When we think of wetlands, most of us see them as ghostly swamps where spiders have huge webs that look like banshee in veils, or the dangerous Dead Marshes through which Gollum led Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. However, wetlands are not at all these dangerous, murky, smelly, marshy areas. In fact they are the most cheerful places full of life and activity. It’s where life gravitates to, where human settlements started and where wildlife will gravitate around as well. These marshes, swamps and lagoons are a critical part of our natural environment. Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. But sadly today, they are disappearing 3 times faster than our forests. A meagre 6% of the Earth’s surface is covered by wetlands whereas 31% of the earth’s surface still has forests. And yet people don’t seem to appreciate them in the same way, don’t love them as much as forests. They are hardly considered even important. 

In this episode, a young wildlife presenter and film-maker, Aishwarya Sridhar from India, talks to Mr. Debi Goenka and Mr. Nikhil Bhopale about the importance of wetland eco-systems in a world plagued by climate crisis. Mr. Goenka has been working towards the protection of mangroves and wetlands for over 35 years of his life. He is the executive trustee of Conservation Action Trust (a non-governmental organisation in India) engaged in environmental protection and he’s the force behind the recent policy protecting the Indian mangroves. 

On the other hand, Mr. Nihil Bhopale is an educationist, conservationist and an author, having written a book on the birds of the Indian subcontinent. He is the founder of Green Works Trust, an NGO pioneering environmental education in India. 

They discuss the role of wetlands, the crisis facing them and the need to protect them urgently. 

"Crescents" by Ketsa used via Creative Commons Licensing from the Free Music Archive.

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