Comparative analysis of potential Ramsar wetlands in coastal India based on biodiversity and ecological parameters

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Research associate; The Celestial Earth Consultants, 316, Vipul Trade Centre, Sector 48, Gurugram-122018, HR, India

2 Founder, CEO; The Celestial Earth, The Celestial Earth Consultants, 316, Vipul Trade Centre, Sector 48, Gurugram-122018, HR, India

Abstract

The Ramsar designation is crucial in protecting wetlands of international importance, recognising their ecological significance, and promoting their conservation. As these vital ecosystems face increasing threats worldwide, the need to identify and nominate new Ramsar sites becomes crucial. This study aims to evaluate and compare the ecological importance, biodiversity significance, and conservation status of four wetlands in Goa, a south western coastal state of India. The methodology includes data collection for ecosystem services and biodiversity assessments, mapping study areas using ArcGIS software, and interview of the Goa State wetland officials. And finally, the assessments were done through comparison of ecosystem services, biodiversity, conservation status, and area coverage of these wetlands. The study shows Lake Carambolim is the strongest candidate for the next Ramsar designation in Goa which is a diverse ecosystem with numerous plant and animal species, serving as a water source for agriculture, supporting wildlife, including migratory birds, and offering cultural and recreational value. The study also found that no health cards are available for these wetlands, while wetland health cards are extremely important to assess the ecological health of wetlands based on their physical features, invasive vegetation, species, water quality, and outflows.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Anonymous. 2023. Status and distribution of Avifauna in Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of Goa. Final Technical Report, Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune, July 2023.
Batim Lake – eBird. n.d. Available at: https://ebird.org/home  [Date Accessed 24 August 2023]
Bhattacharya, T. R., Managi, S., and Dasgupta, R. 2023. Achieving Global Biodiversity Framework Targets in G20 Countries by 2030.
Biswas, P., Bhattacharya, T., Chanda, A., Das, S., and Hazra, S. 2018. Urban wetlands–CO2 sink or source? A case study on the aquaculture ponds of East Kolkata wetlands. Int J Recent Sci Res, 9, 24158-24165.
Brief Documents – Goa State Wetlands Authority. n.d.. Brief Documents – Goa State Wetlands Authority. Available at: https://gswa.goa.gov.in/brief-documents/ [Date Accessed 17. August 2023].
Carambolim Lake & Surroundings (IBA) - ebird. eBird. n.d. Available at: https://ebird.org/home  [Date Accessed 24 August 2023].
Davis, J. A., and Froend, R. J. W. E. 1999. Loss and degradation of wetlands in southwestern Australia: underlying causes, consequences and solutions. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 7, 13-23.
 Durga Lake – eBird. n.d. Available at: https://ebird.org/home  [Date Accessed 24 August 2023]
Foote, A. L., Pandey, S., and Krogman, N. T. 1996. Processes of wetland loss in India. Environmental Conservation. 23(1), 45-54.
Junk, W. J., Piedade, M. T. F., Lourival, R., Wittmann, F., Kandus, P., Lacerda, L. D., and Agostinho, A. A. 2014. Brazilian wetlands: their definition, delineation, and classification for research, sustainable management, and protection. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 24(1), 5-2
Kingsford, R. T., Bino, G., Finlayson, C. M., Falster, D., Fitzsimons, J. A., Gawlik, D. E., and Thomas, R. F. 2021. Ramsar wetlands of international importance–improving conservation outcomes. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 9, 643367.
Koester, V. 1989. The Ramsar convention on the conservation of wetlands: a legal analysis of the adoption and implementation of the convention in Denmark.
Matthews, G. V. T. 1993. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: its history and development. Gland: Ramsar Convention Bureau.
Mohammad Abdul Mazid, 2019. Available at: http://ijariie.com/AdminUploadPdf/ A_Study_on_Wetland_Ecology_ijariie10350.pdf  [Date Accessed: 8 August 2023].
Prasad, S. N., Ramachandra, T. V., Ahalya, N., Sengupta, T., Kumar, A., Tiwari, A. K., and Vijayan, L. 2002. Conservation of wetlands of India-a review. Tropical Ecology. 43(1), 173-186.
Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia. 2017. The Designation and Management of Ramsar Sites – A practitioner’s guide. Available at www.ramsar.org and www.rrcea.org  [Date Accessed 3 September 2023]
Sarzora Lake – eBird. n.d.. Available at: https://ebird.org/home [Date Accessed 24 August 2023]
Secretariat, R. 2016. An Introduction to the Convention on Wetlands (previously The Ramsar Convention Manual). In Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland.
Shanbhag, A. B., Walia, R., and Borges, S. D. 2001. The Impact of Konkan Railway project on the avifauna of Carambolim Lake in Goa.
The Convention on Wetlands and its mission. 1994. The Convention on Wetlands. Available at: https://www.ramsar.org/about/convention-wetlands-and-its-mission  [Date Accessed 7 August 2023].
The Ramsar Sites Criteria. Ramsar Convention on wetlands. n.d. Available at: https://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/library/ramsarsites_criteria_eng.pdf [Date Accessed: 9 August 2023]
Zedler, J. B., and Kercher, S. 2005. Wetland resources: status, trends, ecosystem services, and restorability. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 30, 39-74.
Environmental Resources Research
Volume 12, Issue 1
July 2024
Pages 147-166

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics