ACT – Training of IFS Officers on Wetland Laws and Conservation

HEAL Executive Director Meghna Banerjee was invited as a resource person at her alma mater, the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences for a session as part of a One-Week Compulsory Training Course on “Legal Framework on Wetland Management and Conservation in India” for IFS officers.

The session involved a discussion about utilising the legal framework for securing protection for wetlands. Her presentation, ‘Environmental Litigation vis-a-vis Wetland Protection’, chronicled the series of litigations, starting in 2013, filed against the encroachment of the Dankuni wetlands that culminated this year into a final order that grants protection to all the wetlands in the State including the Dankuni wetland complex.

The case of the Dankuni wetlands shows just how potent a weapon law can be in the battle for conserving vital habitats which is why HEAL actively uses it to protect vulnerable species and safeguard their habitats.