Wetlands are among the most productive and yet most threatened ecosystems in West Bengal. From the globally recognised East Kolkata Wetlands and the Sundarbans to innumerable riverside floodplains, oxbow lakes, marshes, tanks, and village ponds, wetlands form the ecological and socio-economic backbone of the state. They support rich biodiversity, regulate floods, recharge groundwater, purify water, sequester carbon, and sustain millions of people through fisheries, agriculture, aquaculture, and allied livelihoods.
Despite their immense value, wetlands across West Bengal are under increasing pressure from unplanned urbanisation, pollution, encroachment, hydrological alterations, climate change impacts, and governance gaps. While communities continue to depend on and protect wetlands through traditional practices, their voices often remain unheard in formal planning and policy processes. At the same time, researchers, educators, civil society organisations, and government agencies frequently work in silos, limiting opportunities for collaboration and collective action.
‘Voices for Wetlands’ emerges from this context as an effort to bridge these divides—by placing community knowledge at the centre, strengthening dialogue across sectors, and creating pathways for informed, inclusive, and conflict-sensitive wetland conservation in West Bengal.
Voices for Wetlands is envisioned as a community-led and policy-driven initiative that recognises wetlands not only as ecological assets but also as living landscapes shaped by people, cultures, and livelihoods. Led by The Climate Thinker and supported by Asar Social Impact Advisors, the initiative seeks to amplify the voices of fishers, farmers, women, youth, and local custodians alongside those of educators, researchers, planners, and policymakers. The core philosophy of the initiative is simple yet powerful: wetland conservation can be truly effective and sustainable only when the people who depend on wetlands are active partners in decision-making. By fostering mutual learning, trust, and dialogue, Voices for Wetlands aims to move beyond conservation conflicts and work towards shared, community-driven solutions.
Wetland-related knowledge in West Bengal is vast but fragmented. Community wisdom often remains undocumented, while scientific and policy knowledge may not reach the people most affected by wetland decisions. The Voices for Wetlands digital platform seeks to address this gap by acting as a bridge between local realities and institutional processes.
By using digital tools, the initiative aims to:
• Improve visibility of lesser-known wetlands and emerging threats
• Enable communities to tell their own stories in their own voices
• Support educators and students with locally relevant learning materials
• Provide researchers and planners with grounded, field-informed perspectives
• Strengthen transparency and accountability in wetland governance
Importantly, the platform also acknowledges the digital divide and therefore complements online engagement with offline meetings, dialogues, and capacity-building activities.
The Climate Thinker is a Kolkata, India–based grassroots civil society organisation dedicated to climate education, ecosystem conservation, biodiversity protection, and community-led environmental action across Bengal. Over the past half decade, the organisation has worked closely with local communities, schools, researchers, and government bodies to promote scientific awareness, nature-based solutions, and sustainable livelihood management. The “Voices for Wetlands” initiative is an extension of this mission—designed to create a unified digital platform where citizens, students, experts, and institutions can share knowledge, report issues, and collectively advocate for the protection and restoration of Bengal’s wetlands.