Tracing the roots of wetland degradation in India: a systematic review of anthropogenic drivers, ecological consequences and conservation strategies.

India's wetlands, estimated to cover 15.26 million hectares, have experienced significant degradation due to human activities. Urbanization, population growth, land transformation, encroachment, and pollution have all contributed to the shrinking of wetlands, which were earlier estimated to be 58.2 million hectares. This review analyzes the root causes of wetland degradation in India, providing insights from more than 100 studies conducted over the last four decades. It also examines the impacts of population growth, urbanization, land transformation, encroachment, and pollution on wetlands, and their associated ecological consequences. The paper highlights the need for conservation and management efforts to protect these vital ecosystems, which provide numerous benefits to human societies and biodiversity. From the above review, it can be inferred that approximately 64% of wetlands have suffered degradation in terms of wetland coverage as a result of these drivers. Additionally, metropolitan areas are experiencing a continuous reduction in wetland size due to overpopulation and urbanization, which serve as the primary contributing factors. The majority of research conducted on wetlands in India concentrates on the ecological and environmental aspects of the wetland ecosystem. Moreover, the physical factors, such as alterations in land use within the catchment area, and the socio-economic factors, including population growth and changes in economic activities, which lead to modifications in wetland surroundings, have not been extensively investigated. So, there is a necessity for further research to be conducted on the physical, socio-economic, and conservation aspects that influence the state of wetlands and their utilization. Also, this research calls for the development of more effective and comprehensive management strategies in response to escalating stress from various climatic and particularly anthropogenic factors, because the governmental and scholarly attention towards wetland management policies, rules, regulations, and organizations has only recently emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]