Protecting India's wetlands

New body for this ecologically vital area is just the beginning

By setting up a Centre for Wetlands Conservation and Management in Chennai on the 50th anniversary of the United Nations-brokered Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the government seems to have restated its commitment to preserve the biodiversity-rich ecosystems like swamps, marshes, peatlands, coastal lagoons, mangroves, and others. But it would have to walk the talk with result-oriented policies and measures to protect and rejuvenate wetlands. At present, most of the country’s wetlands, cumulatively occupying about 15.26 million hectares, or 4.6 per cent of the land, are in pathetic condition and need urgent intervention to stop further degradation. They face constant threat