Bhubaneswar : “The Government of Orissa is constituting a “State Wetland Management Authority”, for sustainable management of all the important wetlands of the state. A National Institute on “Management of wetlands and coastal ecosystem” in collaboration with the Ministry of Forest and Environment is also going to be established quite soon in Orissa.” Said the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday while inaugurating the workshop Organised by CDA and Wetland International (South Asia ) .

The Chief Minister said Wetlands are among the most productive life-support systems in the world and are of immense socio-economic and ecological importance. They are critical for the maintenance of biodiversity and also perform a great role in the biosphere.

Water is central to human development and is being increasingly realized as the earth’s most precious natural resource. Wetlands are of great importance to life on our earth. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which came into being in 1971, has focussed attention on the requirements of sustainable development through the wise use of the wetland. This involves essentially the conservation of wetland ecosystems while providing benefits to the local communities.

He said Orissa is bestowed with a diversity of wetland habitats encompassing marine, coastal and freshwater environments. The Chilika Lake is one of the wonders of biodiversity in India. It is identified as one of the nineteen wetlands of international importance designated by India under the Ramsar Convention because of its unique biodiversity. Chilika lake supports some of the largest congregations of aquatic birds during the winter season. Chilika is extremely important to local communities who depend on it for fish and a number of other wetland products. The Fishing directly supports a population of more than one lakh people while associated industries and marketing support to at least another fifty thousand people.

The Government of Orissa is constituting a “State Wetland Management Authority”, for sustainable management of all the important wetlands of the state. A national institute on “Management of wetlands and coastal ecosystem” in collaboration with the Ministry of Forest and Environment is also going to be established quite soon in Orissa.Chief Minister further expressed that CDA has taken several steps to promote the sustainable development of the Chilika Lake and its catchments through active participation of the local communities and NGOs. Chilika has been removed from the Montreux record with effect from 11th November 2003. The prestigious Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award 2002 was also conferred on CDA for its outstanding achievements in the field of restoration and the wise use of wetlands as well as the impressive way in which local communities have been involved in these processes. It is important to mention here, CDA is the first organisation in Asia to receive this prestigious award.

Based on the Ramsar Advisory Mission’s recommendations the Ramsar Convention Secretariat provided funds to support the Wetlands International of South Asia, for formulation of an integrated management plan for Chilika based on the Ramsar Guidelines.The goal of the management plan for the Chilika Lake should be conservation and sustainable resource utilization for ecological security and economic improvement to the stakeholders.

The Chief Minister further said that Some of the important issues like checking the silt flow into the lake through appropriate catchment treatment should be given utmost priority in the management plan. It should be extended to the Mahanadi basin, as 90% of the silt flow into the lake is from Mahanadi system. World’s largest population of rare Irrawaddy dolphins are found in Chilika. Chilika is also the wintering ground for more than one million migratory birds. Carefully planned ecotourism can create alternate livelihood opportunity for the local communities. Thus biodiversity conservation should be given the utmost priority in the management plan. Long-term sustainable use of fisheries resources should be the high priority for addressing the livelihood issues of the local communities. The management plan should also address issues like curbing destructive fishery practices to make the lake free from illegal prawn gherries and to make Lake fishery sustainable as well.

He added I thank the Ministry of Environment and Forest for facilitating the process for availing the funding support from the Ramsar Convention Secretariat for this important project. The Govt. of Orissa is firmly committed for sustainable management of the Chilika Lake. I expect that with a credible long-term management plan for sustainable management of Chilika in place, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government India will take steps for the mobilization of funds for its effective implementation.

I am sure the present workshop organized by the Chilika Development Authority and Wetlands of International-South Asia will provide a platform for further deliberations from the experts who are present here to give a proper shape to the integrated management plan for Chilika.

I am happy to note that experts and scientists from leading institutions, government departments, NGOs have assembled here to discuss this important topic. I congratulate Wetlands International South Asia for being involved in this important task. The Chief Minister wish this workshop all success.Among others MLA Sanjaya Dasburma,Principal Secretary of Forest and Invironment department U.N.Behera, Wetland International (South Asia )President A.K.Kundra, and Chief Executive of CDA A.K.Patnaik has joined in this workshop.