Consider the following statements: I. Under Ramsar Convention, it is mandatory on the part of the Government of India to protect and conserve all the wetlands in the territory of India. II. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 were framed by the Government of India based on the recommendations of Ramsar Convention. III. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 also encompass the drainage area or catchment regions of the wetlands as determined by the authority. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Only statement III holds. Rule 2 of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 defines a wetland to include its drainage area or catchment region as determined by the authority, so the catchment comes under regulation. That makes C correct.

Statement I is wrong. The Ramsar Convention does not make it mandatory to protect every wetland. Its core obligations are to designate suitable sites for the List of Wetlands of International Importance and to promote their wise use. Blanket protection of all wetlands is not what the treaty requires.

Statement II is wrong. The 2010 Rules were framed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Ramsar influenced India's wetland policy, but the Rules are a domestic legal instrument, not a direct product of Ramsar recommendations.

Core concept: wise use and wetland governance under the EP Act. Mains link: urban wetland loss in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata, and why catchment management matters for conservation. The 2010 Rules were later replaced by the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, which are the operative rules now.

Trap: assuming Ramsar mandates protection of all wetlands, or treating the national Rules as directly derived from the treaty.