Victoria Falls, July 24 -- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday made a strong pitch for community-based conservation and the Global South's priorities at the Ramsar COP15 summit in Zimbabwe, while showcasing India's sharp rise in wetland and biodiversity protection.

Yadav held detailed meetings with Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), and Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), on the sidelines of the global summit in Victoria Falls.

During his meeting with Mumba, Yadav discussed India's unprecedented 250 per cent growth in Ramsar Sites under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fro...