EOC 195: The Wonderful World of Wetlands
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When we think of wetlands, most of us see them as ghostly swamps where spiders have huge webs that look like banshee in veils, or the dangerous Dead Marshes through which Gollum led Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. However, wetlands are not at all these dangerous, murky, smelly, marshy areas. In fact they are the most cheerful places full of life and activity. It’s where life gravitates to, where human settlements started and where wildlife will gravitate around as well. These marshes, swamps and lagoons are a critical part of our natural environment. Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. But sadly today, they are disappearing 3 times faster than our forests. A meagre 6% of the Earth’s surface is covered by wetlands whereas 31% of the earth’s surface still has forests. And yet people don’t seem to appreciate them in the same way, don’t love them as much as forests. They are hardly considered even important.
In this episode, a young wildlife presenter and film-maker, Aishwarya Sridhar from India, talks to Mr. Debi Goenka and Mr. Nikhil Bhopale about the importance of wetland eco-systems in a world plagued by climate crisis. Mr. Goenka has been working towards the protection of mangroves and wetlands for over 35 years of his life. He is the executive trustee of Conservation Action Trust (a non-governmental organisation in India) engaged in environmental protection and he’s the force behind the recent policy protecting the Indian mangroves.
On the other hand, Mr. Nihil Bhopale is an educationist, conservationist and an author, having written a book on the birds of the Indian subcontinent. He is the founder of Green Works Trust, an NGO pioneering environmental education in India.
They discuss the role of wetlands, the crisis facing them and the need to protect them urgently.
Music- https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Raising_Frequecy/CrescentsDebi Goenka's Website- https://cat.org.inNikhils Bhopale's Website- https://www.facebook.com/GreenWorksTrust/
Ash's website-https://www.aishwaryasridhar.com
Transcription:
Welcome to the Eyes on Conservation podcast. Episode 195. I’m contributing producer, Aishwarya Sridhar
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So, let’s get started. I am the host for today’s episode. I am a 23 year old wildlife presenter, photographer and storyteller from India. I have just completed filming one of the most photographed and iconic wild Bengal tigress from the forests of Central India and I am super thrilled to have come a part of the Wild Lens Community. So, today we are going to be talking a topic which is quite close to my heart. It’s about a very special ecosystem on our planet. This habitat can be found in areas of millions of square kilometres or in your backyard itself. That’s right…A wetland…Those areas of land covered by water permanently or seasonally … And before I begin the show, I want you all to close your eyes and listen…. (sounds of wetland…marshes. Eerie music. Frogs croaking…crickets…) getting goose bumps right…When we think of wetlands all we can imagine are ghostly swamps where spiders have huge webs that look like banshee in veils, or the dangerous Dead Marshes through which Gollum led Frodo in the Lord of the rings…
However, wetlands are not at all these dangerous, murky, smelly, marshy areas. In fact they are the most cheerful places full of life and activity.. If you have been to one then you would know how beautiful it sounds. If not, don’t worry, I’ll show you.. (sounds of birds chirping and water lapping). It’s where life gravitates to, where human settlements started and where wildlife will gravitate around as well. These marshes, swamps and lagoons are a critical part of our natural environment. Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. Born and brought up in Mumbai, which is a coastal city, built by reclaiming its wetlands.
I have spent a great deal of my childhood on wetlands. Why Mumbai wetlands exist throughout the world and I am sure there is not a place on Earth which doesn’t have a wetland ecosystem. It could be a swamp, marshy pit, a lake, mudflats, mangroves, bogs and peatlands. All of them are termed as wetlands and provide a range of environmental, economic and social services like recharging aquifers, flood control, wildlife and fisheries habitat and air purification. But sadly today, they are disappearing 3 times faster than our forests. A meagre 6% of the Earth’s surface is covered by wetlands whereas 31% of the earth’s surface still has forests. And yet we don’t seem to appreciate them in the same way, we don’t seem to love them the same way. We hardly consider them important.
So to understand wetlands better myself and to help you understand its importance, I met Mr. Debi Goenka- a renowned conservationist who has been working towards the protection of mangroves and wetlands for over 35 years of his life. He is the executive trustee of Conservation Action Trust (a non-governmental organisation) engaged in environmental protection and he’s the force behind the recent policy protecting the Indian mangroves. Let’s hear what he has to say about why wetlands are an integral part of our ecosystem.
(Debi speaks)
Yes…. Wetlands are vital for human survival. They are cradles of biological diversity that provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival. Wetlands are indispensable for the countless “ecosystem services” they provide us, ranging from freshwater supply, to flood water control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.
And for the conservation and wise use of wetlands, an international treaty was signed on 2nd February (World Wetland Day) in the year 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It came to be known as the Convention on Wetlands or the Ramsar Convention and is the first of the modern global intergovernmental treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. As of October 2019, 171 countries have signed this treaty. India became part of this Convention in 1982 and currently has 27 sites designated as Wetlands of International importance or Ramsar sites. Mr. Goenka goes on to explain the national laws that are in place protecting the Indian wetlands and mangroves.
(Debi speaks)
Despite being protected, wetlands are on the “front-line” as development pressures increase everywhere. They are the first to be reclaimed when it comes to allocating land for development.
(sound effect of trucks moving, and water splashing.)
Since 1900, around 64 per cent of the world’s wetlands have disappeared due to this and Mr. Debi Goenka shares with us the reasons they are so vulnerable and why development now needs to be sustainable.
(Debi speaks)
Absolutely sir. Our wetlands are on the brink of extinction and to protect them, the Bombay Natural History Society (which is a non-government organisation engaged in conservation and wildlife research) along with MOEF and climate change has come up with a National Action Plan for the Central Asian Flyway wetlands. The CAF comprises of several important migration routes of water birds, across 30 countries linking their northernmost breeding grounds in Russia to the southernmost non-breeding ground in West and South Asia, Maldives and British Indian Ocean territory. A few days ago, India’s Hon. PM Shri. Narendra Modi spoke about this at the COP 13 convention on conservation of migratory species of wild animals. Here’s an excerpt of his speech.
(Modi speech)
So, like Mr. Modi said in his speech, India is part of Central Asian Flyway and the country supports more than 1% of global populations of several migratory birds and provides critical stopovers sites to over 90% of bird species. Since Mr. Goenka is also the Honorary secretary of BNHS who is taking the lead in preparing the National Action Plan, he sheds light on the importance of this for India’s wetlands.
(Debi speaks)
Once implemented, the National Action Plan would definitely help preserve these vanishing habitats. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals are a part of the wetland ecosystem. From tiny plants to migra tory birds, to fishes to mammals like beavers and jackals, all of them call our wetlands their home. Wetlands are like a "biological supermarket." They provide great volumes of food and animals use wetlands for part of or all of their life-cycle. Dead plant leaves and stems break down in the water to form small particles of organic material called "detritus." This enriched material feeds many small aquatic insects, shellfish and small fish that are food for larger predatory fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. But because of constant reclamation and encroachment due to urbanisation, oil wells and gas plants, the bio-diversity these wetlands support has drastically changed over the years. Let’s hear from Mr. Goenka on the change in the population of migratory birds visiting Indian shores.
(Debi speaks)
That is really a huge change observed. Once considered the lifeline of humanity, today they are just termed as ‘’wastelands’’ and reclaimed recklessly for development. This has not only impacted humanity but also the population of migratory birds. So, to sensitise citizens on the need to preserve wetlands and to raise global awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and our planet, every year on 2nd February World Wetland Day is celebrated across the globe. Schools take children to nearby wetlands for an excursion, posters are made, slogans chanted. But does celebrating such days and pledging conservation on just one day make any difference for our vanishing wetlands? Or does the celebration help sensitize the youth and citizens to protect whatever is left? Mr. Debi Goenka answers these questions.
(Debi speaks)
That is something important to think about. Instead of observing just one day for these habitats everyday should be marked as World Wetland Day. Then only can we really get people to raise their voices and save our remaining tracts of bogs, mangroves and marshes. Mr. Goenka also sheds light on what is needed at a societal level to protect our wetlands.
(Debi speaks)
I agree totally with you on that. Citizens have the power in them to bring about a change and I was lucky to have met one such individual. During the making of my first documentary ‘’Panje-The Last Wetland’’, I interacted with Mr. Nikhil Bhopale, founder of Green Works Trust, an NGO pioneering environmental education. He is an educationist, conservationist and an author, having written a book on the birds of the Indian subcontinent. While we were speaking about the role citizens could play in conservation, he narrated an incident from 12 years ago where he and his friends caught a poacher hunting Flamingos at a wetland near Mumbai city. He shares the story with us today.
(Nikhil speaks)
That’s incredible. Hundreds of species are poached every year for medicine, trade etc. Exotic ones like the Flamingos are regularly killed for their meat. I am sure after listening to this story, many would be inspired to also take up the fight to protect our wild neighbours.
But I have noticed that while a lot of people come forward to support an issue related to forests and trees, not many come forth when it comes to wetlands. I often wonder why? Maybe it’s because they don’t know the role wetlands play in maintaining an ecological balance. Anyway, I asked this to Nikhil and here is what he has to say.
(Nikhil speaks)
Ya..That’s true. And the only way we can change that is by spreading awareness like I am doing through this podcast. Educate people on the benefits these marshlands have to offer and then they definitely wouldn’t want to replace them with concrete structures. Because reclaiming them doesn’t only affect animals, it also affects fisherfolk and tribals dependent on these eco-systems. While working as a green educator for tribal communities, Nikhil got a chance to examine closely the relationship tribals have with different eco-systems and he shares with us the impact on livelihoods when habitats like wetlands are reclaimed.
(Nikhil speaks)
Sadly, land reclamation not only affects the wildlife but also the local people dependent on these habitats for their livelihood. Most of the time, they are just compensated with a measly sum and live their life in poverty. But we can make a difference. How? By restoring or creating new wetlands. But is that really possible? Well, Nikhil answers that very question.
(Nikhil speaks)
Right. Why destroy them in the first place and then create something which does not yield the same benefits? Just look at how people lived during the early times. We built human settlements around wetlands and rivers because during summers, the wetlands still provided us water as they collected it and during monsoons they absorbed excess waters and prevented flooding. Lots of food for life to thrive. But then industrialization and urbanisation happened, technology came, we built over wetlands, and we forgot the services they provided us for free, and instead we began paying for services like reservoirs, water treatment services etc.
Remember folks, Wetlands are water and water is life. They provide the world’s freshwater supply, and act as a carbon sink. Peatlands store twice as much as carbon than forests yet they cover only 3% of the earth’s surface. 40% of the world’s species thrive on wetlands. More than 1 billion people depend on wetlands for their livelihood..
Currently wetlands are estimated to cover more than 12.1 million sq km, an area greater than Canada. Let’s not reduce this anymore. Wetlands are not wastelands and as we stand on the brink of a climate crisis, that could tilt our planet’s ecological balance, the need to protect these natural carbon sinks is even more vital.
So the next time, the wetland noises come creeping in,
Just put up your feet and listen with a grin !
Let’s start a talk today and pledge to retain these vital habitats. You have been listening to the Eyes on Conservation Podcast.
A very Big Thank you to Mr. Debi Goenka of Conservation Action Trust and Mr. Nikhil Bhopale of Green Works Trust for taking their time out to be a part of the show. The music you are listening to is
This episode was produced and edited by me Aishwarya Sridhar. I would love to hear from you so please write to me at info@wildlensinc.org. And please don’t forget to visit our patreon page and make a donation. It’s super easy and every donation makes a difference.
For a full list of this episode’s links and contributors including music used in this show visit the show notes page on www.wildlensinc.org/EOC195.
This is Aishwarya Sridhar reminding you that we have only one home-our precious Earth. and a big thanks for tuning in and listening.