Year-long wetland conservation initiative launched in Kolkata on World Wetlands Day

Kolkata, Feb 2 (PTI) Amid growing pressure on wetlands across West Bengal due to urbanisation, pollution and climate change, a year-long conservation initiative titled ‘Jolarkotha’ was launched here on the occasion of World Wetlands Day on Monday to strengthen public engagement and collective action, enviromentalists said.

Marking the first phase of this broader campaign, a digital knowledge and community platform, 'Voices for Wetlands', was also unveiled.

The initiative, led by 'The Climate Thinker' in collaboration with 'Asar Social Impact Advisors' aims to place people who live and work around wetlands at the centre of conservation conversations, they said.

This initiative will also focus on experiences and traditional knowledge of fishers, farmers, and other wetland-dependent communities, as these are voices which often remain in the periphery of or outside formal planning spaces.

"Wetlands are not empty spaces on a map, they are living landscapes that support food, water, culture, livelihoods and local economies," said Srijan Haldar of The Climate Thinker.

"This initiative is about bringing people concerned to the centre of the conversation, alongside institutions and experts, and planners. Over time, this kind of collaboration also helps policies work better on the ground," he pointed out.

The newly launched digital platform will function as an open, evolving space to document wetlands across West Bengal through maps, stories, photographs, research and field insights.

"A lot of knowledge about wetlands already exists in communities, in classrooms, and in research institutions, but it is scattered. This platform is an attempt to create a shared space where local realities and policy discussions can meet," said Kankana Das from Asar Social Impact Advisors. PTI SUS BDC MNB