Towards Conservation of DEEPOR BEEL WETLAND Prepared by ‘Friends of Deepor’ (Available internet resources and information sent by various individuals are used in this presentation and are thankfully acknowledged) 2007 ESC 740: Environmental Management North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA
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Towards Conservation of DEEPOR BEEL WETLAND Prepared by ‘Friends of Deepor’ (Available internet resources and information sent by various individuals are.
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Towards Conservation of DEEPOR BEEL WETLAND
Prepared by ‘Friends of Deepor’ (Available internet resources and information sent by various individuals are used in this presentation and are thankfully acknowledged)
2007
ESC 740: Environmental ManagementNorth Dakota State University, Fargo, USA
What are wetlands?
• Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life
• They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by shallow water for at least six months of the year
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971
Five major wetland types;
1. Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs)
2. Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps)
3. Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes)
4. Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams)
5. Palustrine (marshes, swamps and bogs)
• In addition, human-made wetlands (fish and shrimp ponds, farm ponds, irrigated agricultural land, salt pans, reservoirs, gravel pits, sewage farms and canals)
What are wetlands?
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971
What some people think about wetlands?
“ WETLANDS are WASTELANDS”
“Useless, disease-ridden places”
• Are these true?
• Do wetlands have any value?
• Do we need to conserve wetlands?
Values of wetlands
• Fish and wildlife habitats
• Natural water quality improvement
• Flood regulation
• Shoreline erosion protection
• Opportunities for recreation and aesthetic appreciation
• Natural products for our use at little or no cost
Values of wetlands
• The intact value of wetlands is way higher than intensive farming
• The global value of ecosystem services of wetlands $4.9 trillion/year
Values of wetlandsEcosystem Total area
(mil. Of ha)
Local value
($/ha/yr)
Global value
(Trillions $/yr)
Coastal 3102 4052 12.6
Open ocean 33,200 252 8.4
Wetlands 330
(0.7%)
14,785 (48.9%)
4.9
(14.7%)
Tropical forest 1900 2007 3.8
Lakes, rivers 200 8498 1.7
Grasslands 3898 232 0.9
Croplands 1400 92 0.1
Other forests 2955 302 0.9
Total 46,985 30,220 33.3
Costanza et al. 1997. Nature 387: 253-260
Deepor Beel Wetlands, Assam, India
• Palustrine wetland• A significant wetland in
Brahmaputra River drainage
• Consists of perennial, freshwater lake and associated pool systems
• Area: 40 sq km (Assam State Flood
Control Department records the area as 54.89 sq km)
Deepor Beel
Ramsar sites in India
• South-west of Guwahati city, Assam, India
• Only major storm water storage basin for Guwahati
Deepor Beel Wetland, Assam, India
Deepor Habitat Diversity
Recognition of Deepor Beel
• 1989: The government of Assam declared 414 ha as a bird sanctuary (Gazette notification # FRW.1/80/26 of 1972)
• 2002: Recognized as one of the most significant wetland systems in the world under Ramsar Convention (IRS 2002)
• 2004: Declared as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International
Biological Diversity
Taxa Number of species
Phytoplankton 18 genera
Zooplankton 21 genera
Amphibians 20
Fish 50
Reptiles 36
BirdsMammals
21921
• Highly productive and diverse ecosystem.
• Biodiversity is not fully understood yet
• Need more surveys and research to document complete biodiversity
Bird Paradise• A good breeding and feeding ground for birds
• 219 species recorded
• 70 migratory bird species
• Several globally threatened species
• One of the staging grounds on the migratory flyways for several bird species