NEW DELHI, Apr 16 (IPS) - Late in February, India’s noted ornithologist and conservationist, Asad Rahmani, wrote a letter to a wildlife warden in north India expressing his satisfaction about the availability of water in four important wetlands in Kashmir, where migratory birds from central Asia and Europe arrive annually for wintering. This letter was in sharp contrast to Rahmani’s earlier concerns about the “deteriorating health” of wetlands in Kashmir and elsewhere in India. Conservationists, activists, and newspaper editorials in India have long been expressing concerns about the “decline” and “neglect” of wetland ecosystems across India.
A recent editorial in a prominent English newspaper in India emphasized the importance of action-oriented measures by the federal and state governments for protecting wetlands. In its Living Planet Report 2024 , the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) flagged the disappearing wetlands in the south Indian metropolitan city of Chennai (in the chapter “Tipping Point”) as a warning sign of rapid ecosystem destruction, which is not only resulting in acute water shortages but is also making Chennai more vulnerable to floods. Wildlife enthusiasts such as Rahmani look at wetlands from the perspective of wetlands as wildlife habitats, particularly for birds.
“I reiterate that if we guarantee sufficient and timely supply of water, Kashmir wetlands will again support lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of birds in each wetland. They also have.
