Navi Mumbai: On International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated May 22 every year, environmentalists appealed to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to fast-track long-delayed legal protection for more than 23,000 wetlands across the state, warning that continued neglect accelerates biodiversity loss and increases climate vulnerability.Appealing to the CM for urgent intervention, B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, said wetlands are critical for maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance.“Wetlands also act as natural carbon sinks, absorb excess floodwaters, recharge groundwater and reduce the destructive impact of climate change and recurring El Niño conditions. Maharashtra cannot afford to lose these ecological shock absorbers any longer,” Kumar said.Kumar said the delay in granting legal protection caused extensive damage in ecologically sensitive regions such as Uran and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region due to debris dumping, encroachments and large-scale reclamation. “This process should never have dragged on for 16 years after the launch of the National Wetland Atlas. With the verification exercise now almost complete, the govt must immediately notify these wetlands and secure them under law,” said greens.The appeal came after the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management completed documentation and ground verification of 23,404 of Maharashtra’s 23,415 identified wetlands.
