Guwahati, Nov. 5 -- Debarun Choudhury

Each year, as winter begins around mid November, Arup Das looks out across the marsh surrounding his home in Dargarbond, one of the many villages around Son Beel, a seasonal wetland in Assam. The land around him was submerged under water just a couple of months ago. Now, as the water recedes, he releases his ducks to forage for snails, aquatic plants, insects, and whatever else the retreating waters leave behind.

Son Beel is the largest wetland in Assam with a fluctuating size since it expands during the monsoon and contracts during the dry season. More than 50,000 people depend directly on this wetland for their livelihoods.

"A wetland is not simply a body of water," says Tapati Das, an ecologist ...