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This book discusses current knowledge and challenges with the ecological management and conservation of wetlands, with a focus on the East Kolkata Wetlands of India. This area is referred to as a Ramsar Site, a designation given to areas with special protection statuses since it is the largest natural waste recycling system in the world. The site faces many threats to its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning due to anthropogenic activity in the region, and therefore an assessment of the ecosystem services, bio-ecological uniqueness, and issues stemming from climate change and human impacts is needed to develop protection strategies for the future ecological functioning and sustainability of the wetlands. The authors use GIS and remote sensing techniques to assess and monitor harmful industrial and environmental impacts on the wetlands and to inform mitigation and conservation strategies in the face of ongoing threats such as pollution, habitat destruction and bioinvasion. The book also highlights various social and economic aspects tied to the functioning and management of the wetlands, along with ecological, biological, and physio-chemical considerations. The study will be of use to students and researchers in aquatic ecology, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability and conservation, as well as to environmental planners, engineers, and policymakers.
Dr Susanta Kumar Chakraborty is a Professor of Zoology at Vidyasagar University and he received his M.Phil. in Environmental Science and PhD in Marine Science from Calcutta University. His research centres on Coastal Ecology, Mangrove and Fresh Water Wetlands, Rivers and Estuaries, emphasising biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. He has also worked on the integration of rural biotechnologies for environmental management, eco-restoration, and livelihood generation. He has received a number of awards in recognition of his research commitments. Dr Chakraborty has taught for over three decades, mostly at the postgraduate level, covering different aspects of Zoology in general and Ecology/Environmental Science in particular, and has successfully supervised thirty PhD students, published around 150 research papers, written books, and has completed more than a dozen research projects including consultancy work on environmental impact assessment in several countries. Dr Chakraborty has also served at other universities as a member of selection committees and academic bodies, as well as an expert member in several government departments like U.G.C. and I.C.A.R., and he is a life member of a number of scientific bodies in India and serves on the editorial board of a number of journals.
Dr Poulami Sanyal is a Research Scientist at West Bengal Pollution Control Board, India.
Dr Ratnadeep Ray is an Assistant Professor of remote sensing and GIS in Earth Sciences at JIS University, Kolkata, India.
