• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.123-141
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• 2022

Wetland also known as "Jheelon" in Hindi language is one of the most important natural resources, contributing various economic and ecological benefits. The study gave a short review of the current status of Ramsar wetlands in India. The wildlife species, conservation measures, and their significance in Indian wetlands were also explored in this review paper. As of 2022, there are 49 Ramsar sites in India covering approximately 1,09363.6 km² of land. The largest Ramsar wetland is Sundarbans, while the smallest is Chandertal. It was found that preventing wetland loss is important even though studies about wetland degradation in various nations including India, caused directly by human activities is still limited. Since Monitoring and protecting natural wetlands, supporting scientific studies on preservation and restoration of wetlands, demand on imposing regulations for limiting pollutant discharges were recommended allowing researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to better maintain wetland and its ecosystem services.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2023

Wetlands are very critical for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, while also serving as the breeding/ nesting/ resting grounds for water birds. Generally, wetlands support both resident and migratory birds, thus serving as connecting dots in the global flyways. The Rajasthan state of India has two Ramsar sites (Keoladeo National Park and Sambhar Lake) and many other water bodies/wetlands. However, most of these areas are segregated in the eastern, southeastern, southern, and northern parts. In the western part of Rajasthan, where lies the Great Indian or Thar desert, there are no such reported prominent wetlands drawing attention towards a substantial number of resident and migratory water birds. The author is an Indian Forest Service officer, who was posted in the Thar Desert region and during that time had identified a hidden wetland in the desert landscape. This study deliberates on the wetland location and its faunal diversity with prospects of developing the area as a proper wetland conservation zone. India is a signatory to the Central Asian Flyway of migratory species and serves as an important member in terms of having significant wetlands and reported migratory birds count. The need of preserving and bring the arid zone's hidden wetlands to the forefront can serve as an important tool to conserve water birds and comply with worldwide bird migration conservation efforts.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.462-462
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• 2022

Wetlands are one of the most vital natural habitats on the planet. India is incredibly blessed to have a number of multifunctional wetland ecosystems. Wetlands, in addition to their functional importance, can act as sources or sinks for greenhouse gases (GHGs) depending on their intrinsic factors. Carbon (CO2) and Methane (CH4) are the major greenhouse gases (GHG's) emitted in wetlands. It is demonstrated that, despite having 4.6 percent of its area covered by natural or man-made wetlands, being home to a large number of wetlands, and being the world's second largest cultivator of paddy, India's wetlands, including paddy fields that are intermittently flooded as typical wetlands, have been very poorly studied in terms of GHG emissions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of Indian wetlands and wetlands in terms of CH4 and CO2 emissions. The present study also reviews various literature to provide the equations, parameters that are required for estimating carbon and methane and some of the best strategies for conserving carbon in wetlands. The findings suggest that both non-manipulative and manipulative measures can be used to improve Carbon Sequestration (CS). Non-manipulative measures aim to improve CS by increasing the spatial extent of wetlands, whereas manipulative measures aim to change the characteristics of specific wetland components that influence CS. Uncertainty in carbon dynamics projections under changing environmental conditions is caused by a number of Knowledge gaps: i) There is a lack of knowledge on how organic matter mineralizes and partitions into carbon dioxide, methane, and dissolved organic carbon, ii) With the notable exception of methane dynamics, models that represent the dynamic interaction of processes and their controls have yet to be established. As a result, more research is needed to fully understand the importance of wetlands in terms of GHG emissions and carbon sequestration in India.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.21.1-21.7
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• 2016

Objectives The present study analyzes metal contamination in sediment of the East Kolkata Wetlands, a Ramsar site, which is receiving a huge amount of domestic and industrial wastewater from surrounding areas. The subsequent uptake and accumulation of metals in different macrophytes are also examined in regard to their phytoremediation potential. Methods Metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and lead (Pb) were estimated in sediment, water and different parts of the macrophytes Colocasia esculenta and Scirpus articulatus. Results The concentration of metals in sediment were, from highest to lowest, Mn ($205.0{\pm}65.5mg/kg$)>Cu ($29.9{\pm}10.2mg/kg$)>Pb ($22.7{\pm}10.3mg/kg$)>Cd ($3.7{\pm}2.2mg/kg$). The phytoaccumulation tendency of these metals showed similar trends in both native aquatic macrophyte species. The rate of accumulation of metals in roots was higher than in shoots. There were strong positive correlations (p <0.001) between soil organic carbon (OC) percentage and Mn (r =0.771), and sediment OC percentage and Pb (r=0.832). Cation exchange capacity (CEC) also showed a positive correlation (p <0.001) with Cu (r=0.721), Mn (r=0.713), and Pb (r=0.788), while correlations between sediment OC percentage and Cu (r=0.628), sediment OC percentage and Cd (r=0.559), and CEC and Cd (r=0.625) were significant at the p <0.05 level. Conclusions Bioaccumulation factor and translocation factors of these two plants revealed that S. articulatus was comparatively more efficient for phytoremediation, whereas phytostabilization potential was higher in C. esculenta.