CWCM: India's First Wetland Conservation Centre

• 03 Feb 2021

• On the World Wetland Day 2021 (2 February), India got its first specialised institution - Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM) in Chennai.
• It will work as a knowledge hub for various stakeholders for conserving wetlands that occupy 4.6% of the country's total land area.
• The CWCM has been set up as a part of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai.
• It will assist the national and state/UT governments in the design and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks, management planning, monitoring and targeted research for conservation of wetlands.
• At present, India has 42 sites designated as wetlands of international importance under Ramsar convention, covering a surface area of 1.08 million hectares.
• The year 2021 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.