Syllabus: GS: III & V– Biodiversity and Climate Change

Why in the news?

World Wetlands Day 2026, observed on February 2, marks the adoption of the Ramsar Convention (1971). The 2026 theme — “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: celebrating cultural heritage” — highlights the urgent need to protect wetlands as climate buffers, biodiversity reservoirs and livelihood systems, especially in flood-prone regions like Assam.

Wetlands: what are they and why do they matter?

Wetlands include beels, marshes, swamps, oxbow lakes, floodplains, mangroves and peatlands. Though they cover only about 4.6% of India’s land area, their ecological value is far greater.

• Wetlands act as the “kidneys of the landscape”, filtering pollutants, trapping sediments and improving water quality.
• They function as natural sponges, absorbing excess monsoon water and releasing it slowly during dry months, thus reducing floods and drought stress.
• Wetlands recharge groundwater aquifers, critical for drinking water and irrigation in a country facing water scarcity.

Ecological and climate significance

• Flood regulation: One acre of wetland can store up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater, making them cheaper and more effective than concrete embankments.
• Climate resilience: Mangroves and seagrasses sequester carbon at rates up to four times higher than terrestrial forests.
• Biodiversity hotspots: Wetlands support migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway, endemic species like the Sangai deer of Loktak Lake, and mangrove-dwelling Royal Bengal Tigers in the Sundarbans.

Wetlands in Assam: a critical natural asset

• Assam has nearly 4,800–5,000 wetlands, hydrologically linked to the Brahmaputra–Barak river system.
• These wetlands support 216 species of Small Indigenous Freshwater Fish, the highest diversity in India, vital for nutrition and livelihoods.
• Beels like Deepor Beel (a Ramsar Site) act as flood buffers for Guwahati and as biodiversity sanctuaries.

Wetlands as a solution to Assam’s flood crisis

A major policy shift is emerging:

• Scientific studies have identified 271 wetlands capable of storing over 220 lakh cubic metres of floodwater.
• Flood peaks in certain river systems can be reduced by 20–80% through wetland-based flood diversion.
• Stored water can support irrigation, fisheries, ecological restoration and local industries.
• Moreover, on January 30, 2026, the Union Home Minister launched a ₹692 crore project to restore 15 scientifically identified wetlands in Assam.
  • The project aims to divert excess Brahmaputra floodwater into wetlands to reduce recurrent flood damage.
  • Wetlands were selected based on a scientific assessment by the Space Applications Centre, marking a shift towards nature-based flood management.

Traditional knowledge and livelihoods

• Systems like Eri tanks (Tamil Nadu), Johads (Rajasthan), Zabo system (Nagaland) and below-sea-level farming in Kuttanad (Kerala) show how traditional knowledge integrates ecology with livelihoods.
• In Assam, wetlands sustain fishing, grazing, fodder collection, and cultural practices tied to rivers and beels.

Threats to wetlands

• Encroachment and urbanisation, especially in expanding cities.
• Pollution from untreated sewage, industrial effluents and solid waste.
• Siltation and invasive species like water hyacinth.
• Climate change, causing erratic floods, droughts and habitat instability.
  India has already lost nearly 30% of its wetlands in three decades.

Policy and legal frameworks

• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017
• National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems
• Biodiversity Act, 2002 (community-level conservation)
• State Action Plans on Climate Change

The way forward

• Integrate wetlands into urban planning and flood management.
• Strengthen community-led conservation and scientific restoration.
• Treat wetlands as green-blue infrastructure, not wastelands.

Exam Hook – Key Takeaways 

• Wetlands are central to water security, flood control, biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation.
• In flood-prone regions like Assam, wetland-based solutions are more sustainable than embankment-centric approaches.

Mains Question:
“Wetlands are not wastelands but life-support systems.” Discuss their role in flood management and climate resilience with special reference to Assam.

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