Rivers, rivulets, hill streams, reservoirs, lakes, wetlands, beels (Assam), chaurs (tectonic depressions) and mauns (oxbow lakes) (Bihar), tals and talaws, jheels (North & East India), estuaries, mangroves, and backwater/lagoons form the inland open water resources of India. These resources have been under enormous stress, mostly due to anthropogenic activities, which include construction (roads, buildings, railways, dams, canals etc.), over-fishing, irrigation, pollution, siltation, eutrophication, and encroachment. As a result, many water bodies and their ecosystems are being degraded; some have lost their natural ecological characteristics, and the habitats of others are in poor condition. These waterbodies need immediate attention from policymakers and scientists for taking appropriate measures for restoration, biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries in line of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Union’s Nature Restoration Law (NRL). Following the footprints of NRL, which is being implemented in European countries in June, 2024, an Indian Biodiversity Strategy for the restoration of inland water bodies and sustainable fisheries is the need of the hour. New technology interventions, empowering farmers/communities with appropriate skills, incentivizing sustainable practices, raising consumer awareness, and fostering constructive collaborations with all stakeholders are some suggested measures. This study provides insight into such issues, with an elaborate analysis of the restoration of degraded water bodies, the methods of their mitigation, and recommendations with reference to the NRL.
Keywords: Environment, fisheries, Open water, production, management, sustainability, Nature Restoration Law