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Perspective on Water and Biodiversity Issues in Peri-urban Landscapes: A Case Study of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India

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The Security of Water, Food, Energy and Liveability of Cities

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 71))

Abstract

Keoladeo National Park (KNP) at Bharatpur, locally known as “Ghana,” is acknowledged as one of the most enchanting and outstanding wetland reserves in the world. The wetland ecosystem is a system of small dams, dykes and sluice gates created to control the water level in different blocks. This park became the hunting preserve of the Bharatpur royalty and one of the best duck-shooting wetlands in the world from the 1850s through to the mid-1960s. It was designated as a bird sanctuary in 1956 and recognized as a Ramsar site in 1981. In 1982, it was established as a national park and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985. A socio-ecological study was carried out in the adjoining areas of KNP to assess the perception of children towards water and KNP. The paper highlights the historical perspective of water management in Bharatpur and its importance for the betterment of the unique ecosystem that is KNP. Further, change in the perception towards water through community management of water resources is discussed along with resolving local water problems through sustainable natural solutions with the support of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The community participatory works invoke that the wetland management strategies need to be carefully integrated with land use planning and management at catchment and landscape levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rajputana Society of Natural History, Kesar Bhawan, 16/747, P. No. 90 B/d Saraswati Hospital, Ganeshnagar, Pahada, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India

    Satya Prakash Mehra & Sarita Mehra

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  1. Satya Prakash Mehra
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  2. Sarita Mehra
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Correspondence to Satya Prakash Mehra .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science & Health, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia

    Basant Maheshwari

  2. Colleges of Technology and Agricultural Engineering, Maharana Pratap University of Technology and Agriculture, Udaipur, India

    Ramesh Purohit

  3. Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Hector Malano

  4. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Vijay P. Singh

  5. International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad Office, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Priyanie Amerasinghe

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Mehra, S.P., Mehra, S. (2014). Perspective on Water and Biodiversity Issues in Peri-urban Landscapes: A Case Study of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India. In: Maheshwari, B., Purohit, R., Malano, H., Singh, V., Amerasinghe, P. (eds) The Security of Water, Food, Energy and Liveability of Cities. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 71. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8878-6_32

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