Deliberations on Integrated Management of Wetlands and Release of Publication on Cultural Significance of Indian Wetlands

01 May, 2023

The Wetlands Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been conducting regional consultative workshops to gather inputs from the Ramsar Site managers, State Wetland Authority (SWA) officials, wetland experts and knowledge partners to develop future implementation strategies for wetland conservation and management. From 29^th to 30^th April 2023, MoEF&CC organised a regional workshop for the North-Eastern states at Imphal, Manipur. The event saw participation from respective SWAs, Ramsar Site managers, and Knowledge partners. GIZ India was represented by the IKI-BMUV supported ‘Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection’ project and the BMWK-BMUV-IKI supported project ‘Protection and Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources in North-eastern Himalayan Region of India (NERAQ)’.

On Day 1, a Regional Consultative Workshop was held in the presence of Knowledge partners, SWAs and Site managers from eight states, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. During the workshop, three plenary discussions were conducted on ‘Implementation Strategy for Amrit Dharohar scheme alignment with LiFE Concept for conservation of wetlands’, ‘Implementation of Save Wetlands Campaign’, and ‘Integrated Management of Wetlands and Capacity Building’.

The third plenary discussion was moderated by Mr Ravindra Singh, Director, Indo-German Biodiversity Programme. A few key suggestions from the plenary session included incorporating traditional knowledge and qualitative data to prepare IMPs, focusing more on interdepartmental synergies, scheme convergence and optimizing livelihood dependence from tourism activities. The outcomes of the plenary discussions were presented to Hon’ble Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (EF&CC) Mr Bhupender Yadav.

Day 1 concluded with an interaction session between the Hon’ble Minister EF&CC and the Ramsar Site managers of the North-east states. During the workshop, Hon’ble Minister EF&CC released a project publication titled “Cultural Significance of Indian Wetlands”. The book explores the stories of the deep socio-cultural connection of the local communities with different wetlands across the country.

Day 2 of the workshop consisted of a field visit to Loktak Lake, the first Ramsar Site of Manipur and the adjoining Keibul-Lamjao National Park. The workshop participants visited the Ramsar Site to understand the importance of the lake in the local culture, and its importance in sustaining livelihoods of the locals. They were accompanied by the officials from the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) to explain the challenges in the conservation and management of the lake.

Releasing the book "Cultural Significance of Indian Wetlands”
In frame (L-R): Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Joint Secretary, MoEF&CC; Mr M Asni Kumar Singh, Chairperson, LDA; Mr Sushindro Meitei, Hon’ble Minister PHED, Govt of Manipur; Mr N Biren Singh, Hon’ble CM, Manipur; Mr Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Union Minister of EF&CC; Mr Th Biswajit Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Forest, Environment and CC, Govt of Manipur; Mr M.H. Khan, Addl Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and CC, Govt. Of Manipur; Mr A.K Joshi, PCCF, Government of Manipur

About the project

The Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection project aims to strengthen the institutional framework and capacities for an ecosystem-based integrated management of wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites) in India. Four Ramsar sites have been selected as pilot sites under the project: Pong Dam and Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh, Bhitarkanika Mangroves in Odisha, and the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. The project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in close cooperation with the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA). This project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. Read More

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de