On Occasion of Wetland Day, 9 more wetland areas are added and it became 18 Ramsar sites in Nepal as a whole. The addition of some wetlands as Ramsar Sites is a positive development in that it provides some much-needed attention to these sites. However, due to the lack of proper conservation measures, many of the previously listed sites are facing a bleak situation.  

Encroachment and sedimentation are putting the existing Ramsar Sites in the Terai at risk. Mai Pokhari in Ilam is witnessing depleting water level due to sedimentation and the spreading of water hyacinths and other invasive plants. Similarly, high-altitude Ramsar Sites are facing conservation challenges due to their remoteness and growing developmental activities such as the construction of roads.

While conservationists argue that inclusion of wetlands in the Ramsar Sites is inadequate for their preservation, government officials see it as an important first step.

According to National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), the implementing organization for the Ramsar Convention, said that if we did not work on garnering international attention like the Ramsar listing for some important wetlands, they would not get conservation efforts even at the local levels.  

Wetlands occupy only about six percent of Nepal?s total area, but they are important from the points of view of biodiversity and livelihood. They harbor significant species and habitat diversities—about one fourth of the biodiversity found in Nepal—and provide a wide range of income-generating opportunities for local communities, including indigenous ones.

According to a 2014 government report (Nepal Fifth National Report to Convention on Biological Diversity), 20 ethnic communities are traditionally dependent on wetlands for their livelihoods, in the forms of agriculture and fishery, for example.

These communities possess valuable indigenous knowledge about wetlands. The DNPWC should work closely with them in its efforts to preserve wetlands. Awareness campaigns should also to be conducted to make the general population more sensitive to the value of wetlands. Not enough attention has been paid to conserve these vital water systems.