26th National Conference on World Wetlands Day held on 2 February 2026

26th National Conference on World Wetlands Day was organized by Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal (PDM) under the Clean Creek Movement 2026 (CCM26) initiative. The event was a collaborative effort with the University of Mumbai, Enviro-Vigil, Mangrove Foundation, and the Association of Teachers in Biological Sciences (ATBS). Event Overview • Theme: The conference focused on "Wetlands for Sustaining Cities," exploring the critical role of urban wetlands in biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. • Venue: The hybrid event took place at the Barrister P. G. Patil Auditorium at KBP College. • Inauguration: The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Jayashree Vencatesan of Care Earth Trust, Chennai, a 2025 Ramsar Award recipient for Wetland Wise Use. The inaugural session began at 10.30 am with lamp lighting, followed by condolences paid to Late Shri Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister, Govt. of Maharashtra, and to Shri Raju Bhavsar, who has worked in the field of River Rejuvenation and conservation for the past several years. After this, as per the college's tradition, a relaxation-meditation session was held, which was quite refreshing for the audience. This was followed by playing an audio-visual clip of the signature song of PDM. After this, a signature song of Rayat Education Society, which manages Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil (KBP) College, was recited. Welcome Speech Dr. Rajashri Ghorpade, Vice Principal of KBP College, delivered a welcome speech in which she gave an overview of various academic and non-academic activities of the college. Rayat Shikshan Santha (Educational Institute) is the parent institute, which caters to more than five lakh (0.5 million) students with more than eighteen thousand teachers. Convener’s address: Dr. Prasad Karnik, Vice President, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal, and Convener of the conference, elaborated upon background of the conference and provided an overview of the proceedings of the day. Speeches from the representatives of organizations: 1. Dr. Manasi Joshi, President, PDM Thane, introduced various projects and activities organized by Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal on various occasions every year for the past twenty-six years. PDM is mainly focusing on spreading environmental awarenessamong the masses through environmental education and research. She shared some success stories of PDM, highlighting the ecorestoration and rejuvenation of almost fifty acres of degraded forest land, which has now been converted into a thick forest with all indigenous plant species. It is rich in biodiversity. She appealed to the students to join hands with PDM. Dr. Joshi also highlighted the activities of Enviro-Vigil, an environmental organization working in Thane city for past 26 years. The organization is working for a social cause, with the objective of generating societal awareness of various environmental issues, and a mission to build a strong, self-dependent organization that empowers the youth to accept the challenges of a changing world in tune with sustainable development. 2. Dr. Pravin Nayak, Associate Professor, Zoology Dept, Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai was the next speaker. He spoke about the Association of Teachers in Biological Sciences (ATBS). This is a voluntary organization of college and university teachers established in the year 2006. Following objectives were explored by the speaker, Dr. Nayak. • To upgrade the quality of teaching and learning in Biological Sciences at all levels- both inside and outside the educational system. • To bring teachers of various disciplines of Biological Sciences under one academic forum. • To explore and nurture talent with a view to promoting excellence in Biological Sciences. This organization is guiding the students to prepare for National and International Biology Olympiad, in collaboration with Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education. 3. Mr. Hrishikesh Rane, Assistant Director, Research and Capacity Building, Mangrove Foundation Mr. Rane elaborated upon various objectives and activities of the Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra (Mangrove Foundation). This is an Autonomous Body under the Revenue & Forests Department, Government of Maharashtra. It was established in September 2015. Mangrove Foundation works towards the conservation and monitoring of mangroves and coastal biodiversity. The Foundation also supports the implementation of various livelihood activities under the ‘Mangrove Conservation and Livelihood Generation Scheme’ of GoM. In addition, the Foundation conducts capacity-building programs. for various stakeholders. Mr. Rane appealed to the students to come forward and participate in various activities conducted by the foundation 4. Mr. Vidyadhar Walavalkar, Founder member and Treasurer, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal and Enviro-Vigil. Mr. Walavalkar spoke about the flagship programme of PDM and Enviro-Vigil, namely the Clean Creek Movement. His main focus was to highlight the community participation in taking this movement forward. Thane Creek was rich in Biodiversity four decades ago. However, rapid urbanisation, heavy industrialization, population explosion in the urban and periurban areas of Thane and Mumbai cities resulted in extreme pollution of the creek to such an extent that apart from losing its biodiversity, the creek also lost its fishery. The fishermen communities whose livelihoods were dependent upon the traditional fishery for centuries were the worst affected due to the loss of fish. There was a great financial setback to those communities. Mr. Walavalakar elaborated on how PDM took the initiative to stir a movement to spread awareness among the communities through interactions with academia and research scholars. The takeaway message from his speech was an emotional appeal to the audience, mostly comprising the youth. He said that the creek is just like a backyard, and unless we take the responsibility and ‘own’ it, we won't establish a bond of love and affection for the creek, which is much needed if the younger generation wants to see a clean creek in the future. Mr. Walvalkar’s speech marked the end of the inaugural session. After a short break, the proceedings resumed, marking the start of the technical sessions. Keynote address: The Chief guest, Dr. Jayshree Venkatesan, delivered the keynote speech online. Dr. Venkatesan is the recipient of a prestigious annual Ramsar Award for her , contribution to the Wise use of Wetlands. She is the first Indian to have been honoured with this most prestigious award in March, 2025 and has been included in the list of the Female Changemakers in the world of wetlands by the ‘Ramsar Secretariat’. She has a very bright and impressive career. She is a founder of Earth Care Trust working in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Her speech revolved around Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge, Celebrating Cultural Heritage. She provided a brief account of the Ramsar Convention of 1971. She elaborated on the crucial role of the indigenous traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and traditional techniques in managing, protecting, and conserving wetlands. She mentioned that almost 71% wetlands have been lost since 1971 due to extreme pollution, reclamation, land use systems, and urbanization. This has resulted in a decline of 81% inland aquatic species of birds and other animals and 36% decline in the number of marine and coastal species. She spoke about three tenets set by the United Nation members and contracting parties: • Work towards the wise use of wetlands. • Designate suitable wetlands for inclusion in the list of Wetlands of International Wetlands. • Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species. She further elaborated on the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 1971, formulated under the Environmental Protection Act 1988 of the Govt. of India. She then presented case study report related to Chennai flood and wetlands. She advised that for the Wise use of Wetlands, • Adopt national policies involving a review of existing legislation and institutional arrangements to deal with wetland matters. • Develop programmes of wetland inventory, monitoring, research, training, educationand public awareness. • Take action on the wetland sites involving the development of integrated management plans covering every aspect of wetlands and their relationship with their catchments. Her speech was full of relevant data and useful information. Lead Lectures : 1. Surabhi Thosar, Programme Coordinator, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal, presented the scientific perspective of the Clean Creek Movement. She elaborated upon the process of collecting water samples during specially organized boat rides once a year for the past many years. Samples collected from strategic locations are then subjected to physical and chemical analysis to study parameters like Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), suspended solids and total dissolved solids, turbidity etc. These parameters reflect the pollution status of the creek. She presented exhaustive data with the help of graphs and photographs. She mentioned that for the past sevreal years, the college students are encouraged to participate in the boat ride and they are taught how to collect water samples, how to analyze and how to interprete the results. 2. Dr. Umesh Mundalye, an eminent author and authority on water resources elaborated on the Importance of Wetlands for Sustainable Livelihood in the cities. He mentioned that globally, around one billion people are directly dependent upon wetlands for their survival. In India, 80 million people depend on wetlands for their livelihood. He further explored the various services provided by wetlands and how these services play a very important role in sustaining human livelihoods. Dr. Mundlye further spoke about the importance of research for wetland conservation, and research opportunities that are available in India. 3. Dr. Medha Oak, a Medical Practitioner from Dombivali delivered a lecture on Wetlands for Sustainable Health. She elaborated on how the pollution is affecting wetlands and human health. Natural environments act as stress busters, maintaining mental health. She urged the audience to develop a sense of belonging for ecosystems. Strong policies and public awareness for community participation are key factors playing a crucial role in wetland conservation Conference Highlights • Participation: The event drew 225 participants, including students and faculty from 22 institutes across Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. • Research Presentations: A total of 39 research papers and 4 posters were presented, highlighting studies such as algal and plant biodiversity in the lakes of Thane. • Expert Guidance: Discussions led by eminent experts covered topics including Blue Carbon, mangrove conservation, human impacts on wetlands, and climate adaptation. • Cultural Engagement: The valedictory session featured a street play performed by KBP College students to raise awareness about wetland preservation. • Associated Competitions • Leading up to the main conference, several creative competitions were held to engage the youth: • Through the Lens: Wetlands Photography Competition. • Story in Motion: Short Film and Documentary Competition. • Creative Placard: Poster and placard design. • Research Paper/Review Article: Academic competitions for UG/PG students and research scholars. The conference concluded with a presentation by Dr. Sanjay Joshi, Vice President, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal. He took a review of the day’s proceedings. This was followed by prize distribution ceremony for competition winners. This event was anchored by Ms. Rupali Shaiwale, Organizing Secretary. The day came to an end with vote of thanks followed by the National Anthem. One of the highlights was a display of very beautiful and innovative posters prepared by the students of the Microbiology and Biotechnology departments, KBP College. Amazingly, in this modern era of AI and use of Canva and similar technologies, the students had taken efforts to make those posters manually. Matter was handwritten, and pictures were drawn by hand. In spite of the fact that they were not going to participate in the poster presentation competition, they made those beautiful posters. All in all, the conference was a grand success. From Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal, Rupali Shaiwale was the main organizer of the conference. She handled various responsibilities related to the conference quite efficiently. She received invaluable help from her colleagues, namely Ms. Samiksha Chavan, Ms. Pournima Shrigaonkar, Ms. Surabhi Thosar, Ms. Manali Dhangade, Mr. Chinmay Gundaram , all from Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal. Mrs. Apeksha Devkar and Ms. Hrutuja Patil from Microbiologists department managed smooth compering for the whole day. Ms. Kavita Jadhav, Technical Manager, CRCTS, chief organizing Committee member administered the whole day conference and she was very instrumental for successful organization of this conference. Mr. Sunny Yadav Asst. Prof. Geography, Mr. Sandeep Shende Asst. Prof. Geography Co-Ordinator, and Ms. Tanvi Waman Asst. Prof. Biotechnology coordinated the 3 parallel venues for the presentations of the research work. Dr. Raviprakash Thombre Head, Dept of Geography, Mr. Sandesh Gharge Asso. Prof. Microbiology, Mr. Arjun Potinde Asst. Prof. Microbiology, Mrs. Manminder Riyat Head, Dept of Biotechnology and Dr. Rajinikumari Yedulla Asst. Prof. Biotechnology, all the members of Organizing Committee looked after the hospitality, registration kits and actual registration counters and stage arrangements etc. This ensured the smooth and uninterrupted working of the conference. The teaching and non-teaching staff of the host institute, KBP College Vashi was quite enthusiastic and participated wholeheartedly to make this conference a grand success. They provided all the required infrastructure and manpower for the smooth conduct of the proceedings. Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal is especially thankful to the Management of the college Rayat Shikshan Sanstha and ever enthusiastic Principal Dr. prof. Shubhada Nayak madam. …………………………………………………………………………………….. Result of the Conference: Poster Competition: Winner: Sensor Based Smoke Absorber Device Using Activated Charcoal Prepared from Biowaste by Akanksha Narawade, Annasaheb Awate College, Manchar Paper Presentation: Group A First: Title: Trash to high value protein source from galore production of Mackerel for sustainable fishing industry by Dr. Nandita Ashok More, (Full time teacher, Patuck Jr. College, Mumbai university), Dr. Sanjay Shamrao Nanware (HOD-Professor of Zoology, Yeshwant Mahavidyalaya, Nanded, SRTMU), Dr. Suman Pawar (Former HOD, Dept. of Zoology, Institute of Science, Mumbai University) Second: Ecological implications of anthropogenic activities on mangrove cover and avifaunal diversity along the Ulhas River Estuary, Dombivli by Samiksha Chavan, Rupali Shaiwale, Dr. Umesh Mundlye, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Third: I. Assessing the Effectiveness of a Mangrove Awareness Lecture: A Pre- and Post-Survey Study Among School Students in Dombivli & Kalyan By Mr. Shekhar Wagholikar, Ms. Samiksha V. Chavan, Ms. Rupali L. Shaiwale, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal, Thane, Maharashtra. II. Assessment of Seasonal and Spatial variation in Water Parameters of Mangrove Ecosystem around Alibaug, Maharashtra, India by Saily Hate (Senior Program Leader, Piramal Foundation) and Poonam Kurve (Co-ordinator, Dept. of Environmental Science (Retd.) V. P. M.’s B. N. Bandodkar College of Science (Autonomous), Thane, Maharashtra, India Group B First: Assessment of Total and Hexavalent Chromium in Environmental Samples and Its Environmental Impact, Sakshi Ranmale, Kriti Upadhyay, Department of Biotechnology, Karamveer Bhaurao Patil College, Vashi, Navi Mumbai Second: Sediment Quality and Microbial Assessment of Thane Creek Wetland Shaikh Rida, Khambe Sanket and Dr Nisha Shah , Department of Life Sciences, University of Mumbai, Kalina, Maharashtra, India Third: Sediment Quality and Microbial Assessment of Thane Creek Wetland Shaikh Rida, Khambe Sanket and Dr Nisha Shah , Department of Life Sciences, University of Mumbai, Kalina, Maharashtra, India Fourth: Sustaining Urban Biodiversity through Mangrove Wetlands: Insights of Gorai Creek Akshat Agarwal, Vishakha Shingala, Bindu Gopalkrishnan Department of Botany & Department of Zoology, SVKM’S Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science and Amrutben Jivanlal College of Commerce and Economics (Empowered Autonomous). Affiliated to University of Mumbai, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai - 56, India Fifth: A Comparative Study of Wetlands as Social, Economic, and Ecological Systems Nilesh Jaiswar, Yash Patwardhan, Akash Talwade and Dr. Kranti Ozarkar* Department of Zoology, B. K. Birla College (Empowered Autonomous), Kalyan