Srinagar: On World Wetland Day, J&K’s Wildlife department said Wetland biodiversity hotspots provide habitat for countless plants and animals and there is a need to preserve them for future generations.
They (wetlands) protect species and improve water quality, it also provide habitats to wildlife and maintains floodwaters, surface water flow during dry periods, officals said.
“Wetlands are unique, productive ecosystems where terrestrial and aquatic habitats meet. Wetlands play a critical role in maintaining many natural cycles and supporting a wide range of biodiversity. They serve as a natural sponge against flooding and drought, protect our coastlines and help fight climate change,” they said.
Wetland performs numerous valuable functions such as recycle nutrients, purify water, attenuate floods, recharge ground water and also serves in providing drinking water, fish, fodder, fuels, wildlife habitat, control rate of runoff in urban areas, buffer shorelines against erosion and recreation to society, they said.
Its neccey to reduce, reuse, and recycle our waste and trash as protecting the environment helps to protect wetlands, we must limit our household waste or opt an organic way.
Ifshan Dewan Wildlife warden wetlands (Kashmir) people think that wetlands are wastelands but they must know wetlands are biodiversity hotspots.
She said crucial challenges are relenting encroachment in urban areas, throwing of solid waste in waterbodies and poaching.
"Sanitation is an important measure as almost every wetland in J&K is full of silt,” warden said.
She added that people must understand that poaching is a prohibited activity as poaching incidents are coming to fore and recently seven poaching guns were recovered from them.
"Around four lakh birds are present in Hokersar wetland including new species as well," she added
A wetland is an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water.
The world has already lost more than half of its wetlands in the past century.
(KNO)
