Wetlands are among the most productive life-supporting systems of the world with immense socio-economic, ecological and bio-aesthetic importance. They are also one of the most threatened habitats in the world, facing degradation due to ill-planned urbanization, industrialization and encroachments. A wetland ecosystem provides innumerable tangible and intangible benefits to society, the value of which, due to being difficult to quantify and document, is often not disseminated to policymakers and the general public. Hence, economists have developed non-market approaches to address these difficult issues related to the valuation of the environment. This is to counter planning and development decisions made purely on economic grounds, on the basis of the forces at play in the free-market system.

This book details the ecological importance, environmental degradation, threats, changes in land use and related key issues of Pallikaranai Marsh. It also provides an economic evaluation of the Marsh to guide policymakers and planners in decision-making processes at both the macro- and micro-level. Students, researchers and policymakers will benefit from this book in conducting wetland research, framing suitable management practices and valuating wetlands.