Revision summary
Wetlands are waterlogged transitional ecosystems: marshes, lakes, floodplains, mangroves and similar habitats. Ramsar wise use means maintaining ecological character inside sustainable development, not a total ban and not drainage. India is a Ramsar party (1982); Wetlands Rules 2017 add domestic controls. Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan), both listed in 1981, are two Indian Ramsar sites. Wise use at those sites is hydrology, livelihood and limits on conversion.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
A wetland is land that is wet enough, often enough, to support plants and animals that need waterlogged soil: marshes, lakes, floodplains, mangroves, coral flats and peat. These are not wastelands. They store flood water, recharge wells, hold fish and birds, and buffer storms. The Ramsar Convention (1971) asks countries to list important sites and to practise wise use so people can live from the wetland without killing its ecological character.
Body
What a wetland is
- Wetlands are transitional ecosystems between dry land and deep water, with water at or near the surface for a large part of the year.
- They include inland lakes and marshes, river floodplains, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons and man-made tanks and reservoirs when they function as wetland habitat.
- India notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 to identify wetlands (other than those already under Forest or coastal regulation in specified ways) and to restrict filling, dumping and untreated effluent.
Ramsar 'wise use'
- Ramsar defines wise use as the maintenance of the ecological character of a wetland through ecosystem approaches, within sustainable development.
- Ecological character means the ecosystem services, habitat and species assemblage that made the site important.
- Wise use is not a fence that bans all people, and not a licence to drain. It is use that does not convert the marsh into a colony, a dump or a dry field.
- Tools include zonation, regulated fishing and tourism, treatment of inflow, community rights, and bans on reclamation and invasive species.
- India joined Ramsar in 1982. Listing a Ramsar site creates an international conservation duty plus a domestic management plan.
Two Indian Ramsar sites
- Chilika Lake (Odisha), listed in 1981, is a brackish lagoon with Irrawaddy dolphins, migratory birds and a large fishery. Wise use here means keeping the sea mouth and salinity balance, regulating aquaculture and tourism, and supporting fisher livelihoods — work associated with the Chilika Development Authority after the site faced degradation and a Ramsar Montreux concern, later improved.
- Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur, Rajasthan), also listed in 1981, is a man-managed marsh famous for migratory waterbirds. Wise use means assured water from upstream, control of feral cattle and invasive plants, and tourism that does not starve the birds of habitat. Water conflict with nearby agriculture has been the test of wise use, not a postcard of painted storks.
- Other early sites such as Loktak (Manipur) or Sundarbans (West Bengal) show the same rule: people and hydrology must be planned together.
Comment
- Wise use fails when a Ramsar plaque sits on a shrinking map while sewage and real estate continue.
- It succeeds when hydrology, livelihood and law are one plan, as Chilika's later recovery partly showed.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD W[Wetland ecosystem] --> R[Ramsar list] R --> U[Wise use keep ecological character] U --> C[Chilika fishery and salinity] U --> K[Keoladeo water and birds] U --> L[No drain dump convert]
Conclusion
A wetland is a water-shaped ecosystem, not empty land. Ramsar wise use means keeping that ecological character while allowing sustainable livelihood. Chilika and Keoladeo show the duty in India: manage water, fishing and tourism so the site still functions as a wetland, not as a drained plot with a name board.
Quick related
Students also ask
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How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act,2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna? (250 Words, 15 Marks).
Next question on this syllabus topic (2018 · Q17). View answer →
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Does wise use mean no human activity?
No. It means activity that does not destroy ecological character: regulated fishing or tourism can continue; drainage and dumping cannot.
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Is every Indian lake a Ramsar site?
No. Ramsar listing is for notified sites of international importance. Other wetlands still fall under national and State rules.
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