Wetlands of Maldah District, West Bengal (India)

Fifty five wetlands comprising bils (32), dighis (7), jhils (2), pond/pukur (8) and rivers (6) distributed in 13 administrative blocks of Maldah district were surveyed and characteristic features were studied for occurrence of different types of aquatic plants, their categories and local environmental conditions. During the study, altogether 37 aquatic plant species were identified, belonging to Algae and Bryophytes (one species each), 3 species to Pteridophytes and 32 species to Angiosperms (7 species to Monocots and 25 species to Dicots). Depending upon occurrence of these plants in and along the wetlands, they have been categorized into 5 categories namely freefloating and bottom rooted floating (7 species each), submerged and emergent (6 species each) and littoral (constitutes 11 species). Occurrence of free floating Azolla pinnata R.Br. having symbiotic relationship with Anabaena azollae Strasb. in a few wetlands was remarkable. Besides, most of the observed wetlands have either been extinct and/or on the verge of extinction, needs for their restoration and protection to save the aquatic biodiversity (including micro flora and fauna).