International Day for Biological Diversity: Activists seek protection of 23k wetlands in Maharashtra

Environmentalists in Maharashtra have urged the state government to expedite legal protection for over 23,000 wetlands, warning of worsening biodiversity loss and climate vulnerability.

On International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday, environmentalists urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to fast-track legal protection for over 23,000 wetlands across the state, warning that further delay will worsen biodiversity loss and climate vulnerability.

The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has completed documentation and ground verification for 23,404 out of Maharashtra's 23,415 identified wetlands, leaving only 11 sites in Pune district pending, these environmentalists said.

The verified data will now move to district administrations and the State Wetland Authority for final legal notification under the Wetlands Rules, they added.

The NCSCM's expedited verification follows Supreme Court directives on a petition by NGO Vanashakti, urging time-bound demarcation to mitigate extreme weather impacts.

Sagarshakti director Nandakumar Pawar said wetland destruction in coastal belts has already triggered severe flooding, forcing the state to spend crores in taxpayers' money on damages.

NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar claimed the protection process has dragged on for 16 years since the National Wetland Atlas launch, leading to massive debris dumping and encroachments in Uran and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

These ecosystems act as critical carbon sinks and natural flood barriers, Kumar added.