From the hills to the gulf: Tracing Tamil Nadu’s quest to protect its wetlands

India now has 80 Ramsar sites, covering a total area of 1.33 million hectares.

Extremely delighted to announce the recognition of two new #Ramsar sites in Tamil Nadu – Longwood shola in Nilgiris & Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur. This brings the total Ramsar sites in Tamil Nadu to 16, the highest in the country, with 13 sites recognised in 2022 alone… pic.twitter.com/VPVpeNRJyj

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) January 31, 2024

A Ramsar site is a wetland site that is considered of international importance and designated as such under the Ramsar Convention. Also known as The Convention on Wetlands, it is an international environmental treaty signed on 2 February, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of UNESCO.

It came into force on 21 December, 1975.

Also Read: Two more Tamil Nadu wetlands get Ramsar status, TN leads nation with 16 Ramsar sites

How was this made possible?

Vellode Bird Sanctuary. (Tamil Nadu Tourism official website)

The abundantly rich biodiverse ecosystem of Point Calimere, nestled in the south-eastern tip of Tamil Nadu’s nose-like extension into the Bay of Bengal, was already a bird sanctuary in 1967. When it was made a Ramsar site, it only elevated its status to international importance.

“The most unique thing about Tamil Nadu,” begins Dr Jayshree Vencatesan of Care Earth Trust, a Chennai-based environmental NGO, “was that most of these wetlands that have now been notified under the Ramsar List were already designated as bird sanctuaries.”

This made it easier for the government, therefore, to apply for the wetlands to be recognised as Ramsar sites.

“These are already well-protected systems and have now gained international attention. Monitoring them will also become international,” Dr Vencatesan adds.

Also Read: Three new Karnataka wetlands added to Ramsar sites, taking India’s tally to 80

Why conserve?

The state’s total wetland area estimated at 9,02,534 ha has distinct biospheres that fall under unique categories. Notably, the Gulf of Mannar biosphere that attained Ramsar status in 2022 is the only site in the entire country to have fulfilled all nine criteria of the Ramsar convention to become a notified wetland.

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is a paradise for avian life. (iStock)

Coastal bird and mangrove paradises such as Vedanthangal, Pichavaram and Point Calimere are among the seven inter-tidal forested Ramsar wetland sites in the country. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve and the Longwood Shola Reserve Forest are also UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

Wetlands function as natural sponges, providing an excellent source of water not just for multitudes of flora and fauna in the region but also for the human population living in its surrounding areas.

It is therefore of paramount importance to conserve and protect wetlands from any form of degradation. Adopted in 1971, the Ramsar Convention is the oldest, and only treaty specific to a particular habitat. What makes it unique is that it provides a “framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources”.

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The latest on the list

The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary located in the Ariyalur district is one of the largest inland freshwater lakes in the state. Its conservation will not just benefit the thousands of migratory birds flocking its banks during the winter but also the paddy farmers living in the region, whose livelihood greatly depends on the health of the soil and water table in the region.

Deepak Srivastava, member secretary of Tamil Nadu Wetland Authority (TNWA) tells South First, “Karaivetti in Ariyalur district is an important biodiversity area for birds, with more than 20,000 birds visiting the region annually. Importantly, it also supports the irrigation of paddy fields in a big way. Many farmers depend on it for their livelihood. As you can see, it is surrounded by paddy fields.”

According to the Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS), about 4,000 hectares of surrounding farmland are irrigated by water from the lake at Karaivetti.

It is the listing of the Longwood Shola that Dr Vencatesan finds “phenomenal”.

“Karaivetti is a notified bird sanctuary and well known for its biodiversity. What’s phenomenal is Longwood. For the first time, we have a patch of Shola forest getting designated as a Ramsar site. It’s a unique patch of forest area in the Nilgiris and over the last two years it has been gaining significant new tags for its protection,” she explains.

“The Longwood Shola is a very old forest,” says Pratim Roy, Founder-Director of the Keystone Foundation at Kotagiri.

Keystone Foundation is an NGO based in Kotagiri that works closely with the indigenous communities in the area for the protection and conservation of the environment.

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Co-existing in changing landscapes

Pichavaram Mangrove Forest is one of the largest mangrove forests in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. (iStock)

“It is a grassland ecosystem which existed in the region even before tea was introduced and changed landscapes. All the tea areas in Kotagiri were originally grasslands and in the folds were the sholas. The Longwood Sholas are one of the last vestiges of the land and ecology that existed several centuries back,” says Roy.

“These forests are part of a distinct sky island ecosystems — The Nilgiris, the Anamalais and Kodaikanal hills — and have these bird species that don’t go down but fly across these mountains. They have a unique way of coexisting among high-altitude vegetation. The many endemic birds found here are not found anywhere else. It is also an Important Bird Area (IBA),” he adds.

According to the information present on RSIS, the Longwood sholas are home to the endangered black-chinned Nilgiri laughing thrush (Strophocincla cachinnans), the Nilgiri blue robin (Myiomela major) and the vulnerable Nilgiri wood-pigeon (Columba elphinstonii).

Matter of pride

Pallikaranai Marshland, Chennai. (Tamil Nadu Tourism official website)

Roy continues, “These shola trees are very old, stunted, dense and have evolved in this cold and unique vegetation and climate over a long period and time. Getting the Ramsar tag is a conservation plus for Kotagiri and it is the first international branding for this region.”

Srivastava, too, has high regard for these hilly patches of wetlands. “It is the 3rd or 4th high altitude wetlands in the entire country, and it is a matter of great pride that a shola forest has made it to the list. It caters to the downstream population who greatly depend on the water flowing down. Since it is a natural or near-natural type of wetland, it also fulfils the most important criteria for becoming a Ramsar site.”

The Longwood Sholas that lie at an elevation above 2000m from sea level are among the four high-altitude wetlands in the country, protected under the Ramsar convention. The other three are the Chandertal Wetland in Himachal Pradesh (4000-4499m), Tsomoriri in Jammu and Kashmir (4500-4999m) and Tso Kar Wetland Complex (5000-5499m) in Ladakh.

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Role played by the local communities

For a wetland to be classified as a Ramsar site, it has to fulfil at least one out of nine deciding factors. These include falling under unique wetland types (natural/man-made), its biodiversity, and more importantly, the presence of a variety of waterbirds and fish species.

Suchindram- Theroor Wetland Complex in Kanyakumari. (Tamil Nadu Tourism official website)

In Tamil Nadu, the latest two additions to the Ramsar list fulfil at least four of the nine criteria. Commenting on this, Srivastava says, “Despite so much degradation over the years, these sites have fulfilled at least 4 or 5 criteria. And for that, I’d like to thank the local communities living in those areas for giving us the opportunity to declare them as Ramsar sites.”

“The Ramsar convention is unique because it does not say people should not be part of it. It encourages wise use of wetlands and what does wise use mean? It is for the country to decide,” explains Dr Vencatesan.

According to Srivastava, the role played by locals living in these wetlands is undeniable when it comes to its conservation. “The state is richly endowed with wetlands. But what is more important is the connection the local communities have with these wetlands. This goes a long way when it comes to protecting such Ramsar sites. The people have been protecting these wetlands and that is why they’ve made it to the Ramsar list.”

He says data regarding all anthropogenic factors from these wetlands is collected with help from local communities. They also contribute towards formulating the corrective measures that can be implemented in the area for its better conservation. “Information flows from local communities, through the government to the Ramsar,” he adds.

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TNWA’s integrated plans

The Wetlands Authority’s Integrated Management Plans (IMP) have been given to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Elaborating on it, Srivastava says, “So far none of the wetlands have been managed using IMPs. All departments have to contribute in their own way. The pollution control board has to make sure pollution is under control. The agriculture department has to make sure too much pesticide is not used. The water department has to work on hydrological connectivity. The rural development also has to take place and the forest department must carry out afforestation activities.”

And it doesn’t stop with the government. “The local communities too have to contribute to the local knowledge bank. There are resource development and resource enterprise development plans in place. We must also secure livelihoods out of these wetlands. We will then apply for funding under National Plans for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) from the Government of India.”

According to Srivastava, the Tamil Nadu Wetland Authority has already identified one hundred forest and panchayat wetlands. It was a promise made when the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission was formed in 2022.

How does the department prioritise these wetlands for notifying them to the Ramsar list? “We aim for low-hanging fruits. If criteria are not met, we first improve and then file for Ramsar,” says Srivastava. The department has also started to maintain health cards for these wetlands, as a marker for their environmental “fitness”.

Making plans and priorities

The once mangrove paradise in Ennore too is on Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission’s priority list for wetland conservation.

“Its health is very poor, no doubt. We are taking measures to lessen water and sediment pollution. The recent happenings have taken a heavy toll on Ennore Creek. We have started with the cleaning activities and will soon begin the restoration activities. We will eradicate the invasive Prosopis juliflora (Seemai Karuvelam). Also, we will create channels so that tidal flushing takes place and plant more mangroves in the region,” says Srivastava.

Highlighting the lesser-known side to the Ramsar list, Dr Vencatesan touches upon the Montreaux List that notifies wetlands that have fallen out of glory.

“When Lake Chilika was pushed into it, Naveen Patnaik took over as Chairman of the Chilika Development Authority,” Dr Vencatesan points out.

The negative connotations associated with this list helps keep the wetlands already designated as Ramsar sites to stay highly protected.