Original Articles
Malabika Biswas Roy, Riya Roy,
Abstract
Wetlands have been identified as one of the key life support systems on this planet in concert with agricultural lands and fish production. Wetlands are most important natural resources. They are a vital element of national and global ecosystems and economies. Wetlands perform many functions that maintain the ecological integrity and also provide many goods and services (Groundwater recharge, shoreline stabilization and flood storage are particularly important). The functions and benefits provided by wetlands are especially important for the general public as it support agriculture, tourism, and biodiversity conservation, social, economic and cultural activities. In the State of West Bengal the only Ramsar site is the East Kolkata Wetlands. The study area is a particular wetland under this Ramsar site covering approx 102.92 ha not only provides livelihood to the surrounding poor people but also act as a life support system in this area. The activities, ecological importance and growing threats have been discussed in this paper along with suitable remedies for better management and future scope.