Wetlands Conservation: Current Challenges and Future Strategies

An up-to-date overview of approaches for addressing wetlands degradation and its effects on ecosystem services, human health, and other ecosystems

Wetlands are essential sources of biodiversity, water purification, groundwater replenishment, flood control, storm protection, sediment retention, recreation and tourism, and more. Human exploitation of natural resources over the past 200 years has caused significant wetlands degradation and loss. Although the Ramsar Convention of 1971 drafted polices for wetland conservation and responsible use, many wetland sites remain inadequately conserved or managed. Maintaining the ecological balance and equilibrium of wetlands requires a clear understanding of the vital role of wetlands, the difficulties they face, and the policies enacted for their protection.

Wetlands Conservation: Current Challenges and Future Strategies summarizes both current and emerging management strategies, trends, and policies regarding wetlands protection around the world. The authors provide accurate scientific information on wetlands while discussing the effects of climate change, global warming, modernization in agriculture, and other key topics. Designed to assist in the development of future solutions for wetlands conservation and management strategies, this important volume:

• Highlights the environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural importance of wetlands
• Identifies the factors responsible for the failure of many conservation initiatives
• Describes the natural and anthropogenic factors of wetlands degradation
• Discusses the role of community-based wetlands conservation and management
• Explores Ramsar wetlands conservation and its impacts worldwide

Wetlands Conservation: Current Challenges and Future Strategies is an invaluable resource for graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, ecologists, policymakers, conservation organizations, and others working in the field of natural resources management.

Dr Sanjeev Sharma has been teaching as an Assistant Professor in the Centre for Study of Regional Development, School of Social Science and Concurrent Faculty in the Special Centre for E-Learning at Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi-India. He is also Assistant Director, UGC-HRDC-JNU, New Delhi. Over the past one and half decades he has worked in different academic and research institute viz. Dr. H.S. Gour Central University of Sagar, IISER, Mohali, WWF-India and G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE). He has done M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. (HPU, Shimla) Post Doctorate (IISER, Mohali) and PG Diploma in Environmental Law and Policy (NLU, Delhi). His research expertise in human ecology; wetlands conservation; environmental impact assessment & management; policy planning and nature conservation; science society and nature study etc. He was awarded first Dr. Saminderjeet Singh Young Geographers National Awrard for 2011 by Association of Punjab Geographers, Post Doc. Fellow from UGC & IISER, Mohali and UNESCO-IHE Fellowship. Presently he is an External Expert Member in the Himachal Pradesh State Wetlands Authority, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh. He has more than 35 international and national publications to his credit.

Dr Pardeep Singh is presently working as an Assistant Professor (Department of Environmental Science, PGDAV College, University of Delhi New Delhi India). He obtained his Masters degree from Department of Environmental Science Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi India and doctorate from Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi. He has published more than 65 papers in the international journals in the fields of various environmental emerging issues. He has edited more than 30 books with various international publishers like Springer, Elsevier, CRC and Wiley.