195
11.7.7 An International Defi nition of
Wetland
The IUCN participated at the Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance (especially
as habitat for waterfowls) which is also called the
Ramsar Convention . The Ramsar Convention
adopted the following defi nition of wetlands
(Navid 1989 ; Finlayson and Moser 1991 ):
Areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water, whether
natural or artifi cial, permanent or temporary, with
water, i.e., static or fl owing, fresh, brackish, or salt
including areas of marine water, the depth of which
at low tide does not exceed 6 metres.
This defi nition was adopted at the fi rst meeting of the convention at Ramsar in Iran in 1971.
The broad defi nition of wetlands stemmed from a
desire to embrace all the wetland habitats of
migratory water birds (Scott and Jones 1995 ).
11.7.8 Legal Defi nitions
Wetlands are the bone of contention of many users
today. Thus, when protection of wetlands began in
earnest in the USA during the mid- 1970s, there
arose an almost immediate need for precise defi nitions of wetlands which were based as much on
closing legal loopholes as on science. As such, two
such defi nitions had been developed in the USA,
namely, (a) for the US Army Corps of Engineers to
enforce its legal responsibilities. It had ‘dredgeand-fi ll’ permit programme in the Clean Water
Act. (b) The other was for the US Natural
Resources Conservation Service to administer
wetland protection under the so-called ‘swampbuster’ provision of the Food Security Act. Both
the agencies were parties to an agreement in 1993
to work together on administering a unifi ed policy
of wetland protection in the USA. However, the
two separate defi nitions of wetland remain.
11.7.9 Defi nition of US Army Corps
of Engineers
A US Government regulatory defi nition of wetlands has been found in the regulation used by
the US Army Corps of Engineers for the implementation of a dredge-and-fi ll permit system
required by Section 404 of the 1977 Clean Water
Act Amendments. The latest version of that defi -
nition is given below:
The term “wetland” means those areas which are
inundated or saturated by a surface or ground
water at a frequency and duration suffi cient to
support; and, that under normal circumstances do
support, a prevalence of vegetations typically
adopted for life in saturated soil conditions.
Wetlands, nevertheless, generally include swamps,
marshes, bogs, and similar areas. (33 CFR, 328.3
(b); 1984)
11.7.10 Food Security Act Defi nition
The US Department of Agriculture (US DOA)
has its Soil Conservation Service (SCS). It is
now known as the Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS). It was brought into the arena
of wetland defi nitions and wetland protection by
means of a provision known as the ‘swampbuster’ in the Food Security Act (FSA) of 1985.
A defi nition, called the NRCS or FSA defi nition, was included in the Act (16 CFR 801
(a) (16); 1985):
The term ‘wetland’ means, land which:
(a) Has a predominance of hydric soils
(b) Is inundated or saturated by surface or
ground water at a frequency or duration
which is suffi cient to support hydrophytic
vegetation
11.7.11 Choice of a Wetland
Defi nition
A wetland defi nition has not yet been developed
which could prove satisfactory to all users. It is
because the defi nition of wetland depends on the
objectives and the fi eld of interest of the users. It
needs a generation of well-trained wetland scientists and wetland managers equipped with a basic
understanding of the processes which are important and unique to wetlands for synthesising a
comprehensive defi nition of wetlands in a uniform and fair way.
11.7 Defi nitions of Wetlands
11.7.7 An International Defi nition of
Wetland
The IUCN participated at the Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance (especially
as habitat for waterfowls) which is also called the
Ramsar Convention . The Ramsar Convention
adopted the following defi nition of wetlands
(Navid 1989 ; Finlayson and Moser 1991 ):
Areas of marsh, fen, peatland, or water, whether
natural or artifi cial, permanent or temporary, with
water, i.e., static or fl owing, fresh, brackish, or salt
including areas of marine water, the depth of which
at low tide does not exceed 6 metres.
This defi nition was adopted at the fi rst meeting of the convention at Ramsar in Iran in 1971.
The broad defi nition of wetlands stemmed from a
desire to embrace all the wetland habitats of
migratory water birds (Scott and Jones 1995 ).
11.7.8 Legal Defi nitions
Wetlands are the bone of contention of many users
today. Thus, when protection of wetlands began in
earnest in the USA during the mid- 1970s, there
arose an almost immediate need for precise defi nitions of wetlands which were based as much on
closing legal loopholes as on science. As such, two
such defi nitions had been developed in the USA,
namely, (a) for the US Army Corps of Engineers to
enforce its legal responsibilities. It had ‘dredgeand-fi ll’ permit programme in the Clean Water
Act. (b) The other was for the US Natural
Resources Conservation Service to administer
wetland protection under the so-called ‘swampbuster’ provision of the Food Security Act. Both
the agencies were parties to an agreement in 1993
to work together on administering a unifi ed policy
of wetland protection in the USA. However, the
two separate defi nitions of wetland remain.
11.7.9 Defi nition of US Army Corps
of Engineers
A US Government regulatory defi nition of wetlands has been found in the regulation used by
the US Army Corps of Engineers for the implementation of a dredge-and-fi ll permit system
required by Section 404 of the 1977 Clean Water
Act Amendments. The latest version of that defi -
nition is given below:
The term “wetland” means those areas which are
inundated or saturated by a surface or ground
water at a frequency and duration suffi cient to
support; and, that under normal circumstances do
support, a prevalence of vegetations typically
adopted for life in saturated soil conditions.
Wetlands, nevertheless, generally include swamps,
marshes, bogs, and similar areas. (33 CFR, 328.3
(b); 1984)
11.7.10 Food Security Act Defi nition
The US Department of Agriculture (US DOA)
has its Soil Conservation Service (SCS). It is
now known as the Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS). It was brought into the arena
of wetland defi nitions and wetland protection by
means of a provision known as the ‘swampbuster’ in the Food Security Act (FSA) of 1985.
A defi nition, called the NRCS or FSA defi nition, was included in the Act (16 CFR 801
(a) (16); 1985):
The term ‘wetland’ means, land which:
(a) Has a predominance of hydric soils
(b) Is inundated or saturated by surface or
ground water at a frequency or duration
which is suffi cient to support hydrophytic
vegetation
11.7.11 Choice of a Wetland
Defi nition
A wetland defi nition has not yet been developed
which could prove satisfactory to all users. It is
because the defi nition of wetland depends on the
objectives and the fi eld of interest of the users. It
needs a generation of well-trained wetland scientists and wetland managers equipped with a basic
understanding of the processes which are important and unique to wetlands for synthesising a
comprehensive defi nition of wetlands in a uniform and fair way.
11.7 Defi nitions of Wetlands