American Environmentalist Dr.Beth Middleton Speaks on Climate Change and Wetland

Dr. Beth Middleton watches the work of CReNIEO in preserving the Pulicat Lake

April 21: U.S. Consulate General-Chennai celebrated Earth Day by welcoming Dr. Beth Middleton, a Research Ecologist with the National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana, for a series of events focusing on the importance of wetlands conservation to protect the environment. During the tour, Dr. Middleton highlighted the effects of climate change on the wetlands eco-systems and advocated for urgent intervention and international dialogue among scientific institutions to draw up strategies to protect the shrinking wetland ecosystems of the world. On April 21, she met with Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, and interacted with a special gathering of environmental scientists. Later the same day, she visited Pulicat Lake restoration project managed by the Centre for Research on New International Economic Order (CReNIEO), and spoke to students, teachers, villagers, fishermen and self-help groups about how people use wetlands sustainably around the world.  She delivered the Earth Day lecture, “Climate Change and the Future of Wetlands” at the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) on April 22, 2009 to a mixed audience of environmentalists, students and the general public.  Immediately after the lecture, Dr. Nanditha Krishna, Honorary Director, CPREEC passed a resolution to work with the other NGOs and environmentalists present to lobby for designation under the Ramsar Convention for Pulicat Lake.