Wetlands and Urban Resilience - A Global Outlook

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between urban environments and the crucial function of wetland ecosystems in enhancing the resilience of cities worldwide. This literary work provides an extensive examination of the various aspects involved in urban wetlands, focusing on their ecological, socio-economic, and climatic importance within the ever-changing landscape of rapid urban growth. This study thoroughly examines the role of these often-underestimated natural habitats as crucial contributors in the mitigation of diverse environmental hazards, such as flood control, water purification, and protection against the effects of climate change. Additionally, these habitats provide essential ecosystem services that are vital for the welfare of urban communities. By incorporating a range of viewpoints, examining specific instances, and drawing upon interdisciplinary investigations, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of novel approaches, flexible management methods, and successful policy structures that are essential for the seamless integration of urban wetlands into sustainable urban planning. This integration is vital for promoting resilience in cities situated in various geographical and socio-cultural contexts.
With contributions from leading experts and practitioners in the field, the book is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers, urban planners, environmental professionals, community stakeholders, and students interested in advancing knowledge and practice at the intersection of wetland conservation and urban resilience.

List of contents

Part I. Introduction.- Chapter 1. Understanding Wetlands and their Role in Urban Resilience.- Chapter 2. Decolonizing the Research Narrative: From Drain the Swamps to Water Back Movement.- Part II. Managing the Wetlands: Strategies for Conservation.- Chapter 3. Towards Sustainable Wetland Management: Addressing Policy and Implementation Challenges in Urban India.- Chapter 4. Conservation Challenges of Wetlands in Upper Assam.- Chapter 5. Safeguarding Deepor Beel: Analyzing Legal Tools for Urban Resilience and Wetland Preservation.- Part III. The Resilient City: Exploring Urban Wetlands and Climate Resilience.- Chapter 6. Urban Wetlands as Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities.- Chapter 7. Plant Diversity Assessment as a Robust Approach to Measuring Wetland Ecosystem Stability: A Case Study in and around Rudrasagar Lake, a Ramsar Site in North-East India.- Chapter 8. Policy Regulation and Innovative Strategies for Overcoming Contemporary Challenges to Combat Climate Crisis by Sustainable Approach Towards Urban Wetland Ecosystem.- Chapter 9. Unpacking the Role of Urban Wetlands In Urban Resilience and Sustainable Transitions: An Expose from the City of Harare in Zimbabwe.- Chapter 10. Assessment of Water Quality and Pollution Dynamics in Sagardighi: An Urban Wetland of West Bengal.- Chapter 11. Transformed Wetlands and Urban Resilience: A Case Study from Jiadhal Wetlands, Dhemaji, Assam, India.- Part IV. The Hidden Treasures: Unveiling the Socioeconomic Benefits of Urban Wetlands.- Chapter 12. Assessment of Eutrophication and Its Impact on Human Health Impacts: A Case Study of Barasat City.- Chapter 13. Urban Wetland Unveiling the Socioeconomic Benefit and Socio-Cultural Significance: Reference to Five Different Case Studies.- Chapter 14. Social and Cultural Significance of Urban Wetlands.- Chapter 15. Environment and Community Conflict Management: Exploring the Scope of Community Engagement as an Efficient Measure to Localized Common-Pool Resource (CPR) Management in Halti Beel, Bangladesh.- Part V. Challenges and Future Perspectives of Urban Wetlands.- Chapter 16. Integration of Wetland and Urban Resilience to Conserve Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae): A Potential Tool for Ecotourism Development and Environmental Monitoring at the Urban Wetland- Terrestrial Interfaces.- Chapter 17. Challenges and Opportunities in Managing Urban Wetlands for Resilience in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe.- Chapter 18. Integrating Wetlands into Urban Planning for Resilience of Cities - A Pathway to the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.- Chapter 19. An Integrated Approach to the Planning and Management of a Peri-Urban Wetland: A Case Study of Chatra Beel, English Bazar, Malda District, West Bengal.- Chapter 20. Synergistic Impact of Urbanization of Kolkata Metropolitan and East Kolkata Wetlands on the Mangrove-Estuarine Complex of Sundarbans, India.- Chapter 21. Integrating Science, Policy, and Stakeholder Engagement in Wetland Conservation: Strategies for Effective Management and Sustainable Outcomes.- Chapter 22. Urban Resilience and Water Security: A Synthesis of Wetland Strategies.

About the author

Dr. Susanta Kumar Chakraborty is Professor of Zoology at Vidyasagar University and he received his M.Phil. in Environmental Science and Ph.D. in Marine Science from Calcutta University. His research centers on Coastal Ecology, Mangrove and Fresh Water Wetlands, Rivers and Estuaries, emphasising biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. He has also worked on the integration of rural bio-technologies for environmental management, eco-restoration, and livelihood generation. He has received a number of awards in recognition of his research commitments. Dr. Chakraborty has taught for over three decades, mostly in the postgraduate level, covering different aspects of Zoology in general and Ecology/Environmental Science in particular, and has successfully supervised thirty Ph.D. students, published around 150 research papers, written books, and has completed more than a dozen research projects including consultancy work on environmental impact assessment in several countries. Dr. Chakraborty has also served at other universities as a member of selection committees and academic bodies, as well as an expert member in several government departments like U.G.C. and I.C.A.R., and he is a life member of a number of scientific bodies in India and serves on the editorial board of a number of journals.
 
Prof. Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan is the founder of the Geography Department at Jadavpur University which was initiated in 2014. She has a long tenure of teaching at different Universities of West Bengal namely North Bengal University and The University of Burdwan as full-time Faculty and as Guest Faculty at the University of Tripura, WBSU, Calcutta University, and Kalyani University. She studied at the University of Calcutta, where completed her PhD in 1996. She is an Urban Geographer who is proficient in Remote Sensing GIS and therefore combines the strengths of Regional Planning and Human Geography. She has 60 research papers and 3 books to her credit. She has delivered lectures across Universities in India and also at the University of Colombo and Dacca and presented papers at national and international conferences across the country. She has taken up projects under UGC and has been supervising several research fellows. She has guided more than 20 scholars who have obtained their doctoral degrees and has also supervised several MPhil scholars. She is on the editorial board of many renowned journals like Hill Geographer, Regional Science Policy and Practice, and Indian Journal of Regional Science, and at present is the Editor of Geographical Review of India, Kolkata. 
 
Dr. Uday Chatterjee is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography, Bhatter College, Dantan, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India and Applied Geographer with a Post-Graduate in Applied Geography at Utkal University and Doctoral Degrees in Applied Geography at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha, India. He has contributed various research papers published in various reputed national and international journals and edited book volumes. He has jointly edited books entitled ‘Harmony with nature: Illusions and Elusions from Geographer’s perspective in the 21st Century’, and ‘Land Reclamation and Restoration Strategies for Sustainable Development’ (November 2021, Edition: 1st, Publisher: Elsevier, Editor: Dr. Gouri Sankar Bhunia, Dr. Uday Chatterjee, Dr. Anil Kashyap, Dr. Pravat Kumar Shit. He has also conducted (Convener) one Faculty Development Programme on ‘Modern methods of teaching and advanced research methods’ sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Govt. of India. His areas of research interest cover Urban Planning, Social and Human geography, Applied Geomorphology, Hazards & Disasters, Environmental Issues, Land Use and Rural Development. His research work has been funded by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), Govt. of West Bengal, India. He has served as a reviewer for many International journals.
 
Ranita Karmakar is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Geography, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, and currently working towards her doctoral research. She has completed her Graduation and Master's in Geography from Lady Brabourne College, Calcutta University with a specialization in population geography. Her previous work was published as a book chapter in an edited volume entitled: “Water Supply for the Urban Poor in Indian Cities Issues and Challenges Edited by Dr. Saleha Jamal and Dr. Abha Lakshmi Singh by B.R. Publishing Corporation”. The title of the publication is ‘Urban Infrastructure and Service Delivery in Kolkata Slum’. Another Paper has been Published named “Towards Disaster-Resilient Slum Management (in Kolkata*)” with Prof. Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan in the volume entitled: “Kolkata - The Colonial City in Transition: Reflections in Geographies of Urban India (subtitle).” The publisher of this title is Routledge, trading as Taylor and Francis, whose registered office is in London, UK. In 2023 a paper named Resilience to Natural Hazards: A Case Study of Ghoramara Island, Sundarbans published in the Journal of Geographical Review of India, Volume 84, No 3&4, September & December 2022. Currently, she is working as Editor of an Elsevier Book Named Urban Health: A Global Perspective. Apart from that she has four more papers that are accepted but not yet published, and many workshops, and seminars. In Addition to that, she is currently working on a patent Named Vehicle Pollution Monitoring Device.

Summary

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between urban environments and the crucial function of wetland ecosystems in enhancing the resilience of cities worldwide. This literary work provides an extensive examination of the various aspects involved in urban wetlands, focusing on their ecological, socio-economic, and climatic importance within the ever-changing landscape of rapid urban growth. This study thoroughly examines the role of these often-underestimated natural habitats as crucial contributors in the mitigation of diverse environmental hazards, such as flood control, water purification, and protection against the effects of climate change. Additionally, these habitats provide essential ecosystem services that are vital for the welfare of urban communities. By incorporating a range of viewpoints, examining specific instances, and drawing upon interdisciplinary investigations, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of novel approaches, flexible management methods, and successful policy structures that are essential for the seamless integration of urban wetlands into sustainable urban planning. This integration is vital for promoting resilience in cities situated in various geographical and socio-cultural contexts.
With contributions from leading experts and practitioners in the field, the book is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers, urban planners, environmental professionals, community stakeholders, and students interested in advancing knowledge and practice at the intersection of wetland conservation and urban resilience.

Product details

• Assisted by: Susanta Kumar Chakraborty (Editor), Uday Chatterjee (Editor), Uday Chatterjee et al (Editor), Ranita Karmakar (Editor), Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 12.12.2025
• EAN: 9783032068804
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3206880-4
• No. of pages: 474
• Illustrations: XII, 474 p. 192 illus., 181 illus. in color.
• Series: Sustainable Development Goals Series
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Umweltschutz, Klimawandel, SDG, Urban Planning, Climate Change, Climate Crisis, Biodiversität (Artenvielfalt), Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Stadt- und Gemeindeplanung und -politik, Ecosystems, Urban Ecology, Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Smart Cities, Climate Change Ecology, Ecosystem Services, Green infrastructure, Sustainable cities, climate adaptation, urban resilience, Wetland Ecology, Flood Mitigation, Wetland Conservation, Urban Wetlands, Biodiversity in Urban Areas, Wetland Restoration