UPSC Mains 2018 GS Paper 3 Q7: model answer
What is wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of ‘wise use’ in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India.
What the question wants
Define a wetland, explain the Ramsar concept of wise use, and cite two Indian Ramsar sites.
How to structure it
Definition, wise use, examples.
- What a wetland is
- Wise use
- Two Indian sites
- Status
How to think it through
Ramsar definition: areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including marine water up to 6 m at low tide. Wise use: maintaining ecological character through ecosystem approaches, in the context of sustainable development — use, not lock away. Examples: Chilika (first Indian, 1981; removed from Montreux Record 2002), Keoladeo (1981; on Montreux Record), Loktak (phumdis), Sundarbans largest. India 101 sites (Aug 2026).
Model answer
A wetland, in the words of the Ramsar Convention (1971), is any area of marsh, fen, peatland or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, fresh, brackish or salt, including sea water up to six metres deep at low tide. Lakes, mangroves, rice paddies and coral reefs all qualify.
The concept of 'wise use'
- Wise use means maintaining the ecological character of a wetland while people continue to use it.
- It is not strict protection; fishing, grazing and tourism can continue if they are sustainable.
- Countries commit to wetland policies, inventories and management plans.
Two Indian examples
- Chilika Lake, Odisha: among India's first Ramsar sites (1981). After the mouth to the sea was reopened in 2000, fish catch and dolphins recovered, and it was taken off the Montreux Record of threatened sites in 2002.
- Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan: also listed in 1981; still on the Montreux Record because of water shortages.
Status
- India had 101 Ramsar sites by August 2026, the most in South Asia. Wise use asks a simple question: can the
wetland and the people around it both thrive?
Draw: A wetland with fishing boats and birds, labelled 'use + conserve'.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Ramsar 1971, six metres at low tide, wise use, ecological character, ecosystem approach, Chilika 1981, Montreux Record, Keoladeo, 101 sites (Aug 2026), Wetlands Rules 2017.
Where most answers lose marks
- Defining wise use as no human use.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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