Wetlands form a unique ecosystem which is one of the richest among all the ecosystems from biodiversity point of view. The role of wetlands is enormous in enrichment of natural beauty, maintenance of environmental quality, control of floods, recharging of ground water level, livelihood support for the destitute community and so on. This book draws the expertise, in-depth knowledge and experiences of the scholars and stakeholders representing various disciplines to throw light on the significant issues of preservation, development and sustainable economic growth through inland freshwater wetlands. The book contains Twenty-Eight papers focusing on livelihood issues of the wetland dependent people and the effects on various related problems. It also provides a database on physical and chemical changes of the wetlands, land use/land cover changes in the fringe areas, impact on wetland's productivity, biodiversity conservation and the livelihood support system for the people living in their surroundings.

Therefore, this book will be useful for academicians, researchers, development authorities, NGOs, policy makers, planners and all the people concerned to preserve, protect and develop the wetlands for enhancing the environmental quality and socio-economic welfare of the society.