A North Eastern Region consultation workshop on integrated management of wetlands was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Forest Department, Government of Sikkim on October 8-9, 2018 at Gangtok, Sikkim. Officials from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim attended the workshop. The workshop was chaired by Mr A.K.Jain, Additional Secretary, MoEFCC and Ramsar Focal Point for Government of India.
Wetlands International South Asia delivered technical sessions on integrated management planning and wetlands monitoring. Dr Ritesh Kumar walked the participants through steps required for formulation of integrated management plans and designation of Ramsar Sites. Dr Ajit Pattnaik discussed monitoring methods and governance aspects. Detailed discussions were held with the participants on strengthening wetlands conservation programme across the northeastern region.
The field visit to Tsomgo (Changu), a glacier-fed high altitude wetland in East Sikkim exposed the participants to the complexities involved in the management of these ecologically fragile systems. In discussions with the Pukhri Sanrakshan Samiti, urgent steps for the management of the wetland were laid out, priority concern being addressing pollution threats and monitoring changes in hydrological regimes.
In header image (L-R): Dr S. Balachandran, BNHS; Dr Ritesh Kumar, Wetlands International South Asia; Ms Manju Pandey, MoEFCC and Dr Ajit Pattnaik, Wetlands International South Asia