Country's water bodies neglected
KATHMANDU: World Wetlands Day was marked in the capital today with emphasis on conservation, although the wetlands remain deprived of both donor funds and government attention.
Marking the fortieth World Wetlands Day, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) said biodiversity rich semi-water bodies were in peril.
We know that wetlands are not getting the importance they deserve and increased human pressure and issues of climate change are pushing them towards further risk, said Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
The World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 every year in memory of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971.
Nepal signed the Convention in 1987 and Koshi Tappu was designated as its first Ramsar site. Wetlands cover nearly nine per cent of the countrys total area.
Wetlands include lakes, marshes, peatlands, wet grasslands, streams, glacier lakes, and rivers, and are ecologically critical water resources.
Nepals wetlands are small but they are no less important for maintaining natural integrity and for the people and wildlife that depend on them, said Bishnu Bhandari, Wetland Specialist at ICIMOD.
Nine wetlands of Nepal namely Koshi Tappu, Beeshazar Taal (Lake) of Chitwan, Ghodaghodi lake of Kailali, Jagadishpur Reservoir of Kapilvastu Rara Lake, Phoksundo Lake, Gokyo Lake, Gosainkunda Lake and Mai Pokhari with a total area of about 35,000 hectares have been listed on Ramsar site of international importance. Globally, there are 1,911 Ramsar sites covering about 187 million hectares of surface area.
An integrated approach is needed to save the wetlands and the ministry is ready to work closely to conserve the wetlands of th! e nation , said Deepak Bohara, minister for Forests and Soil Conservation.
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