Deterioration of Wetland Ecology and Livelihood Crisis
A Study from Loktak Wetland, Manipur, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v9i2.1566Keywords:
Wetland Ecology, Livelihood Issues, Participatory Risk Mapping, Fishing, FarmingAbstract
Loktak Lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is vital to the livelihoods of people in Manipur. The wetland’s ecology has been degrading for various reasons, particularly anthropogenic activities. Hence, it was listed in the Montreux Record in 1993. This study investigates risks associated with fishing and farming livelihoods in the area and identifies the factors that drive them. It is based on a field investigation of 600 households from 12 villages in the wetland. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating participatory risk mapping, various indices such as the Standard Livestock Unit Index, Policy Index, Wealth Index, and Simpson Diversity Index, and, finally, Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR) model to identify significant predictors. The findings show that the extinction and decline of fish species, the proliferation of phumdis, water pollution, siltation, and submergence are major concerns that severely impact fishing. Non-ecological stressors, such as lack of irrigation infrastructure, market risks, and input costs, severely affect farmers. The OLR model indicates that household size, age range of the household members, sex ratio, migration, religion, and livestock ownership are significant predictors of ecological risks. Conserving wetland ecology is a prerequisite for ensuring sustainable livelihoods in Loktak; accordingly, an integrated natural resource management strategy is urgently needed.
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