{"id":31205,"date":"2024-10-22T18:30:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=31205"},"modified":"2024-10-22T18:30:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T13:00:23","slug":"new-assessment-highlights-role-of-wetlands-in-national-biodiversity-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-10-2024\/new-assessment-highlights-role-of-wetlands-in-national-biodiversity-strategies","title":{"rendered":"New Assessment Highlights Role of Wetlands in National Biodiversity Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Biodiversity and Conservation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent assessment by an organisation commissioned by Wetlands International, highlighted the<strong> critical importance of wetlands in the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP)<\/strong> submitted after the COP15.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It provides insights into how effectively the wetlands have been incorporated into NBSAPs worldwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It aims to highlight the crucial role that wetland conservation and restoration play in the successful implementation of the Global Biodiversity Plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The assessment includes <strong>24 NBSAPs <\/strong>from around the world, representing <strong>12 per cent of the 196 countries <\/strong>that are parties to the Convention on Biodiversity.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>83 percent of the submitted NBSAPs e<\/strong>xplicitly mention wetlands, inland waters or freshwater in their targets.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>71 percent <\/strong>of the plans articulate specific measures for restoration (Target 2) and <strong>50 percent<\/strong> include protection for these important ecosystems (Target 3).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fewer NBSAPs provide specific, measurable targets,<\/strong> indicating a need for improvement in those areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>16 NBSAPs mentioned specific wetland types, <\/strong>including mangroves, rivers, lakes and peatlands.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Among these, mangroves,<strong> rivers and lakes received the highest mentions<\/strong>, indicating their importance in various environmental targets.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recommendation:<\/strong> The report emphasised the need for countries to enhance the integration of wetlands within national biodiversity targets, establishing clear, measurable goals for wetland restoration and protection.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>COP 16<\/strong><br>&#8211; The Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16) is to be held in <strong>Cali, Colombia from 21 October \u2013 1 November 2024.<\/strong><br>&#8211; It will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the <strong>Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP 15 in 2022.<\/strong><br>&#8211; At COP 16, governments will be tasked with <strong>reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.\u00a0<\/strong><br>&#8211; Parties to the Convention are expected to show the<strong> alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>GBF was adopted by the <strong>COP15 <\/strong>to the <strong>Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has been promoted as a &#8220;<strong>Paris Agreement for Nature&#8221;.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The GBF contains <strong>4 global goals and 23 targets.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Among the twenty-three targets <\/strong>to be achieved by<strong> 2030 <\/strong>include halving the introduction of invasive species, and $500 billion\/year reduction in harmful subsidies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&#8220;Target 3&#8221;<\/strong> is especially referred to as the <strong>&#8220;30X30&#8221; target.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&#8217;30X30&#8242; target<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Under it, delegates committed to protecting <strong>30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030,<\/strong> fulfilling the deal\u2019s highest-profile goal, known as 30-by-30.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The deal also aspires to <strong>restore 30% of degraded lands and waters<\/strong> throughout the decade, up from an earlier aim of <strong>20%.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Also, the world will strive to prevent destroying intact landscapes and areas with a lot of species, bringing those losses <strong>\u201cclose to zero by 2030\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a Wetland?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A wetland is an ecosystem in which the land is covered by <strong>water\u2014salt, fresh, or somewhere in between\u2014either seasonally or permanently.<\/strong> It functions as its <strong>own distinct ecosystem.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It includes water bodies <\/strong>such as lakes, rivers, underground aquifers, swamps, wet grasslands, peatlands, deltas, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, and other coastal areas as well.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These wetlands can be classified into three segments such as <strong>inland wetlands, coastal wetlands, and human-made wetlands.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wetlands in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India includes high-altitude wetlands of the Himalayas, floodplains of rivers such as Ganges and Brahmaputra, lagoons and mangrove marshes on the coastline, and reefs in marine environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has around<strong> 4.6% <\/strong>of its land as wetlands, <strong>85 Wetlands of India<\/strong> covering are under the <strong>List of Wetlands of International Importance.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Presently, India stands<strong> first in South Asia<\/strong> and <strong>third in Asia in terms of number of designated sites.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Wetlands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biodiversity Hotspots: <\/strong>Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, supporting a wide variety of plant and animal species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Filtration and Purification: <\/strong>Wetlands act as natural filters, trapping and removing pollutants and sediments from water.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flood Control and Water Regulation: <\/strong>Wetlands function as natural buffers against floods by absorbing and slowing down excess water during heavy rainfall or storm events.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Carbon Sequestration: <\/strong>The waterlogged conditions in wetlands slow down the decomposition of organic matter, leading to the accumulation of carbon in the soil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Benefits: <\/strong>Wetlands support various economic activities, including fisheries, agriculture, and tourism. They provide valuable resources for local communities and contribute to the overall economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Threats to Wetlands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Urbanization: <\/strong>Wetlands near urban centres are under increasing developmental pressure for residential, industrial and commercial facilities<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agricultural activities:<\/strong> Following the Green Revolution of the 1970s, vast stretches of wetlands have been converted to paddy fields.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deforestation:<\/strong> Removal of vegetation in the catchment leads to soil erosion and siltation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pollution: <\/strong>Unrestricted dumping of sewage and toxic chemicals from industries has polluted many freshwater wetlands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aquaculture: <\/strong>Demand for shrimps and fishes has provided economic incentives to convert wetlands and mangrove forests to develop pisciculture and aquaculture ponds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Introduced species: <\/strong>Indian wetlands are threatened by exotic introduced plant species such as water hyacinth and salvinia.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate change: <\/strong>Increased air temperature; shifts in precipitation; increased frequency of storms, floods; and sea level rise also affect wetlands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Drought:<\/strong> Prolonged dry periods lead to reduced water levels in wetlands, impacting their ecological functions and the species that depend on them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Conserving and properly managing wetlands is crucial to maintaining the ecological functions and ensuring the continued provision of the services they offer to both the environment and society.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/wildlife-biodiversity\/new-assessment-highlights-role-of-wetlands-in-national-biodiversity-strategies-at-cop16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent assessment by an organisation commissioned by Wetlands International, highlighted the critical importance of wetlands in the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) submitted after the COP15.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31206,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31205\/revisions\/31206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}