Karnataka Government is elaborating a strategy and an action plan to conserve, sustainability use and equitably share the benefits of use of its rich resources of diversity of life. Wetlands are amongst the worst affected of ecological habitats of the State. Life originated in water; on land it thrives where water abounds. Wetlands are therefore important to the State's biodiversity. Defined as shallow bodies of standing water of a hectare or more in extent, Karnataka has over 44,000 man-made wetlands constructed over centuries. Once critical resources for supporting paddy and other irrigated crops, especially in the Maidan areas, these wetlands have fallen on unhappy times with the coming in of large-scale irrigation projects. Traditionally community-based organisations took care of the protection of the catchments, and of regular maintenance. With lower population densities and little industry, pollution was not a threat, nor had many exotic weeds been introduced.

Political Clout
The community-based organisation were dependent on a higly inequitable society with concentration of wealth, political clout in hands of a small minority. Following independence came democratic governance and land reforms, leading to collapse of traditional community-based institutions. The community woodlands and grazing lands in the catchment have been largely distributed to the landless.

Other pressures on land have led to encroachment on tank beds. The famous Dharmambudhi tank of Bangalore has been drained to make way for the Majestic Bus Stand. The magnificent Amanikere f Tumkur is also under a similar threat. The tanks have become sinks for sewage and industrial wastes. Exotic weeds like water hyacinth have come to thrive in the organically enriched waters. This process of degradation of wetlands has affected many elements of biodiversity as well: water lilies, fish, frogs, turtles, birds and a variety of lesser known organisms.

Borewells chasing the everplunging underground aquifer have replaced small tanks as sources of irrigation. This has beem promoted by subsidised pumps and electric power. But as these subsidies appear likely to end there is growing concern for good management of wetlands. An important initiative in this context is creation of water user sanghas re-establishing community-based management, but now in the modern context of a democratic society. There have been other governmental initiatives as well, such as that of Bangalore Urban Forestry Division to take care of the city tanks.

While water will naturally be the central concern in all the efforts at better management of wetlands, their living resources should also be protected. The measures should include control of encroachment, pollutants and invasive species such as weeds like water hyacinth and fish like water hyacinth and fish like tilapia, maintenance of indigenous bioata through som limitation of its replacement by cultured fish like carps, and regulation of fishing and hunting. These measures would need actions by state agencies such as minor irrigation, fisheries and forest departments as well as Pollution Control Board. It might be worthwhile to bring in local initiatives as well. This could involve NGOs water user sanghas, fishermen's co-operatives, municipalities and panchayat raj institutions.

Fresh Water Fish
Fresh water fish are amongst the most nutritious of foods. Given rapidly declining per capita availability of pulses, fishes are a vital dietary supplement. Subsistence fishing in streams, rivers and tanks has therefore been important for the poor people. It is also one of the most neglected of aspects of the quality of their lives. For development of freshwater fisheries has completely ignored enhancing the availability of a variety of fish for rural poor, focussing instead in culturing a small variety of fishes such as carps largely for the urban market. Such aquaculture calls for elimination of all native fishes, greatly affecting fish diversity. In the process it has also destroyed many traditional practices of protection of fish diversity, such as in temple tanks. For example, Devikere was one such sacred pond in Sirsi town, with full protection to all aquatic life. These have served as important sources for replenishment of diversity. In such protected habitats, as well as in other ponds where there was regular fishing completely free of charge, just a few species are now being cultured with the catch auctioned off to outside contractors.

Drastic Decline
There is no doubt that culture of carps has been a successful venture greatly enhancing production of fish in particular habitats, though at the cost of diversity of aquatic life and access of poor to fish. Elsewhere the productivity as well diversity of fish has been on drastic decline. Fish undertake seasonal movements, often upstream to breed during the monsoon months. Traditionally people often abstained from killing them while on the spawning run. Such movements have been adversely affected by the series of larger reservoirs constructed in recent years with no provisions for fish ladders. Fish habitats have been affected by siltation and shallowing of many rivers and streams.

Fresh waters have also been polluted by sewage, industrial effluents and pesticides. Many of these toxins accumulate in bodies of animals high up in the food web like some predatory fish, and of couse, humans. The consequent health hazards are slowly being uncovered, as in the Minamata disaster in Japan when many defective infants were born to mothers consuming fish that had accumulated heavy metals in their bodies. Apart from human health hazards pollution surely results in considerable loss of biodiversity.

Numbers and diversity of fish has also been affected by indiscriminate fishing, often with destructive methods. Many fisher-folk in Karnataka report that the spurt in road contruction activities has led to ready availability of dynamite. As a result, outsiders, often from cities, can now go to streams in the countryside, kill all fish by use of dynamite, collect the booty and ride away.

Such people have no stake in the long-term health of the streams they may so visit. These people also violate taboos as on fishing from sacred stretches of rivers such as Tunga at Sringeri. In recent years they have poisoned such sacred waters: the localas are helpless in preventing them.

The reason is that the existing legislative framework for wildlife conservation has a narrow focus on charismatic species like tiger, chital and colourful butterflies with no mention of fish in schedules of protected species. So fish habitats outside of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, which encompasses most of bigger streams and rivers and the 44,000 irrigation tanks receive no protection.

Action Plan
A number of elements may therefore be included with profit in the proposed strategy and action plan for conserving Karnataka's fish diversity. These may include (a) a systematic review of the schedules of Wildlife Act to include significant fish species; (b) extending legal protection to traditional fish sanctuaries like temple tanks and sacred river stretches (c) a complete ban on destructive methods of fishing (d) empowering panchayat raj institutions to regulate fishing and to maintain traditional methods of sustainable fishing and rewarding them for maintenance of diversity through special grants (e) setting up of Joint Protected Areas Management Committees to oversee conservation of Aquatic habitats along with terrestrial ones, (f) encouraging Fisheries and Irrigation Departments to promote indigenous fish diversity in selected habitats instead of going in for aquaculture everywhere (g) development of fish ladders and fish weirs to permit movement of fish across bunds and dams (h) strict enforcement of polluter pays principle to protect the health of fresh waters. There are just a few possibilities.