Mapping, monitoring and conservation of Harike wetland ecosystem, Punjab, India, through remote sensing.

The Ramsar Convention of IUCN held in 1971 in Iran raised global awareness of the conservation and management of wetlands. Wetlands, the transitional zones that occupy an intermediate position between dryland and open water, regulate the flow of water and nutrients, thereby facilitating optimum functioning of the physical and biological cycles of nature. Harike wetland in the Indian State of Punjab has been declared a wetland of international importance. Thus it is felt necessary to reclaim and develop Harike wetland for its optimum potential use, but a reliable and accurate wetland database is not available. This study aimed at the generation of a database in terms of landuse/landcover, extent of waterspread and its seasonal variation, aquatic vegetation status and turbidity levels of lake water, using multidate satellite data. The threats of the Harike wetland have been identified and adequate measures for its conservation and management suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]