aquatic bird species.

Threats Faced by Mangroves

• Commercialisation of Coastal Areas: Aquaculture, coastal development, rice and palm oil farming and industrial activities are rapidly replacing these salt-tolerant trees and the ecosystems they support.
  • Mangrove coverage has shrunk by half in the last 40 years. Less than 1% of tropical forests are mangroves.
• Shrimp Farms: The emergence of shrimp farms has caused at least 35% of the overall loss of mangrove forests.
• Temperature-Related Issues: A fluctuation of ten degrees in a short period of time is enough stress to damage the plant and freezing temperatures for even a few hours can kill some mangrove species.
• Soil-Related Issues: The soil where mangroves are rooted poses a challenge for plants as it is severely lacking in oxygen.
• Excessive Human Intervention: During past changes in sea level, mangroves were able to move further inland, but in many places, human development is now a barrier that limits how far a mangrove forest can migrate.
  • Mangroves also frequently suffer from oil spills.

Conservation of Mangroves

• UNESCO Designated Sites: The inclusion of mangroves in Biosphere Reserves, World Heritage sites and UNESCO Global Geoparks contributes to improving the knowledge, management and conservation of mangrove ecosystems throughout the world.
• International Society for Mangrove Ecosystem (ISME): The ISME is a non-governmental organization established in 1990 to promote the study of mangroves with the purpose of enhancing their conservation, rational management and sustainable utilization.
• Blue Carbon Initiative: The International Blue Carbon Initiative is focused on mitigating climate change through the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.
  • It is coordinated by Conservation International (CI), IUCN, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission-UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO).
• International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem: UNESCO celebrates this day on July 26 with the aim of raising awareness about mangrove ecosystems and promoting their sustainable management and conservation.
• Mangroves for the Future Initiative: IUCN and UNDP developed a unique initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation called the “Mangroves for the Future (MFF)”.
  • The member nations include Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• National Mangrove Committee: The Government of India set up a National Mangrove Committee in 1976 which advises the government about the conservation and development of mangroves.