Wetland City Accreditation

• 12 Jan 2024

Why in the News?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has recently submitted three nominations from India for the Wetland City Accreditation (WCA).

• The nominated cities include Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), and Udaipur (Rajasthan).

Key Points

• Udaipur city is surrounded by five major wetlands: Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.
• These wetlands are an integral part of the city’s culture and identity, help maintain the city’s microclimate, and provide a buffer from extreme events.
• The ongoing Amrit Dharohar initiative by the MoEF&CC aligns with WCA goals, promoting the conservation values of Ramsar Sites.

Other Nominated Cities For the WCA

• Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site in Indore, has been recognised as an important site for water bird congregation and is being developed as a Bird Sanctuary.
• Bhoj Wetland, Ramsar Site is Bhopal’s lifeline, equipped with the world-class wetlands interpretation centre, Jal Tarang.

Wetland City Accreditation (WCA)

• The WCA is a voluntary accreditation system established by the Ramsar Convention during the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP) 12, 2015 to recognize cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands.
  • The WCA is valid for 6 years.
• The scheme aims to promote the conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.