Navigating Sustainability in Loktak Lake: Socio-ecological Changes and its impact on Wetland Ecosystem and Native Fishers
By Sanjay Kumar
Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, has a unique ecosystem. Because of its ecological significance, the Ramsar Convention declared it as a wetland of international significance in 1990. The lake is surrounded by villages inhabited by fishermen whose everyday source of subsistence comes from the lake. However, over the years anthropogenic activities and developmental projects have caused irreversible damage to the wetland and affected the region’s ecology. This paper highlights the various factors that brought about detrimental changes to the wetland ecosystem and the impact of these socio-ecological changes on the wetlands and fishermen. It also explores the way forward for sustainable development and to preserve the area’s ecological balance without compromising with developmental goals in the region.