Wetlands Restoration Handbook

Chennai has been experiencing cycles of drought and heavy rain for several decades. Amongst these events, the December 2015 floods was significant in Chennai’s history as it put the spotlight on the need for better and more coordinated water management. The recognition of this need was amplified in subsequent years as the city and its surroundings continue to experience cycles of severe droughts and heavy rainfall which is becoming more frequent and extreme due to climate change.

As Chennai’s state of water drifts between these two extremes, residents, policy makers and practitioners are looking to the region’s vast network of tanks, lakes and rivers (which have historically played a critical role) to manage these extremes as an important climate adaptation strategy. However, due to rampant and unplanned urbanization and poor management, very few of around 3600 water bodies that once dotted the region, exist today. The presence of multiple actors and, need for robust and comprehensive methodology to guide restoration on the ground is limiting the extent of impact and hindering long term sustainability of these initiatives in Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Therefore, Okapi collaborated with Care Earth Trust to develop a Wetlands Restoration Handbook that demystifies the science behind restoration whilst providing a detailed description of the key steps involved in ecological restoration. It targets anyone who is interested in restoration and wants to see sustained change on the ground, providing as much guidance on the technical process to be followed as on pre-project planning and research, continual monitoring and post-implementation management to sustain long term impact.

While based on the Chennai context, the handbook is relevant and can be adapted for other urban Indian contexts as well.