State Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Chiranjiv Choudhary and other senior officers observed World Wetlands Day with the theme ‘wetlands and human wellbeing’ at the Forest Department headquarters in Mangalagiri on Friday.
On the occasion, Mr. Choudhary said that a list of 26 prioritized wetlands identified by the World Wildlife Fund was submitted to the State Wetland Authority for taking necessary action, Ramsar status was being explored for Coringa sanctuary, proposals for conservation of Kondakarla Ava, Telineelapuram, Telikunchi, Uppalapadu and Punyakshetram were being taken forward and steps initiated for the protection of Godavari and Krishna estuaries which were rich repositories of bird and animal life.
He stated that wetlands were highly productive and biologically diverse systems, where terrestrial and aquatic habitats meet. They support large populations by providing them with means to livelihood, purifying and replenishing water, enhancing water quality, checking coastal erosion, giving protection from cyclones, maintaining stream flows, and sequestering carbon, especially in the ecologically fragile mangroves. Overall, the wetlands play an important role in the blue economy.
Mr. Choudhary further said India has 75 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites, which include Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change mandated that all States should organize a Wetland Campaign under the stewardship of the respective Wetland Authorities and their knowledge partners.
State-wise targets were communicated on ground truthing, multi-stakeholder partnerships, enrolment of Wetland Mitras and carbon assessment at the Ramsar sites, Mr. Choudhary added.
