Chennai: India’s First Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM)

The Central government has recently announced to set up a new Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM) in Chennai. This centre will come up to address knowledge gaps and specific research needs in the conservation and management of wetlands.

Key Points

• The centre will set up a Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The centre would be a part of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, an institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• CWCM will also play a major role in designing and implementing regulatory frameworks and policies, monitoring, management planning, and targeted research for the conservation of wetlands.
• It will also act as a knowledge hub and enable exchange between wetland authorities in States/Union Territories, wetland researchers, managers, practitioners, policy-makers, and users.
• The centre will help in building networks and partnerships with relevant international and national agencies.

Wetlands in India

India has a total of 42 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar sites. Wetlands cover around 4.6% of Indian landmass or nearly 15.26 million hectares of area. February 2 is observed as World Wetlands Day. This year, the day marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at Ramsar in Iran in 1971.