Technically speaking Wet lands are classified as both Biomes and Ecosystems. They are also defined as Ecotones that transit between water bodies and dry lands. Thus, simply put wet lands are lands with Hydric Soil. The Ramsar Convention that defines international standards on wetlands has defined them as:
“Wetlands are 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 meters.”
These Wet-lands are extremely important for sustaining a healthy environment as they help to retain water during dry-periods, keeping the water table level stable. They also help restrict the rise of water level during Flood times and are home to numerous species of birds and animals.
Since ages wetlands have been used to maintain the quality of water and water-purification. Woefully, due to their lacking of potential financial gains, Wetlands have been subjected to continuous draining or conversions into tourist purpose lakes.
Wetlands Classification Scheme
| Inland Wetlands | |
| 1. Natural | Lakes/Ponds Ox-bow lakes/ Cut-off meanders Waterlogged (Seasonal) Playas Swamp/marsh |
| 2. Man-Made | Reservoirs Tanks Waterlogged Abandoned quarries Ash pond/cooling pond |
| Coastal Wetlands | |
| 1. Natural | Estuary Lagoon Creek Backwater (Kayal) Bay Tidal flat/Split/Bar Coral reef Rocky coast Mangroove forest Salt marsh/marsh vegetation Other vegetation |
| 2. Man-Made | Salt pans Aquaculture |
The Wetland Ecosystem in India is spread over a wide range of varied climatic conditions, that is ranging from the wetlands in cold and humid Jammu and Kashmir to Hot and Humid conditions in Peninsular India there is a great variety of these Wetlands. Under the conservation of Wetlands in India, 71 wetlands have been recognized that are a part of national Parks and sanctuaries. The Mangrove area in India covers a total of 7% of World’s Mangroves. Prominent mangrove covers in India are located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Sundarbans delta, the Gulf of Kutch and the deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna rivers. Parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala also have large mangrove covers.
The Sunderbans Delta in India is home to World’s largest Mangrove Forest and is also identified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It also is a home to number of species including Bengal Tiger. The Rann of Kutch, a marshy region in Western Gujarat, is a large saltwater lagoon which was originally a part of Arabian Sea.
Following is a list of Ramsar Sites in India that is the Wetlands that have been declared as “Internationally Important”.
Name Area (km2)
______________________________________________________________________Ashtamudi Wetland, Kerala 614
Bhitarkanika Mangroves, Orissa 650
Bhoj Wetland, Madhya Pradesh 32
Chandertal Wetland, Himachal Pradesh 0.49
Chilika Lake, Orissa 1165
Deepor Beel, Assam 40
East Calcutta Wetlands, West Bengal 125
Harike Lake, Punjab 41
Hokera Wetland, Jammu and Kashmir 13.75
Kanjli, Punjab 1.83
Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan 28.73
Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh 901
Loktak Lake, Manipur 266
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu 385
Pong Dam Lake, Himachal Pradesh 156.62
Renuka Wetland, Himachal Pradesh 0.2
Ropar, Punjab 13.65
Rudrasagar Lake, Tripura 2.4
Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan 240
Sasthamkotta Lake, Kerala 3.73
Surinsar-Mansar Lakes, Jammu and Kashmir 3.5
Tsomoriri, Jammu and Kashmir 120
Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch), Uttar Pradesh 265.9
Vembanad-Kol Wetland, Kerala 1512.5
Wular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir 189
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