Wetland Science Perspectives From South Asia

This 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.

Dr. B. Anjan Kumar Prusty (Chief Editor) is Senior Scientist and Head, Division of Environmental Impact Assessment, Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences for his works on environmental biogeochemistry with emphasis on heavy metal speciation in wetlands. His areas of research interests include River basins (Environmental flow and contaminant budgeting, inter-basin water transfer, aquatic ecosystem health), Wetlands, contaminant transfer models, Environmental impact assessment (monitoring and planning, and eco-sensitive areas), and Trace metal speciation in matrices such as water and soil, and environmental health implications. He is involved in designing and teaching modules in environmental sciences and sustainability studies in various universities including Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India. He is a member of academic, scientific and professional bodies such as UNESCO - International Hydrological Programme(IHP), IUCN - Species Survival Commission, Wildlife Health Specialist Group (WHSP) and Goose Specialist Group (GSP).

Dr. Rachna Chandra (Co-Editor) holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences. She is specializing in heavy metal contamination, heavy metal dynamics and mobility through various trophic levels, and phyto-extraction and remediation techniques in different ecosystems has been in the field for more than a decade. She has been also working on nutrient dynamics, metal speciation / fractionation, sources and sinks of heavy metals, factors governing metal pollution, and developing management strategies to arrest contamination. Currently, she studies coastal areas and mangrove habitats in West Coast of India. She is a recipient of various academic awards including DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award by Government of India. She also teaches Environmental Sciences in KSKV Kachchh University, India and has been involved in developing teaching modules for universities such as IndiraGandhi National Open University. She has several research articles in peer reviewed scientific journals, in addition to several book chapters, and papers in conference proceedings to her credit.

Dr. P.A. Azeez (Co-Editor) holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and has more than 35 years of research and teaching experience in ecology and environmental sciences. He is currently attached with Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), where he was the Director until early 2016. His areas of interest include environmental assessment, environmental chemistry, environmental management, ecological systems mainly with respect to ecosystem goods and services, wetland ecology, animal ecology focusing on species interactions, urbanization and sustainable development. He serves in various capacities in research and academics, has been a member / chair of several committees constituted by Government of India, universities and also judicature. He has several publications to his credit and several students have completed their doctoral studies under his guidance.