With the World Wetlands Day observed across the nation to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, it is time to realize that the preservation and development of wetlands is not only essential for the present generation but even for the future generations of this Union Territory as well as the nation. A theme is selected every year to focus atten- tion on a specific area that eventually leads to public aware- ness about wetlands. While the last year’s theme was ‘Wetlands and Water’, this year’s theme has been rightly chosen as ‘It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration.’ It highlights the urgent need to prioritize wetlands restoration for their highly positive contribution not towards the people but the entire flora and fauna on this planet. It would not be out of context to mention that an area is called a wetland if it is sat- urated or flooded with water permanently or seasonally. It is a distinct ecosystem that stands out from other landforms or water bodies due to its characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants. Wetlands include coastal marshes, mangroves, lagoons, and coral reefs besides inland wetlands like ponds, lakes, marshes, and swamps. This year’s theme ‘It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration.’ shines a spotlight on wetlands providing us with an opportunity to reflect on the important role that wetlands play in our world and to recommit our- selves to preserving these critical ecosystems for future generations. It encourages actions to restore them and stop their loss. It is a fact that we are facing a growing crisis that threatens people and our planet as we have fiddled with it carelessly. We use more freshwater than nature can replen- ish, and we are destroying the ecosystem on which water and the entire life depends. Water and wetlands are con- nected in an inseparable co-existence that is vital to life, our wellbeing and the health of entire globe. The erstwhile state of J&K now bifurcated into two Union Territories i.e. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is already blessed with nature’s bounty and the region witnesses further vibrance when the migratory birds visit the wetlands. However, it is an irony that the wetlands in the Jammu and Kashmir continue to suffer from impacts of unplanned development and government inactions. The problems of siltation, sewage pollution and encroachments remained unresolved as a result of which these threats loom large over most of the wetlands in the region. These wetlands undoubtedly form the most signifi- cant ecosystem supporting equally important biodiversity in the region. These are essential for maintaining bio-diversity, water harvesting and water availability. As elsewhere the wetlands play an important role in the economic activities of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides being reservoirs of water and rich repository of macrophytic vegetation and winter asylum to migratory birds, these provide livelihood to thousands of locals in terms of various products harvested from their waters be it fish or vegetation. These also boost tourism in the concerned areas thus providing an economic boost to the region as well as its people. Unfortunately it is a matter of great concern that these wetlands are shrinking as a result of human greed and the pressures of rapid pop- ulation growth. While the concerned departments take many measures to improve the condition of these wetlands, at the same time much more needs to be done and as such it becomes our foremost duty to ensure their restoration and preservation at all costs especially in view of the global ini- tiative to conserve biodiversity in order to address the issue of climate change. It is hoped that measures will be taken on a war footing to restore all the wetlands across this Union Territory to their pristine glory.