Wetlands are generally highly productive ecosystems, providing various important benefits to the environment. These benefits are mainly flood control, groundwater recharge, and pollution reduction as wetlands act as aquatic filtering systems. Wetland ecosystems are multilateral ecosystems that provide substantial benefits to society through their numerous functions and services. However, their important role in maintaining the economy of their regions is not properly perceived, and almost all wetlands in India are endangered due to lack of appreciation of their role. Among the common people as well as the stakeholders, there is a lot of misconception regarding the real picture of natural resources and their proper utilisation. This communication gap can be cleared up through the micro-level study. From this point of view, the author has selected a medium-sized area, only 1132.20 km² consisting of five Community Development Blocks viz. Santipur, Ranaghat-I, Ranaghat-II, Chakdah and Haringhata of the Southern Part of Nadia District (SPND). The present Volume focuses on the nature, evolution and utilisation of wetlands of the area and assesses their potentialities for the socio-economic development of the area. The book has systematically presented the fundamental details, discussion, analysis and conclusion in 4 chapters. The study has been enriched with 8 maps and diagrams, 5 tables and 9 photographs. The study is new for several reasons and in its humble way, it is a contribution to the field of applied geomorphology and environmental geography. To what extent has the present work succeeded is the subject to be judged by the readers.
