UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 62 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2014 question on Montreux Record

If a wetland of international importance is brought under the 'Montreux Record', what does it imply?

  1. Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference.
  2. The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to prohibit any human activity within five kilometres from the edge of the wetland.
  3. The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and traditions of certain communities living in its vicinity and therefore the cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed.
  4. It is given the status of 'World Heritage Site'.
Show answer

Answer: A. Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference.

Verdict

The answer is that adverse changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur because of human interference. That is the definition of the Montreux Record.

Analysis

The Montreux Record is a register maintained under the Ramsar Convention, listing Ramsar sites where such change in ecological character is happening or is threatened, so that they receive priority conservation attention. India's Keoladeo and Loktak have featured on it. The five kilometre prohibition option invents a legal requirement the Convention does not impose. The cultural practices option describes a rationale used in community conservation but not the Montreux criterion. The World Heritage option confuses two separate instruments, since Ramsar listing and UNESCO World Heritage inscription are distinct processes.

Source

Ramsar Convention documents on the Montreux Record.

How to crack it

Do not confuse a watch list with an honour list. Ramsar listing is recognition, the Montreux Record is a warning, and mixing the two is the trap. Build the same distinction for other regimes: World Heritage listing against the List of World Heritage in Danger, and IUCN categories against CITES appendices. The reusable question to ask is whether the designation is a status award or a red flag. This was also a Mains 2010 term, so treat repeat vocabulary as high priority.

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