Recently the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has submitted three nominations from India for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Which one among the following cities is not one among them?
- (a)Indore
- (b)Bhopal
- (c)Udaipur
- (d)Jodhpur
Correct — D, Jodhpur. India's three nominations for Wetland City Accreditation under the Ramsar Convention were Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan, each recognised for wetlands that support urban life. Jodhpur, though also in Rajasthan, was not one of the three nominated cities, so it is the one that does not belong.
- (a)Indore — Indore was one of the three nominated cities, recognised for wetlands including the Sirpur and Yashwant Sagar area, so it belongs to the list.
- (b)Bhopal — Bhopal, home to the Bhoj Wetland (a Ramsar site), was among the three nominations, so it belongs.
- (c)Udaipur — Udaipur, known for its urban lakes such as Pichola and Fateh Sagar, was the third nominated city, so it belongs.
Wetland City Accreditation is a voluntary scheme under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands that recognises cities which value and conserve their urban wetlands. India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change forwarded three nominations — Indore, Bhopal and Udaipur — the first Indian cities put up for this recognition.
The question is an odd-one-out among four cities, three of which share the wetland-city nomination. Two of the four are in Rajasthan (Udaipur and Jodhpur), so the trap is picking the wrong Rajasthan city; Udaipur, the lake city, was nominated, while Jodhpur was not.
- Wetland City Accreditation is granted under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to cities that conserve their urban wetlands.
- India's three nominations were Indore, Bhopal and Udaipur.
- The nominations were forwarded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- As of the April 2024 exam these were the three Indian nominations; India's wetland cities were subsequently taken forward under the Convention's accreditation process.
- Picking the wrong Rajasthan city — Udaipur was nominated, Jodhpur was not.
- Confusing Wetland City Accreditation with Ramsar-site designation; a city can host a Ramsar site yet not be an accredited wetland city.
Asked as an odd-one-out of four cities — remember the three nominated (Indore, Bhopal, Udaipur) and eliminate the rest.
India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar Sites. Which of the following statements best describes how we should maintain these sites in the context of this Convention?
- (a) Keep all the sites completely inaccessible to man so that they will not be exploited.
- (b) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and permit tourism and recreation only.
- (c) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach for a period without any exploitation, with specific criteria and specific period for each site, and then allow sustainable use of them by future generations.
- (d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Answer(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use — the Ramsar 'wise use' principle.
Tests the same Ramsar Convention framework — the 'wise use' of wetlands that underlies Wetland City Accreditation.
If a wetland of international importance is brought under the 'Montreux Record', what does it imply?
- (a) Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference
- (b) The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to prohibit any human activity within five kilometres from the edge of the wetland
- (c) The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and traditions of certain communities living in its vicinity and therefore the cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed
- (d) It is given the status of 'World Heritage Site'
Answer(a) Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur as a result of human interference — the Montreux Record is Ramsar's watch-list.
Another Ramsar-mechanism question — the Montreux Record sits within the same Ramsar system as Wetland City Accreditation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Wetland City Accreditation is a scheme under which international convention?
- (a)Ramsar Convention
- (b)CITES
- (c)Convention on Biological Diversity
- (d)Bonn Convention
Answer(a) Ramsar Convention — Wetland City Accreditation recognises cities that conserve their urban wetlands under the Ramsar framework.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Bhoj Wetland, a Ramsar site, is located in which Indian city?
- (a)Indore
- (b)Bhopal
- (c)Udaipur
- (d)Jaipur
Answer(b) Bhopal — the Bhoj Wetland (Upper and Lower Lakes) is Bhopal's Ramsar-listed urban wetland.