India News | India Urges Nations to Mainstream Sustainable Lifestyles in Wetland Policies

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) India on Thursday called upon countries to integrate sustainable lifestyles into their national policies to ensure the wise use of wetlands, with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighting the country’s people-led conservation efforts and achievements on the global stage.

Addressing the high-level segment of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Yadav said wetlands form an essential part of India’s environmental strategy.

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“Wetlands form an integral part of national biodiversity strategy, national wildlife action plan and initiatives linked to water resources, urban development and climate change,” the minister said.

Yadav said India’s approach to conservation is rooted in its civilisational values and the principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently emphasised.

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He said meaningful conservation can only be achieved by uniting stakeholders at all levels, noting that India’s “Save Wetlands” campaign has successfully mobilised public participation on a massive scale.

“True conservation can be achieved by bringing together stakeholders at all levels. Based on this principle, India launched the Save Wetland Campaign which has resulted in voluntary participation of more than two million people in conservation efforts and helped in achieving ground truthing of more than 1.7 lakh wetlands and boundary demarcation of around one lakh wetlands,” he said.

The Union minister said that behavioural change and local actions are crucial for sustainable development.

India, Yadav said, currently has 91 Ramsar sites — the highest in Asia and the third highest globally — and has significantly expanded its network in recent years.

“Over the past decade, we have expanded this network by 250 per cent. For the first time, two Indian cities — Udaipur and Indore — have been accredited as wetland cities showing our commitment to urban wetlands,” he said.

Inviting global cooperation, the minister urged all countries to support India’s resolution on promoting sustainable lifestyles for the wise use of wetlands.

“The world needs to mainstream sustainable lifestyles into policy frameworks. We invite all countries to join India’s efforts in this direction,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of Pune Media)

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