Wetland Associated Life and Livelihood in Bhitarkanika

The video features local communities discussing the importance of Bhitarkanika in sustaining their lives and livelihoods, as well as their ongoing struggle against climate change and increasing soil salinity.
Contributor:
Nirmal Behera, Pintu Sethi, Mandakini Swain and Srikanta Das.
___
About the Video Series: Voices from the Wetlands
Wetlands are critical for sustaining biodiversity, yet their vast ecosystem services, cultural ties and the reliance of local communities often go under-documented. To bridge this gap, we empowered 55 local community members, including 18 women, from three Ramsar Sites-Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh, Point Calimere in Tamil Nadu, and Bhitarkanika in Odisha-in videography and video editing, empowering them to tell their own stories. This series features eight videos created by these community members, showcasing the unique relationships they have with wetlands.
The training was conducted as part of the ‘Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection’ project, commissioned by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection (BMUV), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The training was provided by Drishti Media, a non-profit organisation that uses arts and communication tools to enhance awareness of human rights and grassroots development in India. The training transformed community members into filmmakers, who now offer firsthand perspectives on the critical importance of wetlands.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in these videos are solely those of the filmmakers and do not represent the official position of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) or its commissioning parties, including the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection (BMUV), and lead executing agency, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Link to the project page: indo-germanbio....