Srinagar, March 28 -- Our country's wetlands, vital ecosystems that support biodiversity, regulate water cycles, and mitigate climate change, are facing alarming neglect. Of the estimated 200,000 wetlands in the country, only 102 have been officially notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, according to data from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Even more concerning is the fact that these notified wetlands are heavily concentrated in just three states and one Union Territory, leaving vast swathes of ecologically crucial areas vulnerable to degradation, encroachment, and pollution. Wetlands-marshes, swamps, lakes, estuaries, and floodplains-serve as nature's buffer zones, absorbing exce...