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Introduction

Wetlands in India, covering nearly 4.6% of its land area, are critical “hydro-social” landscapes that act as both ecological assets and repositories of traditional wisdom. Despite the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, these ecosystems face rapid degradation, losing ~30% of their area over the last three decades. The World Wetlands Day 2026 theme, “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge,” underscores the urgent need to integrate ancestral stewardship with modern institutional frameworks to reverse this trend.

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Key Challenges in Wetland Conservation

• Institutional and Legal Gaps: Fragmented governance across multiple departments (Water, Urban, Environment) leads to delayed notification; by March 2025, only 102 out of over 2 lakh wetlands were officially notified.
• “Wasteland” Perception: Economic and revenue records often misclassify wetlands as “wastelands,” facilitating their conversion for real estate and infrastructure.
  Eg: The Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai has shrunk by nearly 90% due to urban “concrete creep” and infrastructure projects.
• Hydrological Disruption: Dams, embankments, and sand mining block natural feeder channels, leading to the “terrestrialization” of water bodies.
  Eg: Wular Lake in Kashmir has seen a massive decline in water-holding capacity due to heavy siltation and blockage of its natural inlets.
• Pollution and Eutrophication: Untreated sewage and industrial effluents turn wetlands into “nutrient sinks,” causing oxygen depletion and biodiversity collapse.
  Eg: Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru frequently experiences toxic foam and fires, highlighting the failure of urban effluent management.
• Invasive Alien Species: Species like Water Hyacinth and African Catfish outcompete native flora and fauna, disrupting the delicate ecological balance.

Integrating Traditional Knowledge with Scientific Approaches

• Reviving Cascading Systems: Modern hydrology can scale traditional “tank” systems that use gravity and terrain to manage water.
  Eg: Reviving Tamil Nadu’s Kulam (tank) networks using GIS-based mapping ensures precise restoration of ancient feeder channels for flood buffering.
• Biomimicry in Restoration: Using traditional biological indicators (e.g., specific aquatic plants) alongside remote sensing to monitor wetland health.
• Agro-Ecological Buffers: Combining traditional organic farming in catchment areas with Soil Health Cards to prevent nitrogen-loading and algal blooms.
  Eg: The Kole Wetlands in Kerala utilize a unique below-sea-level farming technique that balances rice production with seasonal flood regulation.
• Constructed Wetlands: Scaling the “natural filter” concept, used traditionally in village ponds by designing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for urban sewage treatment.

Integrating Traditional Knowledge with Institutional Approaches

• Institutionalizing ‘Wetland Mitras’: Formalizing local community volunteers as “Friends of Wetlands” to act as non-official vigilantes for real-time reporting.
  Eg: The “Save Wetlands Campaign” in 2025 enrolled thousands of Wetland Mitras to bridge the gap between bureaucracy and ground reality.
• Wetland City Accreditation (WCA): Integrating wetlands into municipal master plans by treating them as “Cultural Heritage Sites” rather than vacant plots.
  Eg: Indore and Udaipur became India’s first WCA cities in 2025 by aligning zoning laws with traditional lake-management practices.
• Equitable Benefit Sharing: Ensuring that conservation laws do not exclude local fishing or grazing rights (usufruct rights), thereby reducing community-state conflict.
• Green Credit Monetization: Incentivizing the private sector to restore wetlands using traditional desilting methods in exchange for Green Credits.

Conclusion

Wetlands must be managed as a “National Public Good” rather than peripheral land parcels. The path forward lies in “Strategic Sobriety” recognizing that while technology provides the tools, traditional knowledge provides the blueprint for sustainability. By elevating wetlands to the status of critical urban and rural infrastructure, India can safeguard its water security and climate resilience for Viksit Bharat @2047.

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