Now, save animals & birds by joining ‘adopt a wetland prog’
LUCKNOW: Want to contribute to saving birds and animals? Join ‘Adopt a wetland programme’ launched here on Sunday, to save the marshlands of Uttar Pradesh.
Wildlife enthusiasts and experts got together at ‘PRAKRITI-2018’ and discussed the status of the state’s wetlands. They focused on how the society and various organisations could be a part of the campaign.
“Water, which is in abundance, can become scarce. See the example of Cape Town -- a place famous for cricket -- that was recently in news for water scarcity. It’s a worldwide phenomenon and can happen in Lucknow too,” said Alok Ranjan, former chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, while addressing the gathering. He also pointed out how the number of wetlands was reducing.
Underscoring his point, Ranjan added, “The Ganga Action Plan I and II and the Namami Gange project are there, but still you can see the condition of Ganga in Varanasi and Allahabad.”
The programme, a joint venture of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry and forest department, was organised by Shikhar Ranjan.
As part of the campaign, on every second Sunday, volunteers will get together to help maintain a wetland.
On the occasion, Prof Amita Kanaujia of Lucknow University’s zoology department handed over a list of over 40 wetlands in Lucknow’s vicinity to the forest department.
“This programme is for all those who love to save the environment and our ecosystem. Adopting doesn’t necessarily means taking over the entire responsibility. Small contributions such as giving your time for cleaning up weeds or providing a machine for some maintenance work can also be a part of the adoption programme,” said Arunima Singh of TSA.
Experts said that if anyone thought that wetlands had nothing to do with them, they needed
to revisit and revise their views. “Even the broom you use in your house comes from the grass in wetlands. Khas that is used for fragrance also comes from marshlands,” said an expert.
They also discussed how people often took wetlands on lease for fishing and then did agricultural work there. “This is a major threat for the existence of wetlands. The other threats include weed infestation and illegal and indiscriminate fishing,” said another expert.