Climate Change Impacts on Wetlands: New Findings on Vulnerability and Management

Strategic Insights -

Climate change is altering the world's wetlands at an alarming rate, with devastating effects on biodiversity and ecosystems. Recent research from Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Coimbatore, India, investigates the impact of climate change on these delicate ecosystems. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, and the National Institute of Food And Agriculture, among others, explores the Wetland - Vulnerability Assessment Conceptual Model (WET-VISTA) framework, which assesses the vulnerability of wetlands to climate change and human-induced stressors.

Key Takeaways:

  • Wetlands are dynamic ecosystems that are highly vulnerable to climate change, land use change, pollution, and sedimentation.
  • The WET-VISTA framework uses a three-phase methodology to assess wetland vulnerability, including theoretical concept translation, data collection and integration, and framework development.
  • The study found that the Ithai barrage operation and erratic precipitation have caused a significant increase in Phumdi proliferation in Loktak Lake, resulting in a 80.8% increase in submerged area during the 2019 monsoon season.
  • The highest percentage of submergence has occurred in the Heirok-Sekmai sub-basin, with over 16% of croplands submerged during the 2020 monsoon season.
  • Flood assessment results show that croplands are more vulnerable to floods than built-up lands.
  • The study recommends the development of decision-support tools to guide effective wetland management and policy responses.

Statistics:

  • 80.8% increase in submerged area in Loktak Lake during the 2019 monsoon season.
  • 239.56 sq.km of Phumdi proliferation in Loktak Lake during the 2019 monsoon season.
  • 16% of croplands submerged in the Heirok-Sekmai sub-basin during the 2020 monsoon season.
  • 114274 is the DOI for the journal article "Decision-support framework for translating strategic vulnerability assessment of freshwater wetlands: From theoretical concept to operational application".

Sources:

  • NewsRx LLC, "Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences Researchers Release New Data on Climate Change (Decision-support framework for translating strategic vulnerability assessment of freshwater wetlands: From theoretical concept to operational ...)"
  • Decision - support framework for translating strategic vulnerability assessment of freshwater wetlands: From theoretical concept to operational application. Ecological Indicators, 2025,179():114274.
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114274.
  • Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences.