Wetlands has various definition around the globe. coastal fresh water Marshes, swamps, tidal salt marshes, peat bogs, fens, mangrove swamps, etc.
But there are few definitions in some websites just says wetlands are place where land and water meets! without including any ecological or biological measures and landscape type. Surprisingly counties like India and Sri Lanka included rivers and tanks under the the same. How this is possible?
Ramsar convention states definition of wet land is “Areas of marsh, fen, peat land 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 metres.”
Accordingly wetlands are classified as follows in tropical countries:
Inland natural fresh water wetlands (e.g. rivers, stream, marshes, swamp forests andvillus)
• Marine and salt water wetlands (e.g. lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, sea grass beds, and coral reefs)
• Man-made wetlands (e.g. tanks, reservoirs, rice fields and salterns)
Rivers and coral reefs are NOT wetlands. Rivers are riparian and coral reefs are marine ecosystems :)
You are right Andrew. But most of the Indian and Sri Lankan system included them in the wetland list and they argue that Ramsar definition says as above. Please see the link even IUCN has sponsored this project !
http://www.cea.lk/web/images/pdf/7-1.Book-National-Wetland-Directory-Low%20res(1).pdf
Pls. reply.
Hello Sivakumaran,
As you say there are a lot of different definitions for the word "wetland", the Ramsar Convention uses a very broad definition of wetlands and under the Ramsar convention definition rivers and coral reefs technically ARE wetlands.
This can be beneficial for some government agencies that are trying to get funding for protected areas, since by getting one wetland on the Ramsar list and becoming a contracting party of the Convention you agree to "promote the conservation of wetlands and waterfowl by establishing nature reserves on wetlands, whether they are included in the List or not, and provide adequately for their wardening." (You can see the text here http://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/current_convention_text_e.pdf).
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Social Psychology
- Attitude