SURVEY AND INVENTORY OF WETLANDS OF KERALA FOR CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES

Funding Agency: World Bank through Kerala Forest Department for Kerala Forestry Project

Wetlands occupy the transitional zone between the aquatic and terrestrial environment sharing the characteristics of both of them, and are unique in their own way. They are constituted by small and large lakes, rivers, streams, seasonally flooded plains and pastures, estuaries, deltas, mangrove areas, coral reefs, swamps, low-lying paddy fields and seasonally flooded forests. Wetlands support a wide array of flora and fauna and deliver many ecological, climatic and social functions. The main objectives of the project were to prepare an inventory of wetlands in Kerala depicting scientifically collected biophysical information on wetlands for formulation of policy for management of wetlands, prioritised list of wetlands for management, a comprehensive plan for the sustainable management (implementation) of a selected wetland area through participation of stakeholder groups and workshops, develop a database for monitoring the conservation situation of wetlands.

Conservation and management of wetlands can be treated as a challenge of sustainable development, which is correlative with environmental protection. It necessitate minimising the human induced changes affecting the natural forces that creates and conserve the wetlands such as hydrology, seasonal climate conditions, bio-geo chemical fluxes, fire, reach of species etc. While reducing the human activity pressures the type of wetlands, landscape, local land uses, cumulative impact of wetlands, quality of vegetation, scope of rare and endangered species, wild life habitat, cultural values etc are to be considered for the designated plan. In wetland management measures aspects like natural wetland protection, regulatory requirements, exemptible activities or interventions, artificial creation and restoration of wetlands, Water quality improvement measures etc also to be taken into consideration. The major facts of wetland management include the buffering of wetlands from direct human pressures and maintaining natural processes in surrounding lands so as to not disrupt the natural activities is that specific piece of land.