This volume is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary study of wetlands, which unites the natural science perspective with strong social concerns and economic and other approaches in order to design a practical national wetlands conservation strategy and action plan. The contributors argue that an important part of any long-term strategy for protecting wetlands must involve local users and incorporate traditional knowledge. The book makes a strong case for the coordinated management of wetlands and outlines various social, economic and ecological indicators which can be used to assess the diver.