Wetlands International South Asia in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh State Wetlands Authority and the Uttar Pradesh State Forest Department conducted a training workshop on 6 March, 2020 at the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Meerut. The training focussed on the use of rapid wetlands assessment tool which forms an integral element of the project ‘Conserving and Sustainably Managing Gangetic Floodplain Wetlands of Uttar Pradesh’.
Thirty-four wetlands managers including the Divisional Forest Officers from Amroha, Bijnore, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar and, Meerut districts attended the workshop which was presided over by Shri N K Janu, IFS (Conservator of Forests, Meerut). Dr Asghar Nawab (Programme Head-Aquatic Ecology) at the Wetlands International South Asia, presented the concept of Wetlands Condition Assessment followed by the demonstration on the use of Rapid Wetlands Assessment Tool. After the classroom session a field visit was conducted to Bhikund wetland and observations made. The process of water testing for select parameters was also conducted to replicate at the target wetland sites. The wetlands managers will initiate the process of field data collection from April 2020 onwards which will essentially feed into the preparation of wetlands database for the Uttar Pradesh state.
Mr. Harsh Ganapathi from Wetlands International South Asia demonstrating water quality testing techniques to the forest officials