How a Conservation Economy Could Transform Odisha’s Lesser-Known Wetlands

Odisha stands as a wetland powerhouse in India, home to six Ramsar sites amongst over 13,000 wetlands being demarcated by the state government for effective conservation. The state's wetland ecosystems, though diminished from an estimated 58.2 million hectares nationally to around 15.26 million hectares today, remain amongst India's most ecologically significant. Yet whilst Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, attracts over 1.1 million migratory birds annually and draws birdwatchers from across continents, three of the state's newer Ramsar designees remain largely in the shadows.

Ansupa Lake, Tampara Lake, and Hirakud Reservoir, all recognised in 2022 amongst 11 wetlands added nationally during India's 75th independence year, face a peculiar challenge: they possess prestigious international status on paper but lack the tangible benefits, tourism revenue, scientific partnerships, and sustained conservation funding, that typically accompany such recognition.

This disparity isn't merely bureaucratic. According to official data of 2025-26, Chilika's latest bird census recorded 11,32,200 birds across 196 species, with over 70,000 tourists visiting nearby Debrigarh sanctuary and wetland areas annually. The lagoon sustains approximately 200,000 fishermen's livelihoods whilst generating substantial tourism revenue that directly funds conservation initiatives. Bhitarkanika, India's second-largest mangrove ecosystem with over 80% of Odisha's mangrove cover, similarly benefits from concentrated international attention.

Meanwhile, Hirakud Reservoir, despite hosting 370,000 migratory birds of 120 species annually and supporting 7,000 fisher households with 480 metric tonnes of annual catch, receives merely 30,000 tourists yearly, less than 3% of Chilika’s numbers. Ansupa Lake, home to 194 bird species including three threatened species, and Tampara Lake, yielding just 12 tonnes of fish annually whilst supporting 60 bird species, remain virtually unknown beyond academic circles, even to most domestic visitors.

The Tourism-Conservation Economy

Ranjan Panda, expert on river–wetland interactions in Odisha, observes, "When global travellers, birdwatchers and conservation scientists expand their gaze beyond Chilika to include Ramsar sites like Ansupa, Tampara, and Hirakud, it creates a new kind of conservation economy. That blended attention, scientific, cultural, recreational, helps local communities see long-term value in protecting these ecosystems rather than converting them for short-term gains."

Dr Saroj K. Swain, former Director and Principal Scientist at ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, emphasises the transformative potential of well-designed tourism models: "These wetlands hold significant potential for sustainable and community-based tourism if planned carefully, ensuring that ecological integrity is not compromised. The Mangalajodi bird sanctuary model demonstrates how surrounding communities can become guides, boat operators, homestay providers, and conservation stewards."

The economic case is compelling. Hirakud Reservoir, operational since 1957, generates 300-350 MW of hydropower and irrigates 436,000 hectares whilst providing flood moderation for the Mahanadi delta. Yet its tourism potential remains vastly underdeveloped compared to Chilika. Ansupa, a 231-hectare oxbow lake supporting 61 fish species and 26 mammal species, could similarly attract naturalists and researchers if positioned strategically.

Bridging the Visibility Gap Through Scientific Partnerships

The knowledge deficit surrounding these lesser-known sites actively hampers conservation. Whilst Chilika benefits from continuous monitoring by the Chilika Development Authority, which successfully removed the lagoon from the Montreux Record in 2003 following restoration efforts, critical knowledge gaps persist elsewhere. Experts acknowledge that the impact of cage culture fishing on Hirakud's water quality remains understudied, even as industrial fly ash and agricultural pesticides increasingly pollute the reservoir.

Asis Senapati, a professor at Raveshaw University who recently did a study on ecotourism need for Odisha’s wetlands, explains, "Even though Ansupa, Tampara and Hirakud are Ramsar sites, much of the global and national attention in Odisha still circles around Chilika. Bringing these lesser-known wetlands into broader research and tourism narratives would attract more scientific partnerships and funding, enabling year-round ecological monitoring, species inventories and community-led conservation plans rather than episodic efforts."

The timeline reveals telling disparities. Ansupa came under CDA control during 2008-09, yet restoration involving manual de-weeding began only in 2016, an eight-year delay during which approximately 800,000 metric tonnes of silt accumulated in the lake. Each year, 100,000 metric tonnes of clay, sand, nitrogen, and phosphate-laden sediment flow from surrounding paddy fields, progressively degrading water quality and habitat.

Senapati emphasises accountability mechanisms, "International visibility matters because it intensifies accountability, policymakers, civil society and private partners pay closer attention when a wetland's story circulates beyond local media. In practice, that means stronger enforcement of wetland protection rules, better mapping of boundaries, and deeper investment in habitat restoration before problems become irreversible."

This point resonates given recent Supreme Court directives. In December 2023, the apex court ordered all states to complete ground truthing and demarcation of wetlands identified in the Space Applications Centre Atlas within three months. The Orissa High Court subsequently initiated suo motu public interest litigation for wetland conservation, with hearings scheduled for February 2025 to monitor protection measures for the state's six Ramsar sites.

Community-Led Models and Regulatory Frameworks

Successful transformation requires community integration. The Ansupa Integrated Self Help Group model, accommodating four local SHGs, offers a proven template. Members manage all lake activities and wetland-dependent tourism, earning one-third of generated income whilst contributing to conservation. "The lake's restoration has expanded fishing space and created other income-generating avenues for us," reported local community member Subarni Dalei, highlighting how environmental restoration directly enhances livelihoods.

Dr Swain stresses the importance of structured approaches, "Any tourism model should prioritise local livelihoods, involving surrounding communities as guides, boat operators, homestay providers, and conservation stewards. These wetlands will be the best models in improving the livelihoods of local communities." However, he cautions, "Strict regulation of visitor numbers, waste management, and non-motorised or low-impact activities is essential to protect biodiversity, particularly migratory birds and aquatic ecosystems."

The Hirakud wildlife division's "Debrigarh 48" programme, promoting environmental awareness amongst students from 48 nearby villages, demonstrates educational engagement. Similarly, the February 2023 youth exposure programme at Hirakud, supported by BMU-IKI and GEF-UNEP-MoEFCC, showcases how international partnerships can catalyse local conservation consciousness. Such initiatives, coupled with programmes like Youth4Water launched in 2019, create constituencies invested in wetland protection.

Narrative Transformation and Strategic Positioning

Ultimately, transformation requires intentional narrative-building. These wetlands need curated experiences, showcasing Ansupa's endangered Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) and river tern populations; highlighting Tampara's 48 phytoplankton species and vulnerable common pochard; demonstrating Hirakud's unique hydropower-biodiversity-irrigation nexus that supports not just wildlife but 7,000 fishing families.

Hirakud's successful removal of 100 kilometres of invasive Ipomoea weeds in 2022-23, replaced with animal-friendly grasses, illustrates active habitat management worthy of global attention. Govindpur Birds Village, where former poachers became protectors, offers compelling conservation storytelling. The Island Cafe on Bat Island represents eco-friendly tourism infrastructure that could be replicated.

Dr Swain's vision of biodiversity interpretation centres, featuring indigenous fish displays, wetland ecology education, and conservation challenge narratives, could position these sites as distinct destinations rather than Chilika alternatives. Combined with non-motorised boat tours, guided birdwatching, and homestay experiences, such infrastructure would create the conservation economy.

The path forward demands coordinated action: scientific institutions conducting baseline biodiversity assessments; tourism departments developing low-impact visitor infrastructure; communities receiving capacity-building for service provision; and media amplifying these wetlands' unique narratives. Only through such convergence will Ramsar recognition transcend bureaucratic achievement to become a lived conservation reality, where global interest, tourism revenue, scientific research, and community prosperity unite to protect Odisha's irreplaceable wetland heritage beyond the well-trodden paths to Chilika's shimmering waters.