Impact of Climate Change on Upper Ganga Ramsar Site of UP, India: Sustainable Restoration of Wetland Ecosystem

Introduction

Wetlands are shallow water bodies, rich with natural resources, and immense environmental, economic, and social benefits, contributing naturally to a healthy environment and which hold great significance in terms of maintaining the ecological balance in the environment. They are also known as the kidneys of the landscape, as they help maintain a healthy and resilient wetlands ecosystem and are a source of various benefits. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals make part of a wetland ecosystem (EPA, n.d., Wetlands). Wetlands not only improve water quality but also provide flood protection, controls shoreline erosion, provides recreation opportunities and aesthetic appreciation as well. Inland wetlands, such as floodplains, rivers, lakes, and swamps, function like sponges, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flood surges. During dry seasons in arid regions, wetlands provide refuges for wildlife and supply water for communities and stock (Salimi et al., 2021). Wetlands also buffer coastlines from extreme weather. Yet, the value of wetlands remains largely unrecognized by policy and decision-makers.

Despite their natural resilience and the natural benefits, wetlands are extremely vulnerable to changes in our landscapes and weather patterns. We are losing wetlands three times faster than natural forests (Ramsar, n.d., The Global Wetland Outlook). Over time, changes in the environment affect wetlands and can lead to shifts in species distributions, species communities, loss of native species as well as biogeochemical changes in the soil. Warming temperatures, increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and changes in frequency and intensity of rainfall alter these ecological processes.

There are various ecosystem goods and services provided by a wetland that benefits the communities who depend on them for their survival, social and economic security. Wetlands primarily have the natural ability to retain water during dry seasons, which keeps the water table stable, smooth, and running. They also supply water for irrigation as well as for domestic consumption and provide swarms of freshwater fisheries for human consumption and water for recreation (Figure 2). The wetland types and their distribution in India were studied in detail by Patel et al. in 2009, by using 1:2,50,000 scale with the help of Resources at-1 (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite- P6) Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data of 2004-05. In this study, wetlands were categorized in 25 different classes under two headings i.e. coastal wetland and inland wetlands. Whereas, the area estimated under wetland was 11.69 Mha in various bio-geographical zones of India which roughly corresponds to about 3.66 percent of the geographic area of the country (Patel et al., 2009).

Climate change has started showing its impact on this important fragile ecosystem as well. Wetlands are likely to be affected by increased temperatures and changes to precipitation and more frequent or intense droughts, storms, and floods. Wetlands that are highly modified or degraded may be even more sensitive and less resilient to climate change (Australian Government, n.d., Wetlands and Climate Change).

As the rising temperature changes the biochemistry and function of a wetland, these wetlands will then no longer be able to provide the necessary water purification service and may adversely start to decompose and release nutrients to the surface water (Salimi et al., 2021). Climate change is predicted to increase flooding, drought, the number of high heat days, and the frequency of severe storms, all of which will affect wetlands. Wetlands are particularly vulnerable to changes in hydrology as they exist between fully aquatic and fully terrestrial ecosystems (Australian Government, n.d., Wetlands and Climate Change). Wetlands might cover only about 5–8% of the world’s land surface but comprise 20–30% of the world’s carbon pool and steps must be taken to protect it (Mitsch et al., 2013). One of the numerous services and benefits wetlands provide is their ability to sequester (or store) carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This ecosystem service keeps the rate of ongoing climate change slower than it would be otherwise. (Desai, 2018). Wetlands are estimated to store more than one-third of the world’s terrestrial carbon. (Australian Government, n.d., Wetlands and Climate Change). Their destruction often results in major releases of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. If wetlands are drained, burned, or cleared, they become a carbon source, releasing into the atmosphere centuries of stored carbon. Carbon dioxide emissions from drained and burned peatlands equate to about 10 percent of global annual fossil fuel emissions. (Australian Government, n.d., Wetlands and Climate Change).