Land Degradation: Wetlands

Environmental Studies Project

Presented by:
Yashwardhan Agrawal
IIIrd year DA
B. Arch, SCOA
Outline

 Land degradation
 Wetland
 Types of Wetlands
 Wetland degradation
 Threats to Wetlands
 Conservation measures
 Architect’s Role & Responsibilities
Land Degradation
 Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical
environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting
upon the land.

 Causes of Land Degradation:

 Land clearance, deforestation and urbanization.
 Inappropriate irrigation and depletion of soil nutrients of agricultural lands.
 Dumping of non-biodegradable waste such as plastics, thermocol.
 Contamination due to industrial activity, agricultural chemicals.
What is a wetland?

 A wetland is an area of land that is

inundated with water.
 Wetlands are also known as
marshes, estuaries, mangroves,
mudflats, swamps.
 Wetlands are important as they
are biologically diverse
ecosystems.
 They serve as home to a wide
range of plant and animal life.
Types of Wetlands

Marsh Swamp Bog

Fen Wet meadow

Degradation of Wetlands
 Deterioration due to human activities.
 Has potential influences on human
health, biodiversity, regional climate,
and regional ecological security.
 More than half of the world’s wetlands
have been destroyed in the 20th
century.
 1/3rd of Indian wetlands have been
severely degraded.
 Threats to Wetlands

Anthropogenic Hydrological Climate

Pollution
invasion intervention Changes

Hunting, Industrial
Land
Fishing effluents

Human Agricultural
Water
settlement run off

Vegetation
removal
Implications

 Reduction in carbon sequestration

 Reduction in groundwater recharge
potential
 Reduction in economic products
 Reduced water supply
 Floods
 Loss of water quality
 Biodiversity depletion
 Ecosystem disruption
Conservation Measures

 Demarcation of boundary
 Construction of embankment
 Control of industrial activity
 Control of commercial exploitation of
aquatic resources
 Complete stoppage of garbage dumping
 Awareness campaign
 Implementing sustainable wetland
management strategies
 Ramsar Convention, 1971
An architect’s role
 Planning and designing of reserves/sanctuary/parks
 Actively restore and preserve the biome in various wetland

 Planning and designing of resorts/vacation villas/camping grounds in

wetland reserve parks
 Create awareness in visitors about this unique ecological system
 Place for people to come in contact with such ecosystem
 Leading to further participation in its preservation and maintenance
 Revenue for preservation and further development of wetlands
References

 Bai, et al. (2013), Wetland Degradation and Ecological Restoration, The

Scientific World Journal
 Johnson WC, et al. (2005) Vulnerability of northern prairie wetlands to
climate change, Bioscience
 Ying, et al. (2014)Architecture Planning of Wetland Landscape, Applied
Mechanics and Material
Thank you