Wetlands Ecosystem: A solution to Environmental Degradation

Abstract

This paper explores India's wetland resources in terms of its geographic distribution and scale, the ecosystem benefits it offers and the various stresses it is exposed to. The paper also addresses the efforts being made to maintain these fragile habitats, describes the institutional vacuum and recommends focus areas where urgent action is required to devise better management strategies for these efficient systems. Management of wetlands has been found to have provided insufficient consideration on the agenda of the national water sector. As a result, many of the wetlands are subjected to anthropogenic pressures, including changes in catchment land use; emissions from agriculture and households; intrusions; tourism; and overuse of their natural resources. However, most wetland management work in India is related to the limnological dimensions and ecological/environmental wetland management economics. However, the physical (such as changes in catchment hydrology and land use) and socioeconomic methods leading to limnological adjustments have not been substantially explored.