Scientists have called for in-depth studies to formulate comprehensive climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for the conservation and management of high-altitude wetlands in Arunachal Pradesh.
The scientists of G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development in a paper on Climate change and high-altitude wetlands of Arunachal Pradesh in the latestissue of Current Science said climate change impact on high-altitude wetlands can be visualised as the most significant because they provide numerous ecological services, support unique biodiversity and are important for maintaining hydrological balance, livelihood benefits to dependent populace and have religious significance among indigenous communities.
“Traditional ecological knowledge and community participation may also be encouraged to combat the climate change impact on high altitude wetlands of the state,” K.S. Kanwal and others of the institute said in the paper.
Arunachal Pradesh is ranked second in India after Jammu and Kashmir with 1,672 high altitude wetlands covering an area of 11,864 hectares with about 7.6 per cent wetland.
The wetlands located at an altitude higher than 3,000 metres above sea level are an important category of natural wetlands found mainly in the higher reaches of the Himalayas.
The Arunachal Pradesh State Action Plan on Climate Change has projected that maximum temperature will increase by 2.2 degrees to 2.8 degrees Celsius during 2030’s compared to 1961-1990 and the minimum temperature will increase by 1 degree to 2.6 degrees Celsius during the same period.
Water resource, forest and biodiversity are projected to be adversely impacted by the climate change by the 2030s in Arunachal Pradesh, the action plan said.
Most of the wetlands are small in size (below 10 hectares), and there are no large-sized wetlands (above 500 hectares) in the state. Only three wetlands having an area of 100 to 500 hectares have been observed and very little information is available for most of these wetlands because of the remoteness, harsh climatic condition and inaccessibility of the terrain of the region. None of the high altitude wetlands of the state are considered under the Ramsar sites.
The wetlands are the source of many major rivers like Tawangchu, Nyamjangchu, Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Dibang and Lohit, all important tributaries of the Brahmaputra and support the rich diversity of gymnosperms, rhododendrons and rare medicinal plants species and provide suitable habitat for rare and threatened high-altitude fauna like red panda, takin, Chinese goral, red goral, wild dog, snow leopard and musk deer.
The Buddhist community, especially in Tawang, West Kameng, West Siang and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh consider the wetlands sacred.
Official sources said the state does not have any specific scheme for conservation and management of high-altitude wetlands but is taking steps to bring some of the lakes under the Ramsar Convention.
Telegraph story
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