Monday, February 7 2005 15:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: Forty per cent of world's all waterbirds and twenty per cent of 10,000 known freshwater fish species are under decline, threat or extinct, experts on wetlands, said today (Feb 7, 2005).

Many wetland reptiles were under decline while nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species were threatened which was more than that for birds and mammals, Max Finlayson, president of Wetlands International, informed the 3rd Asian Wetland Symposium (AWS) which commenced in Bhubaneswar.

Quoting the millennium ecosystem assessment results, he said they showed that wetlands, both inland and coastal, were in trouble.

"The rates of loss of wetlands and wetland species are greater than those for many other habitats such as forests and grasslands", he said.

Finlayson also expressed grave concern over the decimation of mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass meadows as also floodplain wetlands and lakes in many parts of the world including Asia.

"Scarcity of water and access to it are some of the major challenges facing us which were delivered by wetlands to the people", he said adding lack of water was a key factor limiting economic development in many countries.

Around 400 delegates from nearly 30 countries are participating in the three-day event.

Urging the participants to question themselves as to "What is required to ensure better use of wetlands?" during the workshop, Finlayson said the Ramsar Convention could not operate effectively without support from its many partners and advisors.