National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems and Wetlands Rejuvenation Programme aims to conserve India’s wetlands.

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA)

• Origin: Merged from the National Lake Conservation Plan and the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
• Implementing Agency: Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Objective:
  • Comprehensive conservation and restoration of lakes and wetlands.
  • Improvement in water quality.
  • Enhancement of biodiversity.
  • Integrated ecosystem restoration through a common regulatory framework.
• Activities:
  • Wastewater Management: Interception, diversion, and treatment.
  • Shoreline Protection: Lakefront development.
  • In-Situ Cleaning: Desilting, de-weeding.
  • Stormwater Management: Bioremediation.
  • Catchment Area Treatment.
  • Lake Beautification: Bio-fencing.
  • Survey and Demarcation.
  • Fisheries Development: Weed control.
  • Biodiversity Conservation.
  • Education and Awareness.
  • Community Participation.

Wetlands Rejuvenation Programme

• Objective: Rejuvenate selected wetlands within a 100-day framework.
• Implementing Agency: Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Approach:
  1. Developing Baseline Information:
     • Document includes identification, location, site characteristics, biodiversity, ecosystem services, threats, and activities under Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
  2. Rapid Assessment of Wetlands Condition:
     • Report Card System: 9 indicators under 4 categories:
       • Wetland Area: % converted to non-wetland use since 2000.
       • Hydrological Regimes: Choking of natural inlets/outlets, water quality samples meeting BOD/COD levels.
       • Biodiversity: Invasive macrophytes, waterbird counts.
       • Governance: Mapping, management plan, regulation status.
     • Scoring System: Ranks from A+ (very good) to E (very low). Urban wetlands generally rank lower.
  3. Enabling Stakeholder Platforms:
     • Engagement and collaboration with stakeholders to foster ownership.
  4. Management Planning:
     • Creation and implementation of comprehensive management plans for wetlands.