Generally wetlands mean rivers, lakes, reservoirs and forests, and water logged lands in and around human habitation. The Nepali term for wetlands is “Simsar”, which means lands with perennial source of water. Swampy rice fields, water logged areas and ponds are also understood as wetlands in the country. There are about 50 different definitions of wetlands in the world. Plants, animals and birds are abundant in wetlands. Twelve different words are commonly used to denote wetlands in Nepal. In this sense, wetlands could be defined in the following way –
“Wetlands denote perennial water bodies that originate from underground sources of water or rains. It means swampy areas with flowing or stagnant fresh or salt water that are natural or man-made, or permanent or temporary. Wetlands also mean marshy lands, riverine floodplains, lakes, ponds, water storage areas and agricultural lands.”