Description
Book SynopsisThis book is an attempt to acknowledge the discipline ‘wetland science’ and to consolidate research findings, reviews and synthesis articles on different aspects of the wetlands in South Asia. The book presents 30 chapters by an international mix of experts in the field, who highlight and discuss diverse issues concerning wetlands in South Asia as case studies. The chapters are divided into different themes that represent broad issues of concern in a systematic manner keeping in mind students, researchers and general readers at large. The book introduces readers to the basics and theory of wetland science, supplemented by case studies and examples from the region. It also offers a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in allied fields such as environmental studies, limnology, wildlife biology, aquatic biology, marine biology, and landscape ecology.
To date the interdisciplinary field ‘wetland science’ is still rarely treated as a distinct discipline in its own right. Further, courses on wetland science aren’t taught at any of the world’s most prestigious universities; instead, the topics falling under this discipline are generally handled under the disciplines ‘ecology’ or under the extremely broad heading of ‘environmental studies’. It is high time that ‘Wetland Science’ be acknowledged as an interdisciplinary sub-discipline, which calls for an attempt to consolidate its various subtopics and present them comprehensively. Thus, this book also serves as a reference base on wetlands and facilitates further discussions on specific issues involved in safeguarding a sustainable future for the wetland habitats of this region.
Table of Contents1. Wetlands Introductory.- i. Wetlands: origin and typology.- ii. Wetlands: forms and distribution.- 2. Bio-geochemical issues, Limnology and Hydrology.- i. Water chemistry.- ii. Sediment quality.- Biomass and Productivity.- iii. Decomposition and Mineralization.- iv. Water discharge and sediment loading.- v. Wetlands and Groundwater.- vi. Water Budgeting.- 3. Wetland biodiversity.- i. Biodiversity in Indian inland wetlands.- ii. Biodiversity in Indian coastal wetlands.- iii. Intertidal fauna and their role in coastal wetlands.- iv. Role of mangroves in coastal wetland protection.- 4. Current issues and Climate change.- i. Urbanization and wetlands.- ii. Industrialization and wetlands.- iii. Constructed wetlands.- iv. Carrying capacity.- v.Carbon stock and sequestration potential of wetlands in India.- vi. Methane and other GHG emissions from wetlands.- 5.Ecosystem Goods and Services.- i. People’s dependency on wetlands.- ii. Role of wetlands in economy of adjoining areas.- iii. Agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry.- iv. Services and valuation of wetlands.- 6. Mapping of wetlands with respect to: .- i. Wildlife.- ii. Nutrient availability and transport.- iii. Carbon stock.- iv. Resource use and dependency: Socio-economics.- v. Ecosystem goods and services.- 7. Modeling and simulation.- i. Modeling wetland systems and processes.- ii. Mass balance model of chemical fate in wetlands.- iii. Modeling of chemical speciation of trace metals in wetlands.- 8. Wetland restoration.- i. Tools and techniques of wetland restoration.- ii. Species re-introduction and restoration.- iii. Seed-bank: implications for restoration.- 9.Wetlands in India: Legislation and Policy framework.- i. Legal aspects and provisions for wetland management.- ii. Policy framework and issues concerning wetlands.- iii. Institutional framework for wetland conservation and management.- 10. Wetland Science in India: Gaps and Futuristic.- i. Wetland Science: The Indian Experience.- ii. Research Matrix for Wetland studies in India.- iii. Gaps and Futuristic.
