Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 1 : Gujarat holds a valuable natural heritage in the form of diverse wetlands, which significantly contribute to the state's environmental health, biodiversity, and economy.
Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the dedicated efforts of Forest and Environment Minister Mulubhai Bera along with Minister of State Mukeshbhai Patel, the conservation of natural resources has led Gujarat to account for 21 per cent of the total wetland area in India, which is the highest among all states, according to a press release.
Gujarat's wetlands cover a 3.5 million hectare area which accounts for 17.8 per cent of the state's geographical location. As per the Space Applications Centre-ISRO (2021), a satellite-based observation of Indian wetlands indicated that Gujarat has a total of 17,613 wetlands, spanning over 3,499,429 hectares of area. These include inland natural wetlands, inland man-made wetlands, coastal man-made wetlands, and coastal natural wetlands. In Gujarat 67 per cent of the wetland area consists of depressions, 46.8 per cent comprises floodplains, 91.6 per cent consists of salt marshes and 75.5 per cent includes salt pans, the release further stated.
World Wetlands Day will be observed on February 2. This year, the theme for World Wetlands Day is "Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future."
Under the NWCP program by MoEFCC, a total of 115 nationally important wetlands have been designated in India, out of which 8 are located in Gujarat, which includes Nalsarovar, Thol Lake, Little Rann of Kutch, Great Rann of Kutch, Nani Kakrad, Wadhwana, Khijadiya, and Pariej.
Moreover, Gujarat has 19 wetlands recognized as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs).
Out of India's 85 Ramsar sites, four are located in Gujarat which includes Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wadhwana Wetland. Gujarat also has several wetland-based protected areas including Marine National Park and Sanctuary, Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Chhari Dhandh Conservation Reserve, Little Rann of Kutch - Wild Ass Sanctuary, Great Rann of Kutch - Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Porbandar Bird Sanctuary, as per release.
Additionally, Gujarat is home to several other ecologically significant wetlands rich in biodiversity, including: Gosabara-Mokarsagar, Bardasagar, Amipur Dam, Javar-Kuchhadi Wetland, Medha Creek in Porbandar district, Nava Talav/Savda, Bhaskarpura Wetland, Vadla Wetland in Surendranagar district, Kumbarwada, Mithani Tapeliya, Ambla Bandhara in Bhavnagar district, Narda and Pariej Wetlands in Kheda district, Sindhada, Chhanosara, and Garamdi Wetlands in Patan district, Jakhau Bandhara in Kutch district and Charkala Wetland in Devbhumi Dwarka district.
A State Wetland Authority has been established in every state of India including Gujarat State Wetland Authority. GEER Foundation serves as its nodal agency contributing, actively towards conserving wetlands. The "Save Wetlands" campaign is being conducted under the initiative of this authority. As part of this campaign, the RSGIS unit of GEER Foundation has validated 15,201 wetlands. The foundation has prepared 458 Wetland Health Report Cards. Over 2,000 Wetland Mitras (Friends of Wetlands) have been registered.
Under the Mission LiFE initiative, around 220 wetland-related programs have been organized. Additionally, the GEER Foundation has signed 8 MoUs under the Save Wetlands initiative. The foundation has also conducted a carbon sequestration assessment study of Gujarat's four Ramsar sites. GEER Foundation is the primary knowledge partner for four states and one Union Territory in India.
Furthermore, GEER Foundation has conducted several training programs and workshops on wetlands in Rajasthan, Goa, Telangana, Assam, Meghalaya, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, providing an understanding to the citizens about wetland conservation.
Thus, the GEER Foundation is actively engaged in scientific research, monitoring programs, and wetland documentation to assess the state of wetland ecosystems in Gujarat.
Being the nodal agency for the Gujarat State Wetland Authority (GSWA) and a knowledge partner for multiple states across India, the foundation plays a key role in wetland documentation, conservation, and management. It also contributes significantly by preparing concise reports aided with comprehensive insights for wetland conservation.